Rusty Flybox: Tying Time

I’m sure there is a complex behavioral theory that describes my own, personal fly tying. Basically, the more I tie the more I enjoy tying. The more I enjoy tying, the better my flies seem to look. (Note that I said seem.)

And while the long, dark nights of winter are by no means the only time one can and should tie flies, there is no time like the present.

Today’s posts all involve fly tying.  While I’ve considered adding step-by-step instructions for  some of my favorite patterns and techniques, I’ve opted instead to talk about tying concepts:

  • The prominence of hackle
  • The pros and cons of types of weight
  • The things beginner tyers should know

To read the entire article, click on the image or title below:

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Podcast Ep. 118: One Box to Rule Them All

I know. You like your flies. Dozens of patterns; hundreds of individual fish catching pieces of potential.

But really, how many do you actually use?

While it isn’t for every angler (or every situation), cutting down the flies you carry on the water can actually streamline your fishing. It will certainly make packing and organization much  simpler, but it can actually help you zero in and focus on fishing better.

Today I share my reasons for slimming down assortments in certain circumstances, as well as some examples of how I have done it.

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

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Fly Fishing Books, IX

I like to think of Casting Across as a platform that gets you to do something.

That isn’t meant in some kind of manipulative or creepy sense. I just don’t envision you reading my writing and listening to my podcasting as ends unto themselves. They’re meant to be a step unto something else. I want you to go fishing. I want you to explore. I want you to try a new cast, a new fly, or a new book.

The best books are books that get you to do something. I can say with certainty that all four books I’m recommending below will encourage you to  go and to do. One author went halfway across the country. Another simply reached across his desk. Both endeavors can certainly be worthwhile.

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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New Spin on an Old Finn

Who hasn’t seen a Mickey Finn? The fly has a history that goes back at least 100 years. It has enjoyed staying power for the simple reason that it catches fish. Consequently, it is a fly that you’ll find in assortments sold to beginners as well as on the vises of seasoned experts.

Living in New England, I sometimes feel obligated to fish the Mickey Finn. Even the most contemporary guidebooks list the  yellow-and-red streamer as one of the key patters for fabled brook trout waters in New Hampshire and Maine. And the fly has produced for me. But it has primarily been productive on those larger rivers of renown. Most of my fly fishing takes place on smaller creeks and pressured streams. The Mickey Finn hasn’t been as productive for those selective, finicky fish.

Instead of trying to force-feed trout a fly that they should be eating (if they knew what’s good for them), I spent some time deconstructing the pattern. Why does it work? What is essential? And, most importantly, how can I adapt it to the fish and scenarios I most frequently encounter?

This is a pursuit that anyone, with any amount of fly tying skill, should consider. Most flies are only a variation on a theme. Innovation is often only modification. And a slight alteration to a famous pattern might mean more fish for you.

Here’s what I did to the Mickey Finn:

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Podcast Ep. 117: Conservation Conflicts

There’s a good way to talk about conservation. There are a lot of bad ways to talk about conservation.

While it is a broad-brushed, stereotyping statement, there is some truth in the “cantankerous fly fisher” archetype. In this episode I encourage us to take a better approach. We’re not going to win people to our side and our cause if the goal is to shame, discourage, and tear down. We can avoid conflict and promote conservation.

Today I share three stories. One of which involves me falling and flailing on a streambank.

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

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5 Minutes More & One Last Cast, part III

His habit, or compulsion, was to repeat himself often while alone and on the water. A full monologue to an audience of zero was crazy. A clever quip, repeated numerous times may very well pass as three-quarters sane.

“If you’re going to fall, better to do it in front of people so they can laugh at you and offer help.”

He had already taken stock of his fly rod. It was whole. His reel hadn’t been scratched and his fly was still snugly secured in the keeper. He had also already assured himself that his tumble hadn’t ruined the pool before him. The angles of his location and the suddenness of his movements wouldn’t have been perceived by any fish that were where they were supposed to be. Plus, the whole time he was falling down the rock and through the branches his eyes were on the water. No great fish fled the commotion.

The clever quip about falling, which he had said at least once earlier in the day, was spoken aloud while touching the spots on his side and arm that smarted the most. Perhaps they’ll bruise. And no one was around to see.

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Throwback Gear Review: Sage VPS

Fly fishing gear is a big part of Casting Across. I’ve always enjoyed the aesthetics, the marketing, and, most importantly, the function of fly fishing gear. Consequently, I’ll review new products on the site from time to time. But appreciating fly fishing gear shouldn’t only be about  the latest model or newest technology. The things that you’ve fished with for years – for decades ought to be celebrated as well.

It is in that spirit that I put together this gear review. Although some products are old or even out of production, their value compounds with use, experience, and familiarity. We should enjoy what we use when we fly fish, especially if we’ve enjoyed it for a long time.

“Would you want to pick out a new fly rod for your birthday?”

I can only assume that teenage me had been talking incessantly about fly fishing. Every trip to Arkansas, my dad would take me up to one of the big tailwaters and I’d get to fish for a day. Although it was only one day, out of one week, every four months or so, I took it seriously. An entire duffel bag carried my waders, vest, and net. My two-piece rod went on the plane with me. It’s cumbersome presence wasn’t the issue that started the new rod conversation.

The issue was that I was fishing the wide rivers of northern Arkansas with a three weight.

Again, I assume that teenage me was chattering nonstop about how I should really have a six weight and how it should be faster and how it would be nice if it broke down for easier travel and… my birthday was coming up. For the late 90s, the budget I was given was quite generous. I had already established a habit of memorizing tackle catalogs, so I knew more or less what I would be able to get. And at that time, one company was first on my list.

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Podcast Ep. 116: Famous & Fishable

Some of the rivers that our grandfathers lauded as destination waters have declined in one way or another. The quantity or quality of the fish just isn’t there anymore. There are still fish present, and there is still good fishing to be had, but things have changed.

And people don’t like change.

But change shouldn’t keep you off the water. Aside from the viable fishing still present, there is a whole lot more to be gained from spending time on these famous waters.

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

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5 Minutes More & One Last Cast, part II

The angler is always unnerved when holding a fly rod and simultaneously hearing a crack. Even when a hand or eye is on the branch being broken, the ear startles the mind into thinking the thing broken is the thing that shouldn’t be broken.

Sliding down the rock face, trying to keep himself upright and alive, there were a lot of cracks. Once he stopped bouncing through the limbs and roots, he checked his fly rod. Those cracks could have been ribs. For the majority of his life he had been self-conditioned to take inventory differently.

It wasn’t his first fall of the day. The first came in front of people. “If you’re going to fall,” he thought, “better to do it in front of people so they can laugh at you and offer help.”

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A Different Color of Fly Fishing Marketing

Sunday night: the little boys went to bed around 7:30 pm. The bigger two, six and eight, stayed up until halftime of the AFC Championship game. When you’re that age 8:30 is a treat because it’s late. (I’d gladly take it, but for other reasons.) As we were heading upstairs I pointed over to the kitchen table.

“Do you guys see what you get to do tomorrow after your schoolwork?”

Both responded with exuberant, yet quiet, demonstrations. (They knew to not wake up their younger siblings.) On the dining room table I had laid out their requested coloring sheets from Derek DeYoung’s contest. One chose the trout, the other chose the tarpon. Knowing them, they had already planned out how they were going to approach the activity. Colored pencils, markers, or watercolors; realistic from a reference photo or out of their imagination.

They enjoy these kinds of things. And they learn about fish, the environment, and conservation from these kinds of things. And to be honest? They learn about brands, initiatives, and products from these kinds of things. As their father, I’m okay with that. Because I’m raising them to keep it all in perspective.

Here’s what I mean:

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