The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Mole and Rat are most well known for their interactions with the capricious Mr. Toad. His automobile-related hijinks keep his rodent friends busy, and beset them with stresses and obligations of no fault of their own. Indeed, Mr. Toad is perhaps the most entertaining character in Kenneth Grahame’s  The Wind in the Willows. However, there is much more in this century-old children’s novel. There are colorful characterizations of anthropomorphic animals which impeccably describe humanity. There are lessons of friendship that exalt loyalty and candor. And there are, through the tiny eyes of the smallest creatures of the river and wood, beautiful descriptions of the world around us.

In an adventure that doesn’t involve the famous Mr. Toad, Mole and Rat volunteered to help look for a missing otter child. As they steer their crude vessel downstream, they are struck with the exquisite allure of the river.

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New Year’s Days & New Year’s Trout

There are a lot of ways that one can ring in the New Year. As a teenager, most of those significant midnight moments involved doing what was most significant to me. And that was fish. My best friend and I would drive up to Southcentral Pennsylvania from Northern Virginia and go to bed around 8:00pm, in a tent, on a frozen field.

There was something that felt significant about waking up early, buying a brand new trout stamp, and catching a fish before most anglers even saw the new year.

Often, buying licenses on New Year’s Day was an adventure in itself. Most fly shops weren’t be open. Before online sales and digital confirmations, ambitious anglers were dependent upon groggy and disgruntled big-box employees. These holiday workers that pulled the AM short straw were less than eager to go through what was relatively complicated paperwork.

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Podcast Ep. 217: Fly Shop Stories, II

Ideally, we’d all be thoughtful and intentional fly shop patrons out of our own wisdom. Sometimes, we need tales of woe to correct us.

And sometimes, we like to be entertained by the ridiculous goings-on that occur at fly shops.

Once again, I’m turning back a few chapters in my life to when I spent some time working at a fly shop. I share a few stories and pass along a few things I’ve learned from my days selling rods, flies, and ugly sweaters.

Lastly, I encourage you to head into your local fly shop to hear some good (and maybe hairy) stories from these important parts of our culture.

Also, use code CASTING right now to save 20% and get free shipping at manscaped.com.

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

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Rusty Flybox: Hollers & Skylines

Once again I’m spending the holidays in Virginia. I’m from the Midwest. I root for the Bears, love a good relish tray at family gatherings, and don’t think ketchup belongs on a hot dog. Illinois is where I’m from.

But Virginia is home.

It is where I spent my formative, teenage years. It is where I met my wife. And it is where I started fly fishing. The hollers of the Shenandoah Mountains, just downhill from Skyline drive, are where I met brook trout for the first time. They are where I learned that a short fly rod is a good tool. They are where I ran across rattlesnakes, bear scat, and some of the quirkiest people I’ve ever met in the woods.

So here are a few things I’ve written about my adopted home state. Check out each one by clicking on the picture or the title, and listen to some decent bluegrass for full effect.

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Not Safely Wild

A park like Shenandoah has everything going for it.

…everything that could lull you into a state of lackadaisical passivity. Countless amenities with ample signage, easy highway access, and throngs of tourists make a popular east coast park seem overwhelmingly safe. Shenandoah National Park is a place where your grandparents picnic. It is a place where families take half mile hikes. It is a place where tourists drive the well-manicured Skyline Drive.

Then, you see photos like this:

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Podcast Ep. 216: Your Favorite Fly Fishing Stuff of `22

Well, really it is your favorite fly fishing stuff on Casting Across in 2022. But I did want to talk about the articles and podcasts that got the most attention over this past year. I think that both of these segments reflect some good stuff in the fly fishing community, and hopefully what I bring to the table is beneficial to all that stop to read or listen.

I also share some of what I’ve done over the past year, and what I plan to do in 2023.

And, as always, I did want to thank you for being a part of Casting Across!

Also, use code CASTING right now to save 20% and get free shipping at manscaped.com.

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

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A Not-Too-Shabby 2022

Big picture, generally speaking: 2022 wasn’t that great. Look at the news, the economy, and the overall temperature  of our culture. We’re in dire need of a fix. (I do have ideas about that, but such things are for a different forum.)

From a much more narrow  perspective, 2022 wasn’t half bad.

I’ve utilized one of those nifty “look at me” social media tools to compile when people looked at me the most this past year. While the above algorithm-produced collage above doesn’t necessarily  represent my top nine moments, it does give me some good memories to look back on. So, in nine quick quips I’ll share my 2022 blessings through angling.

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Merry (Late) Christmas from Casting Across

Yes: Christmas was yesterday. But I don’t publish on Sundays. And Friday was a podcast day, so that wasn’t an appropriate day for greetings either. So here you have it. One day late:

Merry Christmas from Casting Across.

I do hope that your holiday was filled with all of the things that you desired and more. Family, food, and maybe a little bit of fishing. Most of all, I do hope that you had an opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on why you had a holiday to begin with. Here in an excerpt from my Christmas sermon:

I can say with great joy and with great confidence that the hopeful, inviting message of Christmas is for you because the first angel to appear that night said that He was bringing “good news of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

The message of the peace through Christ was for shepherds and kings. It was for Jews and Gentiles. It was for those in 1st century Bethlehem and it will be for all time. It is for the rich and the poor, the black and the white, the lovely and the unlovely: there is no chronological, genealogical, or geographical limits to the good news of Jesus Christ. It is for all the people.

And you and me: we are part of all the people.

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Podcast Ep. 215: Scratching the Euro Nymphing Surface

I am not an Euro Nymphing guru, and this is by no means a comprehensive treatment of the technique/gear/universe.

So it is with trepidation that I wade into what is only meant to be a quick, initiatory overview of a topic that elicits very strong  emotions. But you don’t need to have an emotional response to how anyone fishes. You can use an incredibly productive tactic and some helpful equipment to catch more fish.

I’ll share some quick thoughts, and encourage you to check out some more resources.

Also, use code CASTING right now to save 20% and get free shipping at manscaped.com.

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

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Trout & Feather: December ’22

There have been countless ecological missteps taken by those attempting to protect fish because of errors in identification. Some were understandable, given the technology at the time. Others, including those of the last few generations, really stem from relying on hasty or superficial investigation. Anglers, who are not only the beneficiaries of conservation efforts but also some of the boots-on-the-ground movers, should be versed enough to at least know how to observe.

To be clear: taking the time to observe specific morphological markers in the fish you catch probably won’t translate into catching more or bigger fish. However, the kind of scrutiny that analyzes spot patterns, fin size, and flank coloration is akin to the constant enquiry that takes in the variables that lead to catching more or bigger fish.

There is a link to the rest of the post, Observation: The Angler’s Science after the jump.

But before you do that, be sure to check out the two videos I’ve included in today’s post. One is a (free) grad level class on  a productive fishing strategy, the other

Watch the videos, and find a link to the article, below:

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