Better Fly Fishing Gifts

Christmas. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Gift giving is big business, but more importantly it is serious business. Like, certain relationships put a make-it-or-break-it proviso status on gifts. Who am I to say if that is wrong or right? What I do think is wrong is giving gifts with the laconic sentimentality of clicking a “buy now” button off a list.

We can do better. Fly fishers are a sentimental lot. Standing in a wild place chasing wild creatures allows for all sorts of introspection and whatnot. Add to that the whimsy associated with bamboo, Norman McLean, and early mornings? You’ve got a recipe for some grade-A thoughtfulness. That experience on its own, with all the accoutrements that make it special, is worth giving.

But what else can you do to really take fly fishing gift giving to the next level? If you already plan on going fishing with people on your list, how can you go the extra mile? What will push your gift over and above a new pair of wading socks or a Costco bag of beef jerky?

Here are a few ideas that could really be fun. Fun to give and fun to receive. And they can definitely be given in tandem with that fishing trip, so you can still buy the five pounds of jerky and share it on the river.

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In Thanksgiving of Fly Fishing

I am thankful for fly fishing.

I am thankful for being able to go off the marked trail and into wild places. These are places that I would enjoy to see on their own, but would struggle to justify visiting otherwise. Quiet meadows and intense valleys; places that only see the occasional footprints from anglers or intrepid hikers.

I am thankful for early morning drives. Even before I’m in close proximity to the stream, I’m content with what I’m doing. There are breakfasts on the run, misty sunrises, and empty highways. And that first cup of coffee doesn’t have to be good – it just has to be hot.

I am thankful for gear. Although accumulation and striving for things is not important, there is real joy in this aspect of fly fishing. The feel of a brand new cork grip or one that has been used for generations. The sound of a reel as I’m slowly reeling it in or the sound it makes as a fish tears line into the backing. Vests and packs with a place for every necessary little thing… and everything that is in those places.

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Mapping out Fly Fishing: 3 Keys

Reading maps is a lost art. What began with plugging an address into MapQuest a decade ago evolved into simple smartphone GPS navigation that we are used to today. A DeLorme Atlas would be about as foreign to your average elementary school student as a book written in cuneiform. Many millennials wouldn’t fare much better.

I could go on about the potential deficiencies of not knowing how to read a map: math application, special awareness, and just general problem solving. But more pertinent to you and me is the fact that being proficient in reading maps can open up a world of fly fishing possibilities.

You’ve probably heard it a million times before, but if you just stick to the popular and well-marked streams you are missing out on some amazing fishing and some real adventure. Short of just taking off into the wild, you’re going to need to utilize a map in some capacity to find water – and more importantly, water with fish in it.

While a primer in cartography might be needed (“obviously this blue part here is the land…”), that is not something I feel compelled to lay out today. And though nothing will ever take the place of being able to read a topographic map and make an educated decision, there are some great tools that can be an entry point in exposing an angler to using maps.

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Last Cast of the Week, 11/18/2016

lcw

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 Fly Fisherous, TheStevenLee, & The Fading Angler.

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).

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With this week’s Last Cast  I’m hoping you’ll check out some other fly fishing / outdoors blogs.  Here  are three websites that you might not have heard of that are worth checking out, clicking around, and subscribing to.

bFly Fisherous

6 years is pretty old in blog years. Cory has been at it for that long, sharing personal stories, fishing videos, and gear reviews.  He’s got a sharp web design and one of the cooler logos I’ve seen. Take some time to scroll through the immense archives and enjoy his work.

aTheStevenLee

Steven’s shiny new website features some great photography and accounts of his outdoors pursuits. Hiking, camping, and fly fishing with family are what he writes about.  Be sure to give him a follow on social media, where he is prolific and diverse in his content.

The Fading Anglerc

The Fading Angler fly fishes. And he has Parkinson’s Disease. That should be enough of a preview to get you reading his perspective on angling, spending time outdoors, and life.  This pursuit can really create a point of contact for those  of us in a wide variety of circumstances – good and not so good.

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Is an Old Fly Rod Enough?

Congratulations to Michael from Ohio, the winner of the Casting Across Anniversary giveaway!

I want to thank Michael and everyone else who has read and subscribed. Also, a huge thank you to all of my partners, including Monthly Fly, Risen Fly, Trout Life, and Vedavoo.

Keep reading for more great things to come…

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Every once in a while, in a moment of weakness, I wonder why I have expensive gear. Generally, I come to my senses immediately and realize that I can cast faster and fish harder when I “have my premium rod on.”

But sometimes I do wonder

I have my grandfather’s fly rods. He wasn’t a fly fisherman by any stretch of the imagination. As far as he could recall, he used them a handful of times in Wisconsin for bluegill and little pike. They are beat up bamboo, glass, and cherrywood fly rods of dubious origin.

Why wouldn’t they be sufficient for the majority of my fishing – bass ponds and medium-to-small trout rivers? I only cast 20-30 feet most of the time. A “better” rod would be handy, but not at all necessary.

Before eyes begin to roll and anger starts to mount, let me say that I am happy to have an array of rods that fit into practically every niche imaginable. (And I could always use one or two or seven more.)

Hopefully you’re somewhat introspective about your hobbies. Fly fishing practically begs it. There’s the whole romantic notion of standing in a river and reaching out to a wild creature that can’t be seen until you fool it. The fly rod is usually the focal point of this quasi-mystical relationship. So it makes sense that fly rods have a special aura about them.

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Fly Fishing & the Back Roads of Memory

I used to keep track of all the placed that I fished. In a black and white composition book, I’d jot down the name of the stream or pond. When I had the time, the species of fish I caught would also be noted. It never got to the point of writing down conditions or flies, let alone how many fish I was able to get into.

For whatever reason, I stopped the practice years ago. Laziness was undoubtedly a significant factor, but I was also fishing more. On a weekend fishing trip, I might bounce to four or five spots. I’d forget where I had been, and then the list seemed less legitimate. So for all intents and purposes, I can’t know for certain everywhere I have gone fly fishing.

So when I am driving down a back road and I get that I’ve fished here before sense, I generally assume that there is some credence to it. Especially if you live somewhere for a prolonged period of time, the chances that your angling travels will effectively canvas an area are great. You may only cast a fly in any given stream a handful of times, but you will have been there.

Without getting all whimsical, I can confidently assert that there is a lot of truth to the idea that we change a lot like rivers do. What you’re then left with is water that is constantly being altered while you are growing and changing as well.

All of that is to say this: it can be exciting to return to those waters that you may have fished a long time ago but have since forgotten.

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Last Cast of the Week: Election Edition

What a week. There are a lot of particulars I’d like to comment on regarding the state of our country. However, that isn’t what Casting Across is about.

I am aware that the priorities and policies of an administration can have significant implications for water, land, and the fish that we’re trying to pursue. At the same time,  I can’t begin to assume that fish are more important than people. But, that doesn’t mean that fish and the wild places in which they live aren’t of immense value.

So how do we communicate that to people of red, blue, and green values? Is it possible to be affirming of who someone is and what they firmly believe in… but also disagree? And to do it in a way that is respectful, honoring, and decent?

Unfortunately, the answer today seems to be a resounding “no.”

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A Hat for all Fly Fishing Seasons

August 26, 2004. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My brother bought two hats at a store during a buy-one, get-one 50% off promotion. For my birthday, he gave me a bright blue, unstructured Chicago Cubs cap from Twins Enterprises.

It was just what I was looking for.

Since I started fly fishing, I had worn a number of hats. The guys on Saturday mornings wore hats, so I knew that I needed to as well. Early pictures of me on the river show a mixed bag of sports teams and conventional tackle hats. In the photo of me holding my very first trout on the fly, I’m sporting a black and gold Zebco Rhino hat. Flat billed and high crowned in 1998, I was cool before cool was cool.

As I became more steeped in the culture of fly fishing, I realized that any old hat would not do. I had to spend more money to wear something that made a statement. Obviously. I went to Orvis and bought a super-drab, tan and olive hat with a brook trout stitched on the front. The bill was a little long and the metal clasp on the back started to turn the back of my head green after a few months, but it was a legit fly fishing hat. I wore this all throughout high school and into college. It got gross from sweat, creek water, and whatever chemicals come off frosted tips. It was the 90’s, after all.

Then in college, I began to do some sales for a small fly rod company. They sent me a hat, and I felt obligated to wear it. I had sold out, and I knew it. My head was a billboard. Honestly, I doubt any of the rods I sold came as direct result of someone looking at my headwear and making a decision to buy an expensive fishing pole. It was a dark period for hats.

Around this time, the super-nasty, beat to a pulp, scratched brim, dumpster hat was a thing among college guys. And guess what I was. One could walk into a Lids and buy a pre-scuffed hat, but that was the do not pass go, do not collect $200 poseur move. I wanted that hat, but I wanted it on my terms.

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Those Who Can Fish, Teach!

 

“I know what it means… I just can’t explain it.”
In one way or another, I’ve worked with young people for the past dozen years of my life. Early on, I realized that I was getting a lot of engaged expressions and eager nods to statements and follow up questions of “do you know what I am saying?” Many times, I’d even be able to get a reasonably cogent answer from a request for regurgitated information. However, things began to fall apart when I’d ask for them to restate the answer in their own words.

What really changed my paradigm of education was when I became aware of how many words young people (all people, really) use without understanding what they mean. That is where “I know what it means… I just can’t explain it” is truly problematic. The inability to articulate is indicative of a deficiency at a fundamental level.

I’m confident in asserting that if you can’t explain it, you don’t get it.

What does this have to do with fly fishing? Well, think of it this way: Can you explain the basic mechanics of a cast? Could you give a quick overview of why the feeding behavior of fish changes with the weather? Why should I buy a medium-action fly rod over a fast one… or vice-versa?

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