Cortland Sylk: Fly Fishing Heritage in the 21st Century

A year ago, I had the idea to explore the emergence of “retro” gear in fly fishing. Whereas very recently the necessary paradigm of equipment in the industry was always and only “lighter, faster, sleeker,” the past decade has seen many companies revisiting traditional elements. With the partnership of some  premier fly fishing brands, I assembled a rod, reel, and line that all fit into this category: Orvis Superfine Glass, Pflueger Medalist, and Cortland Sylk. I’ve been fishing with the gear for a year, and today I’ll be looking at what makes Sylk an interesting fly line worth considering.

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In a small industry like fly fishing, there are not a lot of companies to begin with. Given the nature of the market and the culture as a whole, there are few that stand the test of time. Yet in the middle of New York State, Cortland Line has been producing fishing line since 1915. Their first line was made from silk, and was soon patented into a signature fly fishing staple.

Fast forward to the turn of the 21st century, and fly lines were still being made by Cortland in New York. Technology had come a long way in the nearly hundred years since they began braiding silk in the very same facility. Moreover, fly fishing had changed. PVC replaced silk and other materials due to cost, versatility, and the unimaginable diversification of angling opportunities.

However, there was a certain niche that a silk-like line still fit into. “There have always been people who fished bamboo, and this line was specifically built for them,” says Brooks Robinson, manager of public relations and social media at Cortland. He’s speaking of Sylk, the contemporary fly line designed around 2000 to mimic the performance characteristics (and appearance) of traditional silk line. “It isn’t designed for fast rods. It has a taper that fits a slower stroke that is usually found in bamboo or glass.”

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Why I Write About Fly Fishing

I write more than I fish.

To be fair, I do write about fishing a lot. Realistically, that isn’t going to lead to enough quality grip-and-grin fish shots to make for a visually dazzling website. Moreover, that isn’t going to lead to hundreds of “likes” on social media.

And if I am being honest, sometimes that gets me down.

Not down down. Just kind of occasionally bummed out. Maybe it is fly fishing blog envy, but I look around and see some of the amazing places and spectacular fish that are out there. By and large people respond and gravitate towards imagery, and I think “well, I can’t compete with that.”

I’ll tell you precisely what brings this on. It happens every now and again. Some weird social media algorithm gets rewritten or I fail to use the right keyword and there are a few weeks of low website hits. My content doesn’t change and my logistics remain steady. It just happens.

It usually doesn’t take me too long to jostle myself out of the scowl. I don’t do this for website hits. I don’t write so that I get thousands of social media followers. I don’t write to get on the pro staff of companies. I don’t write so that people say “hey, you’re Casting Across!” on the stream. I don’t simply write so that my fly fishing pictures can have a few token words or hashtags.

I write about fly fishing because I enjoy it.

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Last Cast of the Week, 3/17/2017

Most Fridays on Casting Across are  devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week.

Today, I’m sharing items from Richardson Chest Fly Box, Wes Ashcraft, & Texas Fly Fishing and Brew Festival.

If you’d like to be featured in the Last Cast of the Week, or have seen something that others might be interested in, use my contact form or shoot me an email (matthew[at]castingacross[dot]com). Also, be sure to subscribe to Casting Across to never miss a post.

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Richardson Chest Fly Box

Once you see the image of a Richardson box, you’ll realize that you’ve seen it before. If you’ve read or watched some of the classics from George Harvey or Joe Humphreys, these boxes are (literally) front and center. A Pennsylvania company, Richardson has been making chest packs since before chest packs were “in.” These hand-built fly boxes sit tight and high, are incredibly customizable, and versatile enough to use with a vest or by themselves. Even if you just want to do some online window shopping, I highly suggest checking their website out.

Wes Ashcraft –  Custom Fly Fishing Hats

There are a lot of amazing fly fishing hats to be had out there. I’ve shown an incredible amount of restraint at recent Fly Fishing Show stops. Social media makes it even harder to keep the credit cards in the wallet. One  artist that creates some very cool apparel is Wes Ashcraft. As you’ll see in the link above, he utilizes a few different techniques. Some patterns are more realistic, others are slightly stylized. His brookie hats really caught my eye, and I think you’ll enjoy following his work.

Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival

Although the inaugural Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival has already taken place, you should still follow their social media accounts.  Some of the names, brands, and activities that they featured in their first year are worth checking out – and very impressive! Regional fly fishing expos are  incredibly valuable to the angling community and the host communities as well. So go ahead, check them out, and scroll back through the highlights of what fly fishing looks like in Texas.

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Fly Fishing the Blue Lines? Try “No Lining”

Scrolling through Google Maps in the Appalachians can be a little overstimulating for a fly fisher. Every valley, hollow, and mountain pass has a blue line of varying width running through it. Generally, every blue line will contain trout. The problem is that not every line contains enough trout to warrant a trip. Especially on the east coast, issues like mining, logging, and their harsh side-effects have ravaged rivers large and small. Remediation has restored some ecosystems, but not all of them.

There is a ritual: I stare at the map, wondering which blue line is worth exploring. Certainly, there are some no-brainers. The famous rivers that have flies, rods, or even shops named after them do have fish. They also have access, and people, and pressure from said people that just visited the aforementioned fly shop to buy the rod and flies named after the river. A stream like that might work if it is a Wednesday or there is a snowstorm, but not so much on a beautiful Sunday. Even the bigger mountain streams are a tough go if you are the second angler through.

Once the big-name rivers are off the table, then I consult guidebooks and state classification lists. “Blue-ribbon, class II, wild trout, delayed harvest on months that have 31 days,” or something to that effect, “from the border of forest service land to the stump with a skull and crossbones on it.” In my mind, rivers like this are hit or miss. They have lots of signs. Signs scream “fish!” Rural signs scream “come catch and eat these fish!” A trip into the woods could yield a full day of native brook trout, or it could lead to a skunk. Or it could result in a run in with bears, law enforcement, or mountain folk. (FYI: Of the three, I’d pick bears.)

Passing up the stars and B-listers means digging deep and casting a relatively unknown actor. These are the true blue lines. The tiny trickle that might be Pine Run, “or maybe Little Pine Run? Or something else entirely? There isn’t really a label once it gets up high and branches off a few times.” Creeks like these bestow an ample supply of bushwhacking street-cred. Your small stream, native trout bravado is legitimized by the amount of time you spend hiking away from roads, trails, and cell service. All you have is your map, your fly rod, and your sense of adventure (and the latest in high-tech / retro-chic gear, naturally).

But what if there was another world even deeper inside the rabbit hole of backroads, backwoods trout fishing? What is the new angling album that not even the indie-fishing hipsters know about?

Forget blue lining: this is no-lining.

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Fly Fishing Tools of the Trade

Ask any fly fisher what you need to start up in the sport, and they’ll quickly answer something to the effect of: “Just a rod and reel.”

Then, after a brief pause: “And line and flies, of course.”

And shortly after that: “You’ll need a vest, fly boxes, tippet, leaders, nippers, flotant, weight, a net, waders, boots, polarized sunglasses…”

As they continue to drone on, you’ll get the picture.

Fly fishing is easy enough to get into, but there are plenty of miscellaneous items that make the whole venture much more comfortable. Given the tendency for outdoors enthusiasts to like gadgets and gear, various and sundry tools are usually important for anglers. But what makes a good tool, and what makes a better tool?

On the banks of the Truckee River in Reno, Nevada, StreamWorks creates fly fishing tools. “StreamWorks was born out of frustration with the fly fishing accessories that were available at the time,” says company president Tom Duffy. “Our founders were avid fly fishermen who saw major design flaws in those accessories and started making their own tools.”

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Last Cast of the Week, 3/10/2017

Most Fridays on Casting Across are  devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week.

Today, I’m sharing items from Tenkara USA, Fishpond, & Blue Ridge Outdoors.

If you’d like to be featured in the Last Cast of the Week, or have seen something that others might be interested in, use my contact form or shoot me an email (matthew[at]castingacross[dot]com). Also, be sure to subscribe to Casting Across to never miss a post.

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Tenkara USA – How to Choose a Tenkara rod video

Maybe you’re not into tenkara. I get it – it isn’t for everyone. But, as I’ve said before, I think a lot of negativity simply comes from a lack of exposure. The best way to  get a feel for this type of fishing is to actually pick up a rod and give it a shot. Daniel Gelhardo, Japanese fly fishing evangelist and owner of Tenkara USA, has put out some great entry level videos that will explain the ins and outs of the technique. His first entry is a breakdown of the five rods in his company’s stable. It is a clear-cut and straightforward introduction  that gives you all the information you need to get a rod and give tenkara a try.

Fishpond – Boulder Briefcase

Now, I don’t own this briefcase. I wish I did, and I’d like to one day; but currently I do not. That being said, I’ve checked it out a few times at shops and at the Fly Fishing Show. If you’re in the market for a new briefcase / weekend bag, this is a great option to pursue instead of just picking up just anything. Fishpond makes great stuff across the board, but their high-tech waxed canvas series is a perfect synthesis of modern manufacturing with vintage aesthetics.  I’m not going to promise that having fly fishing branded luggage will make you feel adventurous when you’re going to/from  work or class… but it definitely won’t hurt.

Blue Ridge Outdoors – Women in Fly Fishing

If you listen to or read April Vokey, you know that she’s explained the  counter-intuitive bristling that can occur upon hearing  the label of “woman fly fisher.” I get it. Labels have a tendency to separate more than  refine. All that to say, this piece is a great synopsis of what some leading fly fishers (who happen to be women) are up to. This site isn’t a soap box for my worldview, but I do think that articles like this are still important and necessary. That sentiment applies to the fly fishing community as well as the greater outdoors culture.

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Adventure & Aesthetics: Pirate Fly Fishing

Bright and shiny sells. Often, bright and shiny is only indicative of the external: a façade and nothing more. The fly fishing industry is not immune to this marketing malady. Reels, apparel, and flies that look really good or capture the eye might not help you one bit when it comes to catching fish. In a visual world, form has the capacity to overshadow function.

If you’re on “fly fishing social media,” chances are you’ve seen Pirate Fly Fishing’s fly patch pop up in your feed. It is hard to miss: it’s a big, bright, brown trout-colored rectangle. Sometimes they display it all on its own, other times it is covered with meaty streamers. It looks appealing, and it looks like it works. Their publicity efforts worked on me, because I was interested enough to click on through to their website. After checking out their site, I was interested enough to contact the company.

Pirate Fly Fishing is Maddie Bonthron and Justin West. They live outside of Denver, are recently out of college, and want to make functional products that “look good doing it.”

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Show + Tell from the Lancaster Fly Fishing Show

Did you get a chance to go to a fly fishing show this winter? There are definitely still some local events in March and into April, but most shows – including The Fly Fishing Show‘s three month circuit, wrapped up this past weekend.

Honestly, there are a number of reasons to attend these gatherings. Booking guided trips, learning from the experts, and buying that one  item (plus five) you just had to have are usually on the top of most anglers’ lists.

Something that is, to one degree or another, inherent in all of the aforementioned activities is interaction. Even if a sales rep is simply walking you through the features of the latest chest pack, there is a personal touch that you won’t get from an online shopping experience. Seminars, casting demonstrations, and talking options with potential guides are all certainly relational. For a sport that is stereotypically portrayed  as an individualistic pursuit, there is actually a lot of focus on interaction.

That interaction is something that I truly enjoy about fly fishing shows. Guides I’ve used in the past, former coworkers, and  co-laborers in conservation are all “walking the aisles.”  And, in person, I get a chance to connect with people from across the country who I know from online communication.  It is fun to talk face-to-face with someone who made the rod you use or wrote a book you enjoy.

This past weekend in Lancaster, I had three conversations that I’d like to share with you. All three were with people that do something in the fly fishing world and then write about it.  Keep reading and check out these three blogs from some great people:

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Road Trip: Lancaster Fly Fishing Show

Contrary to popular belief, no souls were stolen by taking this photograph.

March: the last uncomfortable TSA checkpoint you’ll have to endure before the long, warm flight of  fly fishing season commences.

While that is generally the case, there is certainly some great fishing to be had in March. If you live in many parts of the East, the second half of winter 2017 has proved to provide plenty of opportunities to be outdoors. In short sleeves, no less.

With fishing beginning in earnest, some of the  off-season activities will begin to wane. The last batches of flies will be tied, with the challenge of rearranging fly boxes  now on the table. Gear will need to be cleaned (first, it will have to be located – you might want to get on that now). And you’ll actually get to show up for fly fishing, not just fly fishing shows.

The first weekend in March marks the last stop of the 2017 Fly Fishing Show circuit. The venue is downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Lancaster: it’s more than just Amish. *

*Not the official tourism slogan.

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How to Get Your Kids to Love Fly Fishing, part II

The last post on Casting Across introduced three things I have done that have contributed to my boys’ interest in fly fishing. I recommend that you go check them out.

Today, I have three more ideas.

Truth be told, these aren’t just concepts for parents. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, neighbors, teachers, scout leaders, youth pastors – anyone who loves fly fishing themselves and wants to get a young person involved can take some deliberate steps to do so.

Here are ideas four through six for how to get your kid to love fly fishing:

Kids ask questions, you know stuff: answer your kids’ questions!

If you’ve ever found yourself in the endless “why?” vortex, you know that you’ll say just about any nonsensical thing to extricate yourself. Sometimes, a child is just being a pill when engaging you like this. However, there is a genuine level of curiosity in all children. Help them use their powers for good and guide them into fly fishing conversations. Talk about fish, rivers, bugs, flies, rods, waders, flowers, dams, pollution, laws, catch and release, herons, invasive species, seasons: the options are endless.

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