Solitude Together

February 8, 2023

For most anglers, fly fishing means being alone together.

It is an oxymoron. But it is certainly something that anyone who fishes understands. Fly fishing is all about solitude, but it is a solitude that we often love to share with others.

Why does this matter? Because relationships matter. People matter a whole lot more than fly fishing. And fly fishing can be an excellent point of contact for people. Sharing the solitude gives the pursuit much more value than it possesses on its own.

Not to overanalyze what ought to be natural, but how do you pursue fish and people simultaneously? How do you pay attention to someone else and pay attention to your drift? To be very pragmatic; how do you cast next to someone else who is casting?

There are some settings where it is possible to fish a few yards from each other and not compromise your angling efforts. Heavy spinner falls, salmon runs, or amidst the crashing waves on the beach: these situations allow for conversation and fishing in equal measure. If you are sharing a drift boat, then this dynamic is automatically part of the experience. Proximity usually means a running dialogue punctuated by hook sets or attempts to convince the other person to move to a new spot.

It is completely within the rules of fly fishing to stop, sit, and rest while on the water. Taking breaks allows you to perform the essential tasks of observation and rest. Or, there could be a conversation. Streamside chats could be purely about tactics, or they could go deeper. There is something disarming about being in nature that facilitates genuine discussion, even among the most hardened of individuals. Fishing is about more than catching fish. We all know that. Enjoying the scenery and the company doesn’t compromise what you’re there for. If anything, it enhances it.

Lizards & Largemouth

February 6, 2023

The small college I attended in South Carolina was situated on a significant piece of land in the state’s Piedmont region. There were rolling sand hills covered in pine trees, and sharp bluffs overlooking a broad river. We also had two ponds. Each held significant populations of the premier fish of the American south: the largemouth bass.

It is hard to overestimate the cultural ubiquity of the largemouth bass in the majority of the sub-Mason-Dixon region. Their silhouettes adorn everything from mudflaps to biceps. They’re found everywhere, they grow large, and they eat everything. This last aspect of their character is what I’ll be discussing today.

Even before I considered fishing either of the campus ponds I spent time walking their weedy banks. Coming from a slightly more northern latitude, I was fascinated by the fire ants and rattlesnakes that simply existed in the real south. I was amazed to find giant spiders creating webs between cattails. I was terrified by the car tire sized snapping turtles. I was intrigued when a faint slap on the surface of the water resulted in an explosion that sounded like a cinder block had been tossed into the pond.

More interesting was that it happened again. This time I saw what caused it.

Podcast Ep. 221: What (was) Pebble Mine?

February 3, 2023

Did you hear that Pebble Mine is toast?

One of the most significant conservation initiatives in fly fishing history has (hopefully) come to a positive conclusion. In this episode, I give a brief recap of what the proposed mine was all about and why it elicited such a strong reaction from the outdoors community. Also, toward the end of the podcast, I throw in a few items that should be food for thought for those who have been paying attention to this long battle.

Check out this brief show, and then head online to dive deep into the multi-faceted subject that was and is the fight against Pebble Mine.

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

Fishing Shopping: In Person or Online?

February 1, 2023

Anyone who has spent significant time in a great fly shop knows that a lot more happens in these eclectic small businesses than buying and selling. Fishing tips are given. Cups of coffee are shared. Friends are made. But obviously, the transactions are what keep things humming along.

I continue to champion the value of patronizing local fly shops. We need them. They need us. There is no doubt about that.

However, the siren song of online tackle dealers and web-only sales are hard to pass up. There is something to be said for choice, convenience, and savings. At the same time, those three pragmatic facets ought not shift all or most of our fishing business to the virtual storefront. There should be a balance. It isn’t wrong to buy something online. It isn’t inherently right to buy something from a brick and mortar.

Hopefully you’ve not had a crisis of conscience about this issue. But it is worth considering. Here are three reasons why shopping online might be the way to go:

3 Ways to Learn at The Fly Fishing Show

January 30, 2023

Every year I attend at least one stop on The Fly Fishing Show’s east coast schedule. Along with catching up with fly fishing friends and browsing the exhibitors’ booths, I made time for the various kinds of scheduled programs. This year I watched a casting demonstration focused on dry fly presentation. I attended seminars explaining flies for trophy brook trout and two-handed gear. I was also given the opportunity to sit in on a fly tying class for articulated streamers.

I continue to be impressed at the quality of these presentations and their applicability for all kinds of anglers. Similarly, I am surprised that more aren’t standing-room only. Even though there is an absolute wealth of information available online, the personal and in-person aspects of these programs create unique educational occasions.

These demonstrations, seminars, and classes are all different in format and content. Each are valuable for all anglers, especially those who are already planning on attending The Fly Fishing Show (or similar expos). Here are quick breakdowns of the three programs and their distinctives:

Podcast Ep. 220: Fly Fishing Accusations, XXII

January 27, 2023

Today’s podcast docket is relatively diverse: brown trout strains, multipurposing your hiking boots, and how our worldview impacts our pathway toward conservation.

Yeah… there isn’t a lot of continuity there.

However, all three of the messages I received regarding these issues were thoughtful and worth my time. I think that my interaction with all three of these issues are worth your time too.

As always, listen, think, and feel free to reach out yourself.

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

Diverse Conservation in Mount Rainier National Park

January 25, 2023

Mount Rainier is an iconic aspect of any skyline shot of Washington State, perhaps only rivalled by Seattle’s Space Needle. At over fourteen thousand feet this active volcano towers over the surrounding wilderness. With its top covered by glacial ice and its bottom blanketed by thick coniferous forests, Rainier has been impressing people as long as there have been people in the Pacific Northwest.

A perspective that has only been perceptible in the past hundred years or so has been Rainier from above. While such a viewpoint is interesting for geologists and volcanologists, it also illustrates something remarkable for those concerned with watersheds. Cascading down the severe sides of the mountain are no less than nine distinct watersheds. Rivers flow out like points of a compass. There is great similarity, but ecologically each is practically isolated from one another.

This diversity has allowed for a multi-faceted conservation plan regarding native fish species, including six salmonids, within Mount Rainier National Park.

Showing them People, Places, & Things

January 23, 2023

My four boys are 10 and under. Since they are boys, and since they are my boys, they are interested in the outdoors. There is an intrinsic desire to see what is over the next hill, under the big log, or beneath the surface of the water. With great vigor they investigate each one as thoroughly as possible. Sometimes they employ trial and error. Sometimes, they imitate. Consequently, each of them has a functional knowledge of how to use a fly rod to pursue what might be swimming just out of sight.

That is what they know about fly fishing: going fly fishing. That, and the excitement of the occasional package that I receive which includes new gear. That, and the guarantee of hot cocoa and a breakfast sandwich on the way to the river. That, and the grown up feeling that comes with being included in a streamside conversation between me and another adult.

Thankfully, they don’t scroll through Instagram, read YouTube comment sections, or find their way into the dark recesses of online message boards. They are blissfully unaware of the dark, cynical underbelly that exists among a group of people who like to catch fish using one particular method. (Hopefully that sentence alone explains their mother’s and my rationale.)

But the bad apples don’t keep me from exposing my boys to the joy of the whole orchard. The pursuit of fish is good. But there is also a lot of good, and a lot of good worth exposing kids to, in the people, places, and things that go into the pursuit of fish. This is why I took my boys to our local stop of The Fly Fishing Show, and why I’d encourage you to do the same with the children in your life.

Podcast Ep. 219: 7 Dry Fly Prep Essentials

January 20, 2023

The rise of a trout to a dry fly is perhaps one of the most quintessential moments in all fly fishing. A good cast, a proper drift, and a picturesque take all come together to create what many consider to be the pinnacle of trout fishing.

You can achieve this with any old gear. But there are a few things that will probably make it more attainable and more enjoyable.

Today I walk through the seven things I think are helpful to have with you as you head out. Some you can buy, others are a little less tangible. But they’re all important.

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

Fishing Idaho: Gold in Rainbows

January 18, 2023

For nearly 15 years, Idaho Fish and Game has encouraged anglers to kill trout. Ads have been placed. Limits have been eliminated. And, most interesting, cash prizes have been offered.

All so that rainbow trout can be killed as efficiently as possible in the South Fork Snake River.

Of course, the reason behind the initiative (“rainbow trout suppression”) are virtuous. After decades of stocking nonnative rainbows on top of cutthroats, Idaho is taking action. The South Fork Snake River has a remarkable carrying capacity for cold water fish. But because rainbows and cutthroat trout are so similar, their ecological niches overlay. As a result, the native cutthroats are unable to thrive. Furthermore, their genetic similarities allow for crossbreeding. “Cutbows” are fine for fighting and eating, but they are a real thread in watersheds that represent historic populations of either parent species.

Around 2010, Idaho Fish and Game decided to take action.