4 Fall Fly Fishing Gear Essentials

Fall fishing usually means changing your approach to pursuing fish. Hitting different spots and using different flies are   usually required. Switching up your gear is almost as necessary.

Personally, I carry more in the fall. Generally speaking, this comes down to the fact that I employ (and switch up) more layered clothing. My terminal gear usually hops up a line size or two as well.

Here are four examples of items that are on my fall fishing essential list. They serve valuable purposes getting me to the water and keeping me prepped and comfortable while I’m out there.

Feel free to check out my suggestions and why I chose them. Then, shop around and compare. You might find something that does essentially the same thing that is a better fit for you, your fishing, or your budget. But I’m confident these four pieces of gear will serve you well in the fall and year-round.

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Podcast Ep. 254: All. The. Fly. Shops.

What’s your fly shop?

There is a good chance that you have a local shop, considering that there are nearly 400 of them around the lower 48.

A new and exciting part of Casting Across is the “Fly Shop Box” – an online directory of all the fly shops. In this episode I talk a little bit about why I decided to put this together, how you can use it, and how you can help keep it relevant.

Give the podcast a listen, then hop online to check out if your favorite shop is there… or if there is a fly shop where you live or fish that you didn’t know about!

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

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No Fishing, for Trout’s Sake

Low flows in Shenandoah, NPS photo

Luray, Virginia: Effective immediately, Shenandoah National Park’s streams and rivers are closed to fishing due to low stream flows and high water temperatures. This closure is being implemented to ensure the long term health of the fish populations in the park.

Dry conditions have led to extremely low stream flows throughout the Park, including some river sections that are completely dry. Under low-flow conditions, high water temperatures occur with hot weather and dissolved oxygen levels go down, which are stressful and potentially fatal for fish.

Angling during these conditions could harm the native brook trout populations. This closure is for all streams including both open-to-harvest and catch-and-release waters. The closure will be lifted when stream conditions improve. Stream flows are expected to remain low until significant precipitation occurs across the area.

For the last three weeks, I’ve seen this message countless times. Between my internet browsing, various email lists I’m subscribed to, and scant social media use I’ve been reminded that something rotten is in the state of Virginia.

Shenandoah National Park was where I first experienced native brook trout. It was the first place I experienced small stream fly fishing. It was the first place I experienced a long drive on secondary roads, followed by a long drive on a dirt road, followed by a long hike before getting to water.

Needless to say, it holds a special place in my heart.

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Fly Heroes Outside the Shops

Last week I rolled out the Casting Across Fly Shop Box. This online resource  is intended to be a growing, dynamic, comprehensive list of all the fly shops in the lower 48. Even after scouring the internet, I’m aware that there are shops that I’ve missed. The call was put out to readers of Casting Across to send in shop info for any store that I neglected to include. Along with some bone-headed exclusions that were brought to my attention, I had a handful of suggestions for stores that aren’t exactly fly shops.

Well, they aren’t… but they are.

I’ve long maintained that there are sporting goods store managers and fly fishing department employees that go over and beyond. Their businesses aren’t fly shops in the narrow definition of the term, but they make fly fishing their business. They take their work seriously and they  take fly fishing seriously. Sometimes, they provide a service that exceeds traditional fly shops.

While I do desire to maintain a distinction between the culturally important fly shop proper and these other establishments,  I also want to acknowledge and recognize the stores that don’t fit the mold but shine nonetheless. They might be the only fly gear option around, they might be more affordable, or they might just to a really good job at helping people pursue fish.

Here’s how you can help highlight these stores:

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Podcast Ep. 253: 4 Things Everyone Needs to Know

Recently I took my oldest son fishing on one of my favorite streams. It has taken me this long to take him, an accomplished angler for a pre-teen, because it is an incredibly small creek with remarkably spooky fish.

But those fish happen to be native brook trout.

I warned him of the challenges while singing the praises of what was in store.

After a rough hour of fly fishing, we sat and talked. I shared four pieces of advice that were encouraging for him. In hindsight, they  would be encouraging to anyone who is taking on the challenge of fishing a small creek with spooky fish. Check out what I had to say in this week’s podcast.

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

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Wading in the Valley of the Shadow

How can you retreat without running away? As a pastor, this is a question that I regularly think about; for those who come to me for counsel and for myself.

What do I mean, and how does fly fishing fit in?

First, it is important to define retreat. There are times when it is very important to get a change of scenery. That can happen by stepping out onto the back porch. That can happen by opening a book. That can happen by backpacking across Europe. Such retreats have the real potential to be a significant refresh for body and soul.

Fly fishing obviously fits the bill. The tranquility of nature and the rhythm of the cast pulls the angler into a different realm. The challenge and the exertion have benefits, too. That is to say, technical spring creek trout or bonefish on the flats are certainly retreats from the everyday.

Whether you’re coming from the board room or from the assembly line, from plenty or from want: fly fishing is a retreat.  It gives you a literal and figurative breath of fresh air. It gives you want you need to face what comes Monday, what comes tomorrow, what comes next.

But when you run your line through your guides are you running away?

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Introducing the Fly Shop Box

Fly shops are a vital part of the culture of fly fishing. Beyond a business providing flies and rods, they often function as hubs for education and community. While online “fly shops” have their place and provide gear to anglers, real brick and mortar stores provide soul.

The Casting Across Fly Shop Box is an online directory of fly shops. It gives you an opportunity to see where there are stores around you or around where you’ll be travelling.

A few answers to some good questions:

  • Can’t I just Google “fly shop near me”? Of course. However, you’d be surprised how many fly shops don’t show up on a simple search.
  • Why isn’t [big chain outdoor store] on the list? From personal experience, I can say that I’ve been to many Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s locations where the fly fishing employees know their stuff and offer great customer service. But there is certainly a difference in a traditional fly shop and a big box store.
  • Why isn’t the rod building store, gas station with a great fly assortment, or lodge pro shop included? I can appreciate how locations like these can actually be as helpful as some full-orbed shops. Once again, these locations are great but they don’t check all the boxes of my admittedly arbitrary criteria.
  • Why did you miss [shop]? Because I’m human. Send me any misses or corrections here.
  • Where are Alaska, Hawaii, and international fly shops? They’re there… just not here, yet.
  • I don’t like [shop]. You know what? There are some shops on this list I’ve had bad experiences with, too. And that isn’t a question.
  • Could you [implement this web feature] to make this page a lot more user-friendly? I’m not the most web-savvy guy out there, but I am tinkering with ways to make the Fly Shop Box better.

Take a look around, and make some plans to head to a fly shop near you or near where you’ll be fishing:

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Podcast Ep. 252: Allow Myself to Introduce Myself

Who is this guy you listen to every week?

Valid question. In fact, I think that it is incredibly helpful to know at least a little something about the life, experiences, and worldview of the author you’re reading. Or podcaster you’re hearing.

So this week, in incredibly short (and arbitrarily scheduled) fashion, I give you a little bit of an introduction to who I am. Perhaps it will give you some insight into Casting Across. Or you may potentially find some parallel aspects of our lives. Either way, thanks for listening!

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

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He Needs to Know

“He needs to know what kind of fishing it is going to be.”

My wife was all for the 11 year old joining me on a trip to a tiny, tight, brook trout creek. Being a mom, she also had the intuition to identify some vital qualifiers of which he needed to be apprised. Casting was going to be difficult. The fish were going to be small. Dad was going to be fishing. Of course, I would help in a knot/wading/sasquatch emergency: but she wanted to protect my angling interests.

He accepted the terms, loaded up his sling pack, and hopped in the car. We headed into the woods and onto one of my favorite local creeks. It was rough going for a bit, but he did well. I stuck close and gave some quick pointers, trying not to overwhelm him as he is capable of learning from trial and error. The trout were spooky. He had some strike at his foam beetle. None came to hand. He still had fun. That’s all that matters.

Walking back to the car, I tried to distill my approach to these tiny creeks down into a few pointers. Here are the four things I told him he needs to do to fish small streams well:

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Happy Inevitable Transitions

Close up camp. Back to school. Don’t wear white. Labor Day does not sound like a whole lot of fun.

But summer is only a short nine months away. And fall is pretty spectacular. Plus there is the fact that you can’t alter the rotation of the earth and the resultant seasons so there is no point in fretting about the inevitable anyway, of course. Such is the transitory nature of life.

One such transition is a “last day of the season” of sorts. Depending on where you live, there are opening days and closing days for certain fisheries. Trout, in particular, are governed with such rules. To protect spawning populations, fish and games says that you don’t gotta go home but you can’t fish here.

Or, you could have some self-imposed opening and closing days. Your own stewardship of a creek means that you’re making some personal decisions about when to fish and when not to fish.

For me, Labor Day marks one such closing day for one particular trout stream. It teems with little brookies. It is off the radar. It is my plan for this afternoon. It is a good transition into fall.

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