It’s the 5th of July. I’m here to declare another kind of independence. You, my fly fishing friend, are invited to secede right along with me.
Maybe you don’t feel like you’re living under an unbearable burden. Perhaps there are no angling shackles upon your casting arm. But if there is even the slightest chance that you need to get behind this pronouncement, stand up and salute:
It’s just fishing.
Whether it be due to location or preference, some anglers routinely pursue species like bass. Additionally, the waters they frequent aren’t the typical wide smallmouth rivers or vast largemouth lakes. Our nation is covered with small steams that contain robust populations of bass and other warm water fish.
If your local creek is where you’re going to be spending a lot of time, isn’t the right rod the right choice?
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
Fly fishers appreciate the little things that makes their time on the water easier. This means things that aren’t over-engineered, over-complicated, and over-priced. The magnetic fly patches from Magnet-ique easily meet this little and simple criteria.
Since 2019, a pair of British fly fishers have been making these little and simple tools in the UK. They wanted something that would meet a need they had while fishing, and they took the initiative to design, create, and sell their products to anyone else looking for some convenience.
Core to Magnet-ique is two different magnetic, rubberized fly patches. The MagMini is a figure-eight shaped patch and comes in a single (one-sided) or double (two-sided) configuration. The MagMicro is a small, single dot. Both designs come with a metal backplate which facilitates placement on anything from vests to shirts to hats to packs. The plate also features a hook for optional lanyard attachment. What this all means is a versatile and flexible piece of gear.
Which bank do you fish on?
It isn’t a trick question or some sort of sneaky form of angling psychoanalysis. In my experience, asking this question reveals one of three common answers:
The first one is valid. The other two? Not so much.
If you wade, there are some factors that may keep you on or very near the bank – irrespective of which side you’re on. Deep water, silty or muddy bottoms, and local regulations may force you to stay on the bank. Spring creeks or high-volume rivers are often best fished from the shore. Furthermore, one side of the stream may truly be inaccessible for one of the reasons mentioned above. Or, it could be that trees and other streamside obstructions make casting incredibly difficult.
But don’t sell any river short. There are “likely spots” all over any moving water. And routine? Unless you’re perfectly content with the same, always doing something the same way isn’t a recipe for discovery or improvement.
Here are three reasons why you should cross the river and check things out from the other bank:
Part of this year’s Father’s Day gift was “a day to go fishing.” (Note: this is a great gift to give someone.)
Now, I get to fish a lot. But this gifted day was special because it was to be used while we were on vacation in Virginia. Picking a spot to fish wasn’t easy, as I have plenty of local favorites and there are countless great opportunities. However, I was able to nail something down. Well, two things.
In this episode I talk through a day on the water. Hopefully some of my observations and ideas will be helpful for your normal outings or your special fishing trips.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
“Do you guys smell the plants?”
“You mean the flowers?”
“No, the plants. Can you notice that they smell differently than the plants back home?”
To be fair, I don’t think I was paying too much attention to the olfactory stimulation elicited by Virginia flora when I was a young teenager. My kids didn’t pick up on the comparison I was making. The backyard and forest greenery in Massachusetts does share a lot of the same general qualities as what we were walking through at the moment. But this morning was the perfect time to take in the smells of the various trees, bushes, and undergrowth.
It had rained. A cool, morning rain. The showers had subsided too early to impact the remainder of the day. Once the sun broke through the dissipating clouds, the warmth and humidity of a late-June day south of the Mason-Dixon had plenty of time to take hold. There is plenty to complain about there. However, the smells of the earth and the plants is not one of them.
Just because you love fly fishing doesn’t mean it always comes easily. Various and sundry circumstances can lead the angler to a period where there is less productivity on the water. That is normal, primarily because the fish aren’t obligated to play along. Weather, seasonality, and the aforementioned finnicky fish will keep hands clean and nets empty.
What can also happen is that fly fishers struggle to fish just because. Maybe it is a string of unproductive days on the water. Maybe it is tedious routine. Maybe it is other parts of life impacting drive, engagement, or enjoyment. Perhaps all of this comes across as overblown psychoanalysis, but it is realistic to assume even the most avid angler will experience a slump.
Sometimes just going fishing fixes everything. Nature has a way of making things right. Simply being out there is reorienting. Add in a couple of healthy or hard-earned fish, and that may very well set the world as it should be.
But that isn’t always the case. Just like an author or artist needs to break out of a routine in order to come up with new ideas or to spur on creativity, the fly fisher can truly benefit from inspiration or incentive. Here are four ways to bust out of the doldrums and give your fishing a shot in the arm:
Although it is certainly not the most wild place in the west, Rocky Mountain National Park provides plenty of fantastic fly fishing opportunities.
Rocky Mountain is one of the most visited national parks in the country on an annual basis. It boasts numerous visitor centers, hundreds of miles of trails, and most of the iconic species of the region. All that, and a lot of trout. Moreover, there are plenty of options for the angler.
Listen as I talk through where to fish, what to bring, and why a quick trip to RMNP with rod in hand is well worth it.
Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.
Like a lot of you, I have quite a few fly rods. There is certainly wisdom in having the right tool for the job. Different weights and lengths allow you to accomplish different tasks. For each of us, there is a point where we decide to add another arrow to the quiver.
Admittedly, sometimes that point is just because I want to.
Still, I keep coming back to the same fly rods. Perhaps it is because I made the best choice the first time around. It could be that I have just become comfortable with them. Maybe, just maybe, most of the rods I’ve acquired in the years since have been superfluous.
No. That can’t be it.
Regardless of why you or I return to the same rods for fly fishing season after season, they are worth celebrating. They’re just bamboo, fiberglass, or graphite. But without them, where would we be? Here are some thoughts on three of my true companions:
Why is Altoona, Pennsylvania the only place in the world where you’ll be able to watch nine grown men, dressed up as brook trout, running around a field?
On the weekend of June 25-27, the Altoona Curve (AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates) will be taking the diamond as the state fish of Pennsylvania. For a series against the Harrisburg Senators, they’ll rebrand themselves as the Altoona Brookies. Along with the new name, caps, and jerseys, the club will be promoting a number of local conservation organizations.
Add in all of the normal, minor league fun that comes with a night at the ballpark and you have an excellent opportunity for the family to have a great night out – especially outdoors enthusiasts and anglers.
