Fly Fishing, the Wrong Way

Once, as a younger man, I got into an argument. This isn’t to say that I hadn’t quarreled prior to or since. That has happened plenty of times. This particular squabble has pertinence to our discussion today: fly fishing.

An opinionated fellow was trying to say that there was one way to cast a fly. One way. Anything else, he said, might be fishing but it certainly wasn’t fly casting. The whole set up to my finally speaking up for sanity felt like a joke that was being played for too long. There was no punch line. He was serious. He was as earnest as I was incredulous. My disbelief manifested in a stunned “are you… do you mean that?”

What followed was an unfruitful exchange that skipped from semantics to history to preference to mild character assassination. All of that to say, some people think that you can cast a fly and try to catch a fish the wrong way.

This, of course, is stupid.

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The Trout of Ruined Expectations

Shows what I know.

Months ago I was crestfallen about the perceived state of one of my favorite trout streams. A small, spring-fed, brook trout oasis in and amongst suburbia has been messed with. Not by man. By rodent. By  castor canadensis: the North American beaver. The darned things had dammed up the creek. A fragile ecosystem had been thrown into utter chaos by the insensitive gnawing of a buck-toothed, paddle-tailed,  ne’er-do-well.

I had reason to be concerned. The creek, as previously stated, is unique. It exists in a region that has been farmed, developed, paved over, or all three. Yet where other streams run sterile it thrives. The cold, clean spring water nurses an abundance of vegetation, insects, and brook trout.

Now? Beavers. The headwaters were no longer  running cold, clean, nor clear. For they had stopped running. They now sat beneath a tannin-stained pond, covered in pine needles and maple seeds. Things looked dark. Things looked stagnant. Things looked different. That first cast was made with much emotional apprehension.

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Podcast Ep. 132: Fishing in the Margin

Why keep a fly rod in the back of your car at all times?

If you can tolerate it rolling around, you’ll set yourself up for some good to great fly fishing at a moment’s notice. And if you haven’t fished for a while, any fly fishing is good to great.

Recently I had a meeting fall through. It turned into an hour of fishing for brook trout in a brand new beaver pond. The results and the experience were both more than I had hoped or bargained for.

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

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Trout & Feather: May ’21

Not every angler has Seychelles-caliber water in their backyard. (Just like most trout anglers aren’t calling the Madison or the Yellowstone home.) But an overwhelming number of fly fishers live within a reasonable drive to the coast. Moreover, many people head somewhere beachy for business or pleasure throughout the course of the year. You are there; the fish are there.

What is stopping you?

For freshwater folks, getting the most out of those first casts into the salt means not doing what you’re used to. Don’t fish, or even think like you’re on your brookie creek. It is still fly fishing, but it means doing things differently. Here’s four things to switch up when you start wading into saltwater.

There is a link to the rest of the post, entitled Mixing in a Little Salt after the jump.

But before you do that, be sure to check out the two videos I’ve included in today’s post. Tim of Trout & Feather talks Euro Nymphing in both: the why, the how, and the what. They’re definitely worth the watch!

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

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Fly Fishing Books, X

How does your fly fishing library look? Along with keeping tabs on your favorite fly fishing websites, what tangible resources do you keep within arms’ reach?

At and given point in time, I have one fly fishing book that I’m working my way through. Often it gets whatever is left after a day of work and study. But it is good to have a ribbon draped across a page that takes me to the water.

Even if it is only one small shelf, there is a lot of value in a personal fly fishing library. This is the tenth installment in my fly fishing book recommendation series. If you’re looking for a couple of ideas to start or grow your library, this article and those that came before it might be a good place to start.

As I’ve done for all of the entries in my “Fly Fishing Books” series, I’ve spread the selections over three rough categories:

  • Guide (regional, site specific)
  • Technical (methods, locations, fly tying)
  • Literature (novels, biographies, history)

Check out one kind of each book, why I suggest it, and a bonus read below. And follow the links in the headings to get a copy for yourself.

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Podcast Ep. 131: Guide Communication

Maybe, just maybe, your idea of hiring a fly fishing guide simply entails fish. Big fish, lots of fish: fish.

While I don’t think anyone would object to catching fish (and big ones, and a lot of them), there are a few other things that separate the good guides from the not-so-good ones. More importantly, there are some things that separate the great from the good. If you’re going to be spending hundreds or thousands of dollars? Great is probably what you’re looking for.

In this podcast, I try to nail down some intangibles that have made my guide experiences great. I think it is worth paying attention to as you plan your next excursion.

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

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Cast from the Past

Many years ago, a time when I was less  aware of clutter, I accumulated things. This isn’t to say that I don’t accumulate things now. I do. Fly rods. Comfortable socks. Tools I kind of need today and might need again sometime before I die. But as a teenager, I kept a lot of garden-variety  oddments. Ticket stubs. Altoid tins. And catalogs.

The catalog: Not as clumsy or random as a website. An elegant medium for a more civilized age.

Some would come seemingly at random. Like mushrooms, you’d automatically receive thick copies of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s catalogs a few times a year. Inevitably from some survey or purchase, your data would be sold and a bevy of discount outdoor outlets would also enter into the mix.

For the fly fisher, the real gems came from two other sources. Both of which were also print media.

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How to Read a Fly Fishing Gear Review

I’ve reviewed a lot of fly fishing gear on Casting Across. But I’ve read exponentially more than I’ve composed myself.

In the past 20 years, I’ve bought gear based upon positive reviews. I’ve also decided against equipment because of negative reviews. My life (and shopping) is one piece of evidence that demonstrates the power of a published opinion. The thing is just like gear, reviews themselves can be good or bad. For example:

  • A positive yet badly written review will paint a product in a negative light.
  • A somewhat negative, but nuanced and explanatory review will get someone thinking.

Since a Google search will yield dozens of pieces on any given piece of gear, it pays to be able to think critically about what you’re reading. Here are three things I consider when I read and write about fly fishing gear. Also, I want to share a little bit about how I go about reviews on Casting Across.

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Podcast Ep. 130: Fly Fishing Accusations, XIII

In this week’s episode, I answer questions about rods, reels, and leaders.

But they’re some awfully specific questions. That being said, I’m confident that you – the fly fisher – will appreciate and benefit from the scenarios that elicited these questions. What pushes us to experiment and innovate is questions, problems, and curiosity. While I know I’ve failed in my attempts to try something new, I have also found some things that really work very well. Hopefully what I talk about today gets you thinking and trying new things out on the water.

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

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See Fish Like a Pro

For years I’ve advocated spending money on the gear that matters. In fly fishing, rods get all the love. But even in the hands of a skilled caster, a fly rod will only be as good as the line being cast. Whether you’re catching  a lot of fish or not, you’re definitely going to be on your feet all day. So invest in good wading boots. Perhaps most importantly, your sense of sight is key to finding fish and fishing for them. It only stands to reason that sunglasses are an integral piece of gear.

For each of the aforementioned items, another $50 or $100 takes you from decent to excellent. It is an investment. But for you? It may very well make a lot of sense.

Recently I upgraded my go-to sunglasses. And I went from excellent to next-level.

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