Black FlyDay

Here’s to a new tradition. Here’s to giving thanks. Here’s to the trout.

It is the day after Thanksgiving. It was a good holiday. The meal is over. The family is still in town. The sales are in full swing.

All of these things are fine and good. In fact, they’re great. Leftovers, loved ones, and a day off to  knock out a good chunk of that holiday shopping. These three Black Friday  customs may comprise a significant part of your annual late-November calendar. Those, and fighting over whether it is time to decorate for Christmas or not.

Once more: all of these things are fine and good. But do you have a few hours for sneaking out? Perhaps it is while everyone else is sleeping off their turkey and pie. Maybe it is instead of fighting crowds at WalMart. In fact, it would probably be easier if you’re not there grumbling about Christmas decorations in November.

The new ritual could involve some late fall trout.

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The River Will Wait

There is a river back there, but it will have to wait.

A few hundred yards into those woods, through groves of pines and countless game trails, a medium-sized river flows  in a lazy and meandering manner. It is a trout stream. It isn’t the kind of river you’d set as the marquee stop on an angling adventure, but it is the kind of river that is great to have in your town. And I’m feeling great that it is now in my backyard.

The past few weeks have been very busy. The last couple of days have been remarkably busy. Selling and buying with two closings on the same day is always work. Add in a few unfortunate variables and it makes for a real edge-of-your-seat experience. But we made it. Along the way we were the recipients of great kindness, compassion, and, most of all,  clear examples of the grace of God.

So tonight I write in my new house, with acres of woods and a river behind me. Getting things how they should be is going to take some work. With life not stopping for my renovations, angling is probably going to take a bit of a back seat in the coming weeks. But the river will wait. I’ll eventually walk back there. And I’ll eventually catch a trout.

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Podcast Ep. 262: The End of Your Fly Line

What’s on the end of your fly line?

It isn’t a fish. It is a leader. Which, as you may well have surmised, is essential for getting your fly to a fish. And getting your leader onto your fly line isn’t necessarily a straightforward endeavor.

Not all fly line/leader connections are created equally.

Today I walk through four of them; three of which I recommend for one reason or another.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Watch: Streams of Heritage

If you enjoy fly fishing, specifically the uniquely American take on dry fly fishing, you need to be familiar with the Catskills.

Names like Gordon and Dette, places like the Beaverkill and  the Upper Delaware: the profound impact of this special part of New York has left an indelible mark on fly fishing. This fantastic short feature walks you through a brief history of the people, places, and things of the Catskills.

It is the kind of fly fishing film that communicates the who, what, and why of angling. There aren’t any action shots and intense high fives. The product placement is unintentional. But it is certainly educational and entertaining.

Watch the video below:

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Hooked for 25 Years

I had held the fly rod, running my hands over the black foam grip and the forest green blank for weeks before I brought it outside. It was a $25 rod, reel, and line from a department store, but I kept it safely inside. I felt like the right thing to do was to wait until I was actually on a trout stream. I was in, and it was all or nothing.

After the months of thinking about fly fishing, after biding my time with the rod in my room, after two hours in the car to the trout stream: two casts in I caught a fish.

This moment came a few years into my fishing career. Ever since my best friend told me I had to give fly fishing for trout a try, I had been watching Saturday morning outdoor shows, focusing on the appropriate pages in Cabela’s catalogs, and day dreaming about this new endeavor. Teenagers have the propensity for and the luxury of developing a one-track mind. I still loved bass fishing, but in the interval between deciding to try fly fishing and fly fishing I was uniquely focused on trout. As I preparing for my inaugural fly fishing trip I continued to go to local ponds every other day. My big Plano tackle box went where I went. I used my Shimano rod and reel with surgical precision. I didn’t love bass fishing less. I just began to love fly fishing for trout more.

What it came down to was a captivation: the people, places, and things that came with fly fishing had me.

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Podcast Ep. 261: Cold Fly Fishing Encouragement

The weather outside is frightful. Or, at least it will be.

And you’re all ready to fish in it. Right?

If you have the gumption and the warm socks, there is no reason why you can’t fish in the coldest months out of the year. Today I tackle two big hurdles that people face when it comes to fly fishing in cold weather. I also give two techniques that ought to encourage you to get out and explore your local waters in a new way this season.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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Moving Fly Fishing Gear

Ah, moving. There are few moments in life that are more stressful and chaotic. Moving is essentially the exact opposite of fly fishing.

If and when you do have to move, you are going to take your angling gear with you. Sure, you could just let the movers have their way with your rods and fly collections. Or, you could treat your valuable reels and even more valuable hackles in the exact way you pack shoe racks and pie pans and photo albums. I think you can see that there is  a better way.

I’ve moved a handful of times. And I’m in the process of moving. While I don’t intend to leave my friends to unload the truck while I hit the river, I also don’t intend to lose or lose track of my fly fishing gear for weeks or months. So while moving is stressful and chaotic, there are a few things you can do to keep your equipment safe and at hand.

Here are four things to consider:

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Trout & the Depth of Temptation

He had ducked under the chain link fence so many times in his mind that doing it for real felt normal. Trespassing wasn’t something he normally fantasized about. However this particular temptation was too hard to resist. The map showed that on the private stretch the river cut deep into the valley. Upstream was always crowded, and separated from this off-limits portion by what was essentially a waterfall. Downstream was private, as well; privately owned by a club too expensive and to pretentious for him to ever join. But too expensive, mostly. Both adjoining segments held fat, wild trout. The forbidden water was surely to die for.

Abandoning his scruples for good fly fishing drove him to the edge of the fence. Its dilapidated nature and singular, modest sign practically pulled him under. It wasn’t “NO TRESPASSING.” It wasn’t “PRIVATE PROPERTY.” It definitely wasn’t “NO FISHING HUNTING TRAPPING.” All that kept him and all the other anglers at bay was a rusty sheet of metal nailed to a tree, scrawled with “KEEP AWAY” in poorly applied paint.

Once he was on the other side of the fence the heat of the moment transformed into a cool damp all over his body. No one was here. No one would know he was here. He just would have to exercise caution when resurfacing on the road.

He had never been on this side of the fence. And while he didn’t expect a maintained trail down to the water, he was surprised by how the hillside of the valley was remarkably steep; much steeper than the public water only a few hundred yards away from where he had entered. The vegetation was thick, too. Pines with low boughs and shrubbery made moving difficult, yet he simultaneously struggled to stay upright because of the pitch of his footing.

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Podcast Ep. 260: Fly Fishing Accusations, XXVI

So I messed up.

To my knowledge, I have never deleted an email from a reader or listener. But just today, right before recording, I did. So whoever you are, this week’s podcast starts off with my heartfelt apology and an answer to your question.

Along with that little bit of Q&A, I interact with two other bits of feedback that will be worth your while.

Thanks for listening!

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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8 Years: A Quick Look Back

In the previous article I commented on how appreciative I am for all the clicks you’ve given Casting Across over the past eight years. I also shared what I plan to think about over the coming months as I put together content on the site.

Today, I’m looking back. I’m not looking all the way back. I’m only taking a glance at the previous 365 days.

Below I’m sharing four posts that garnered a lot of reads and downloads from you. I’ve picked four categories from the site and linked to each post. Also, I’ve added a word or two as to what I think about each piece – and why I assume you responded so favorably.

Thanks for reading the first time through, and enjoy the best of the best one more time below.

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