5 Fly Fishing Gifts For Any Angler

It isn’t easy to buy surprise gifts for a fly fisher.

Sure, you can ask which fly rod he wants. You can simply request a list of the gear she needs. But you probably aren’t going to walk into a fly shop and pick out a reel because it is pretty or a pair of wading boots that might coordinate with  a favorite hat.

That doesn’t mean you can’t strike out on your own and buy something exciting and useful. In fact, there are a lot of fly fishing gifts than any fly fisher would enjoy receiving.

Today I’m sharing five fly fishing gift ideas. They range from tiny to large, in prices from $6 to nearly $500. But I am confident that if you know a fly fisher (or are a fly fisher looking to pass along some hints) there will be a number of great options.

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Podcast Ep. 264: 3 Fly Fishing Lies

There are a lot of misconceptions about fly fishing out there. Some of them are repeated enough with such careless disregard for the truth that I’m comfortable in calling them lies.

Today, I address three of them. Two have to do with technique and angling itself; one has broader social implications.

Whether you’re a new angler who is struggling against these things or a veteran who needs to think about combatting them, hopefully I frame the discussion in a way for you to navigate yourself and others towards the fly fishing truth.

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

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Giving… Everyday

In your mind, put yourself at the end of November. You’re looking at an email inbox. What do you see?

Along with Black Friday deals (which may or may not last the better part of the final quarter of the year), you’ve probably received dozens of opportunities to take advantage of Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday specials. You’re becoming jaded. Sure: you are shopping, but you’re becoming jaded with all the commercialism and materialism and all that. But it isn’t like you want to spend more money, right?

There is probably another chunk of emails that came through right as the weekend was wrapping up. Giving Tuesday. And if you’re reading this, I’m more than confident that a handful of those pleas for benevolence came from outdoor or outdoor-adjacent causes.

But that was yesterday. Or last week. Or 11 months ago. I hear you.  At the same time, you’re above all that marketing hype. Right?

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4 Fly Fishing Trip Questions

The fly fishing trip. It is the thing of budgets, daydreams, and wonderfully exhausting weekends.

But before you get online and compare lodges and guides, mark of time on your calendar, or buy an entire new load of gear, there are some calculations that you go through. Or, at least, you should go through.

If you are new to fly fishing the idea of taking a prolonged adventure might be exciting but intimidating. Where to start? What to look for? These are good, legitimate questions. Finding the right location and picking the right outfitter are big decisions. But there are some decisions that are actually upstream from all that research. And truthfully, there are some questions that you ought to consider even if you have been  fishing and fishing-vacationing for decades.

Here are four categories of decisions you ought to run your next fly fishing trip through:

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Podcast Ep. 263: Fly Fishing Thanks, 2023

It is Thanksgiving. And I am thankful.

Today’s episode is all about what I’m thankful for. It is about fly fishing. And it is personal.

But as is the case with a lot of what I put out on Casting Across, I hope my personal musings about fly fishing will resonate with you. Whether they run parallel or perpendicular, I think there will definitely be some benefit as you listen and consider my ramblings.

Happy Thanksgiving from Casting Across!

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

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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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