Fly Fishing & Fouling Fowl

I don’t want to ever make an excuse for a seagull. However, the fly line was transparent.

Casting 60 to 70 feet of line into the surf becomes a little monotonous. But it is monotonous in a good way. When you get into a rythm, the double hauling becomes effortless. The only interruptions are strikes from striped bass; which are delightful, as far as interruptions go. Good, long casting does require a bliders-on focus. That is why it is good to stop, intentionally assess your surroundings, and then start back up again.

The seagull (referenced earlier) was a part of my surroundings that unintentionally became a significant part of my focus. Gliding along at a pretty good clip, it ran into the belly of my sailing fly line. The density and force of the shooting 9-weight line was too much for the shorebird to overcome. Its flight path took a sharp arc downwards into the calm ocean below. Well, it was calm before the surprised bird frantically attempted to regain its bearings and dignity.

Don’t worry. The seagull was fine. If anything, that little ordeal with my 9-weight line was better for it than eating McDonald’s french fries and cigarette butts. As seagull do.

read more

5 Things to Think When Netting Fish

Fooling fish gets a lot of press. In the grand scheme of angling, it is  definitely the most complex variable in the entire system. Still, once you manage to trick a fish and fight it in you better know how to seal the deal.

While many situations and species don’t call for the use of a net, this piece of gear is still ubiquotous. Trout anglers in particular rely on a little help landing fiesty fish on light tippets. Nets save flies, help release fish quicker, and complete the entire pursuit of your quarry.

Just like everything else in fishing and in life, it isn’t safe to assume that everyone knows how to perfectly employ a net. Here are five things worth doing, not doing, and knowing when reaching for a fishing net:

read more

Podcast Ep. 143: Head to Toe Summer Fly Fishing

There is something special about wet wading in the warmest months of the year. It is a pretty unencumbered and carefree way to cast flies to fish.

That being said, there are some choices that you’ll have to make about what you wear. In this episode, I talk about everything that you’ll need to wear from your head to your feet. I give some of my suggestions on what I’ve found to be helpful. More importantly, I think that this discussion will get you thinking about what you take on the water: is it because it works, or because it is just the way you’ve always done it?

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

read more

Rusty Flybox: People

Try as you might, you’re not going to fly fish without running into people every now and again.

We all like solitude. Getting out into the river often provides that. But if we all like solitude and we all like rivers… well, I think you see the conundrum that we’ve found ourselves wading in.

Interactions can be bad. Let’s not kid ourselves. But they can also be good. Very good, even. In fact, there is a lot we can learn about fishing, people, and ourselves from the momentary interactions that we experience while in the woods. Some of my most memorable angling recollections include human contact.

Below are three stories of people. They’re all different, but they’re all real. I’m sure that you’ll be able to draw your own similar parallels to times you’ve bumped into other people looking for solitude. Click on the images for the full articles:

read more

Fly Fishing Olympics: 2021

For two weeks, the world comes together to witness the athletic prowess of the best among us. We watch gymnasts contort, fly, and balance with exquisite muscle control. Runners sprint at speeds that defy our expectations of human physiology. And then there are a bunch of random sports that don’t seem particularly athletic, but do force us to admit “I guess I couldn’t do that.”

What if fly fishing was in the Olympics?

It wouldn’t be something as simple as catching fish. There are too many variables in that. Plus, competitive fly fishing is a thing but it has its fair share of detractors. What if there were events on a global stage that allowed the most talented, comitted, and niche anglers to shine?

Here are five events that could showcase the athletic feats in which fly fishers engage:

read more

Podcast Ep. 142: Fly Casting Tips, part 1

If you can get your fly to a fish, you’re casting good enough.

However, if you want to cast with a little more accuracy, distance, or reduce fatigue after a long day on the water you might want to think about how you can tweak your cast. In this episode I talk about three simple things that you can do to change up your casting stroke.

…okay, two simple things and one somewhat contrived and weird thing. But it still works.

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

read more

Yeti Knows What They’re Doing

Yeti knows exactly what they’re doing. Think about it: What other luxury item has developed a following among common folk wherein they religiously explain their possesion of said item with the  refrain of “I know it is really expensive, but…”

Say what you will but, they have great marketing.  And their marketing team is kept pretty busy. Good thing  they’re probably able to keep their coffee nice and hot. Just today I received an email from Yeti.  This wasn’t much of a surprise, as I think I receive an email from Yeti every day. Usually they get a quick glance and end up in the virtual trashcan. But this email made me un-delete after thinking about it for a second.

The subject line said  “The New Harvest Colection Is Here.” Sitting at my desk, completely content with my life, my day, and my cooler situation, those words began to roll around in my head. Harvest. I like fall. I like the color orange. I wonder if Yeti has come out with a new fall-inspired orange color. That would be really cool. I mean, I have a Yeti cooler already, but it isn’t a fall-inspired harvest orange.

So I un-deleted it. When was the last time you un-deleted an email that you had previously, purposefully deleted?

read more

My Top 3 Apps for Fly Fishing

For all their distractions and hindrances, smartphones can really improve your outdoor experience. Getting an email from work or a robo-call while on the water is certainly obnoxious. Still, locating a trail, identifying an insect, and photographing the beauty of nature are all great uses for the ubiquitous pocket technology. And everything we do, we do on an app.

Don’t worry. This isn’t an article extoling the value of spot-burning, subscription-based apps. Also, it isn’t going to be any sort of recommendation to sign up for another social media  profile.

But the smartphone applications I’ll be sharing aren’t true fly fishing apps either. Look up at the title again: “My Top 3 Apps for Fly Fishing.” Whether they were programmed for anglers to find value in them or not, I am constantly tapping on these three icons. These are programs that I’ve installed and use on a regular basis to help me prepare for or reflect back on my time on the water.

read more

Podcast Ep. 141: Fish Fight, part 1

Getting a fish to bite is a lot harder than fighting it to your hand.

Still, there are some things that should be thought about when you’re playing a fish. From the hook set to the release, there are a couple of bad maneuvers that anglers should avoid. Furthermore, there are some things that will make the entire process less stressful for both you and the fish.

Today I go beyond the basics and talk about a couple of fish fighting things to consider.

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

read more

Dams & Fly Fishing Media

Where and how do you get your fly fishing content online?

That might sound like a loaded question. A dozen anglers might give you thirteen different answers. Just like the last generation had allegiences to authors or magazines, today’s anglers swipe to the same digital providers with devoted thumbs. And there are a lot of options to keep both thumbs occupied late into the night. Social media has spawned a thick run of content creators filling every available feeding lane and vying for prime holding spots.

The biggest, oldest, and wisest fish get the heads of the pools. They’ve grown strong and secure from decades of providing real benefits to fly fishers. Small fry often burst from their safe obscurity, only to flop onto the bank to die in the sun after spending too much time and money on a nifty logo design. Most outlets fall into that solid slot size; sticking with it and putting up a good fight every once in a while. The ecosystem is pretty self-regulating. Fly fishers know what they want, and they know how to find it. But every once in a while, the internet throws a dam somewhere in a once free-flowing watershed.

Case in point: social media referrals (think exposure leading to clicks) to Casting Across have taken a huge hit in the past month.

read more