Fly Fishing, Inc.

I write about brands and the people behind them.

On social media, I photograph logos and will even use the hashtags promoted by corporate marketing.

From time to time, I’ll even promote something and try to steer business towards the company that sells or makes it.

Why?

Short answer: I enjoy it.

I suppose that could, and maybe even should, be a sufficient explanation. But I’ll elaborate.

Gear, gadgets, and “stuff” that is useful on the stream has always fascinated me. Also, I love marketing and branding – even outside of the fly fishing industry. Fully aware that my experience on the water is wholly compromised of what I make of it, I also appreciate the prompting or motivation from a well-crafted ad campaign.

Here is an example:

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Overexposed in Fly Fishing

I’m not a photographer. A quick click around this site will confirm that. I don’t think that I’m necessarily bad at taking pictures, but I’m aware that there is a whole lot more to it than what I’m capable of. Capturing the imagery and experience of fly fishing has always been part of the sport. For better or worse, the internet and social media have increased the common angler’s exposure (…) to photography.

I mess around with a DSLR, but more often than not I’m trying to get by with my iPhone. On one recent trip out I decided to carry my large camera. The stream I was fishing is a small, spring-influenced creek that flows from a pond into a large river. There are supposedly a naturally reproducing population of native brook trout in the creek, and I was eager to explore.

I wanted to take some pictures of whatever I found, potentially to use of the site, so the DSLR was slung over my shoulder as I set off for the morning. As soon as I stepped it the water, I knew there was going to be trouble. I was in mud up to my knees. Maybe it was just a bad place in the stream? Nope: it kept getting deeper. Without making a single cast, I began to slog my way back to the bank. I was holding my camera over my head to keep it dry, and the effect upon my posture was such that the opposite armpit dipped low and allowed water in my waders.

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Last Cast of the Week, 6/3/2016

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 Blue Lines, Fiberglass Fly Rods  / Fiberglass Manifesto, and  The Fly Shack.

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).

Thanks again for reading, and please take a moment to subscribe by plugging your email address in the field on the right sidebar.

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Natural Fly Fishing Etiquette

As spring turns in to summer, the inevitable articles on etiquette and sharing the resource begin to appear. Calls for civility and attempts to engender kindness are much needed in our sport. I believe that we all desire a more pleasant communal experience on the water.

One of the most discouraging moments on the stream, and one of the ways that our good natures are tested, is an encroaching angler. Whether “your spot” is on an urban stream that you’ve naively assumed you could have a little bit of space in, or someone happens to buddy up in the middle of nowhere, having another fly fisher get too close for comfort is… uncomfortable.

So much of the experience is about getting out and into nature. Having other people all up in our fishness is not only frustrating, it is disheartening. Leaving the hustle and bustle for the calm serenity of the great outdoors only to find yourself waving to some human is the last think any of us wants.

Thankfully nature has given us some insights into dealing with this problem. For your consideration are the examples laid by five great North American species. They’ve carved out a niche in their respective ecosystems by outsmarting predators, prey, and peers. Learn from them:

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On the Driving Away

Taking a trip to go fly fishing is a special experience. Whether it is a monthly occurrence or something that happens only once a year, taking an excursion of at least a few nights to fish is distinctly enjoyable. There is a lot that goes into that distinctive experience. Being away from home, work, and the normal routine can be refreshing; regardless of if the accommodations and conditions are posh or something decidedly rustic. And then, of course, there is the fishing.

For the vast majority of people on fly fishing trips, the fishing is the focal point. Pursuing brook trout in the woods of Maine, tarpon off the Gulf Coast, and taimen in Mongolia are very diverse angling opportunities. But for most, they all require getting away. That is a given. There are some other givens that are common to all fishing trips.

One of those is leaving. Inherent to the retreat is the return. And a likely accompaniment to that return are some regrets. Things that, as you drive or fly away, you dwell on and wonder if you should have done differently.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re looking a gift horse (trout?) in the mouth, but that introspection and reflection leads to some obvious thoughts. Here are some that are common to the fly fisher returning from their retreat:

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Last Cast of the Week, 5/27/2016

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 DamNation, Trout in the Classroom, and Chris Williams.

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).

Thanks again for reading, and please take a moment to subscribe by plugging your email address in the field on the right sidebar.

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Rise & Shine: Coffee for Fly Fishing

Walking in the shadows of the great volcanic peaks surrounding the ancient city of Antigua, Guatemala, I stopped to pick a ripe coffee berry. That berry was one of a cluster on a coffee tree, which was one of many on the grounds of a great plantation. Some of the varieties of beans and the subsequent roasts originating from that very estate have won awards the world over.

Later that day, in a centuries-old villa on the property I sipped a blend that had notes reminiscent of hickory smoke, cocoa nibs, and a touch of black currant. The whole scene was about as perfect as a coffee connoisseur could ask for. A delightful cup in a spectacular setting.

***

Stepping over glistening puddles of runoff oil under the neon lights of a gas station in rural New Hampshire, I stopped to avoid getting run over by a dually Ford pickup. Inside I was overwhelmed by the smell of hot dog at 6:00am, which intensified as I realized that the wiener carousel was located next to the coffee urns. There were two options: regular and decaf.

Later that morning, driving down the misty 2-lane highway behind an oil truck, I sipped a drink that had notes reminiscent of coffee… maybe? I was going fishing, and this was the first hot beverage and the first caffeine of the day. A delightful cup in a spectacular setting.

***

I’m convinced that the best cup of coffee you can have is the cup of coffee you have when it is the only cup of coffee you can have. I’m hardly an authority, but I’ve been lucky enough to drink some really top-shelf stuff in some amazing places around the world. A lot of it, incidentally, in situations associated with fly fishing.

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Last Cast of the Week, 5/20/2016

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 Cheeky Fishing,  Unaccomplished Angler, and Paflyfish.

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).

Thanks again for reading, and please take a moment to subscribe by plugging your email address in the field on the right sidebar.

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More than a T-Shirt

I’m moving. That means getting rid of stuff. It is a very liberating process. Have we touched that fondue pot any time in the last ten years? No. Is the decorative pewter rabbit dish really “our style?” Nope. Do we need all those fly rods?

Yes. Yes, we do.

There are a handful of things that are basically off limits when it comes to the purge. Fishing gear easily makes it into that category. I have been quite good, though. I gave away a knife and a chest pack. And a box of assorted conventional tackle. Those are three fishing things that I was willing to part with. I’m impressed with myself.

But then there are some things that I’d consider to be on the periphery of fishing gear. I have every Trout Unlimited calendar from at least the last decade. There are a number of kitschy mugs with fish or flies on them. And then there are the shirts.

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