Excel at Keeping Fly Fishing Records

I like the orderliness and comprehensiveness of spreadsheets. I use them for work. I use them for home. I use them for fly fishing.

Yes. I use spreadsheets for fly fishing.

How? I keep track of some pieces of data that I think will be beneficial. Things that aren’t apparent on the surface or necessarily what I want to focus on remembering. But when I need said information, I can click on a file and get everything and anything I need.

This all might be way too involved, too obsessive, or too high-tech for you. And that is okay.  But some aspect of keeping a few notes may very well help you in a small way. If that is the case, then great. Here are three easy ideas for keeping track of some fly fishing information:

read more

3 Trout Box Staples for Panfish

Serious panfish anglers know that you do need particular gear to chase the biggest bluegill and sunfish. There are tried and true panfish flies that will consistently produce.

But say you’re just taking your trout rod on a walk at the local pond? Or what if your life rhythm has made regular excursions untenable? Panfish will be there for you. They’re prevalent, hungry, and fun. And while there is nuance in pursing them, you can certainly get by with what you already have in your fly box.

Here are three flies that are great “crossover” patterns: flies that you may very well have in your trout box that are also perfectly suited to the panfish pond. Not only are these two nymphs and one dry common, they’re also quite easy to fish.

read more

Podcast Ep. 246: Trout & Hot Temps

I’m not a biologist.

But I do have enough common sense to analyze data, listen to experts, and pay attention to the world around me. Consequently, I’m aware that it isn’t wise to fish for trout as the thermometer goes up.

It is more nuanced than “don’t fish when it is hot” though. Air temperature is something to consider, but water temperature and dissolved oxygen are significantly more important. Today I talk about how this works, how it impacts trout, and what you might do to be a more conscientious angler.

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

read more

Vacation: Check.

I am a few nights away from wrapping up the *checks notes* longest vacation I’ve taken since 2009. It came at a great time. Life is in a good, but busy, season. I didn’t feel like I was dragging myself to the day of departure. Even as I was loading the car I was reminding myself that vacation had to happen between my ears just as much as in my flip flops.

As per usual, the big family summer trip was down to Virginia. Time with grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles is always something we all look forward to. It is a stone’s throw from where my wife and I spent a number of our younger years, so there is that relaxing sense of familiarity as well.

And, of course, there’s the outdoors. I’ve long maintained the spectacular value of being an outdoorsman in the Old Dominion state. We were up hiking in the Shenandoah National Park every other day. We fished every single night. Every moment that we could, we sat outside and looked as birds flew against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge.

I’m not a strict Sabbatarian, but I do take my day of rest pretty seriously. I know that I, as a human, am not meant to go full-tilt for seven days in a row. Latching onto that clearly articulated principle that is baked into the cake of creation is something I encourage my family, my congregation, and anyone within earshot to embrace. Everyone, and everything, flourishes when given rest.

read more

Ed, a Flea, & Me – part 4

“One more cast.”

Of all the softly spoken magic spells in fly fishing, this one might be the most frequent incantation. Part desperation, part closure; the idea of a final presentation has a certain hopeful romance to it. The fish can’t tell that you’re about to call it a day. But the thought behind the last cast does instill a level of serious focus on the angler. The right fly. The well-executed cast. The intricately mended drift.

It is worth mentioning that the initial last cast may be followed by a half-dozen or so subsequent last casts.

At the very least, the ritual of the last cast  ought to be invoked. You say it because you have to say it. There will be a last cast. That is undeniable. But the true last cast rarely pays off.

Rarely, of course, does not mean never.

read more

Podcast Ep. 245: Go Big for Bass

Bass anglers learning how to fish for trout have an uphill climb. There is an entirely new lexicon to master and lots of tiny, particular gear to figure out.

However, trout anglers – specifically fly fishers – have  a lot to learn when it comes to chasing bass. One hurdle they have to overcome is the propensity to use diminutive gear. Tiny rods, flies, and lines can be effective and fun for trout. But bass need something a little more… more.

Today I talk through some helpful things to think about when picking your tackle as you tackle America’s #1 gamefish.

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

read more

Gone Fishin’ for a Minute

Destination angling is the thing that dreams are made of. Like Clark Griswold, fly fishers sit in their cubicles and fantasize about premier trout rivers or bonefish flats. These legendary locales are built up such that the fish, the lodges, and the guides are placed in an entirely different piscatorial plane.

Often, it is true. It is worth it. It becomes a memorable experience to last a lifetime.

Don’t get me wrong: I’d take it. For right now? I’m quite content with  a pond full of bass and a simple canoe (with a cup holder).

So although I’m spending a few weeks in rural Virginia, and not on a Montana spring creek or in a Bahamian lodge, it is all good. It is good to be able to fish for a few minutes with the kids – even if they want to  fish for a few minutes only to say they fished. It is good to be able to fish for a few minutes by myself – even if it is only for a few minutes.

read more

Ed, a Flea, & Me – part 3

One should carefully approach the trout stream and objectively read the water before tying on a fly, stepping into the current, or making a cast.
The alternative is to assume that what has worked for you before will work again this time. The latter is my inevitable default. Particularly when I’m feeling pressured to catch a fish, empiricism goes out the window in favor of some cross between stubbornness and superstition. The worst thing about that option is how stinking effective it is. It is just that kind of positive reinforcement that encourages bad habits.

For nearly twenty years, I’ve had a bad habit when fishing the Letort Spring Run outside of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. After visiting it a handful of times as a neophyte fly angler in my teen years with middling results, I sought answers. I had just moved to the area and wanted to crack the code. A local fly shop proprietor handed me two flies: a cress bug and a Shenk’s White Minnow. “If you can’t catch them on these, you can’t catch them at all.” Inspiring.

I did catch trout on cress bugs. And I did become quite adept at taking rising fish with midges and imitations of the smattering of hatches the Letort produced. But Shenk’s White Minnow was the well-publicized cypher that opened the creek up to me. More appropriately, my clumsily tied woolly bugger/white minnow hybrid did just enough to catch a few big brown trout.

So for nearly twenty years, in the absence of mayflies flitting about the water’s surface I’ve tied on my bastardized version of Ed Shenk’s streamer. If I park at one lot, my first cast is to one particular hole. If I park at the other lot, I cast in a specific place. From there, I followed a well-choreographed angling flowchart. Even after moving away, the ruts developed from four- and five-day fishing weeks on the Letort are hard to steer out of.

read more

Podcast Ep. 244: Just Enough Gear for a Little Fishing

You’ve got a work trip or  family vacation coming up. You think that either:

a) There’s no way you can bring all you need for any legitimate fishing. Or,

b) There’s no way you can fit anything in your luggage/minivan.

I’m here to alleviate all of your worries.

Taking a moment from doing the very activity of packing for a trip, I walk through my system for making sure I have what I need for a variety of angling opportunities. It is all about gathering a loadout that isn’t too much but without any compromises. Hear my thoughts and process, and see if there are any tips and tricks that can help you fit a little more in so that you can fit a little fishing in your next trip.

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

read more

Trout in a Drizzle

The stream was crowded. Walking from my car to the water, I had to tell myself that I can’t control the fish and I can’t control the fishermen. I can only control  my cast, my fly selection, and my attitude. It didn’t help that I had a pounding headache and an increasingly damp shirt from perspiration. It wasn’t too hot, but it was exceptionally muggy.

A few fish were rising. I was able to fool them with some midges. Then, it looked like there were rises all around me. Then, up and down the river. But it wasn’t fish. It was a drizzle that quickly turned to rain. Fellow anglers held on for a little bit. Then, everyone I could see in either direction was gone.

I zipped up my rain jacket and kept on fishing. The change in barometric pressure alleviated my headache. The drastic reduction in angling pressure didn’t hurt, either.

I had driven quite a ways to fish this river. The folks on the water with me that day may very well live in town, and getting wet for a river down the street just might not be worth it. I was committed. And it paid off. Here are a few things that were apparent:

read more