3 Easy Steps for Fly Rod Care

If you own a bamboo fly rod, you’ve probably spent a good amount of time reading various approaches to maintenance. The nature of the grass blanks and metal ferrules  leads to some necessary, extra attention.

If you own graphite or fiberglass fly rods, hopefully you’ve also put some effort into keeping your fishing gear clean. For decades, these mass-manufactured rods have been incredibly well built and durable. You might think that your $200 4-weight doesn’t need to be fussed over. But if your favorite rod is $900? Or if you absolutely love that $200 rod? A few minutes after a long trip or following the season can prolong its life and aesthetics.

Here are three areas you should focus on as you take care of your graphite or fiberglass fly rod. Nothing is difficult, time consuming, or that profound. But if you’re honest with yourself, simplicity or brevity doesn’t mean you always do those things. Right?

Take a look:

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Even After Tomorrow, Trout Will Still Rise

“No one knows what tomorrow holds.”

…but the sun is going to rise. There will be a long line at the popular coffee shop. Deadlines at work and school will come and go. Children will still require bedtime routines, and the same sitcom reruns will minister to worn-out parents. We know a lot of what that tomorrow holds.

And trout will still rise.

Fish don’t care much about politics. Neither do they pay attention to the latest academic journals, the stock market, or the obituaries. If it doesn’t have to do with survival today they’re not too interested. Without social media to burden them, they’re just occupied with picking out acceptable morsels from an endless barrage of potential foodstuffs. When the mood strikes them they look up. Why? It is in their nature. That is how they, along with the river they are swimming in and the bugs they are consuming, were designed.

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Podcast Ep. 103: Fly Fishing Writing, Speaking, & Voting

This podcast episode is really a 4-in-1. And you get to listen to it at your normal price – I guarantee it.

First: 5 years of Casting Across! I talk a little bit about why and how the website came to be.

Second: I explain why people are the greatest benefit I’ve received through my writing and speaking.

Third: Want a controversial take? Check out the piece I read.

Fourth: Vote! I don’t know if you have heard, but there is an election coming up.

As always, I appreciate you listening. I realize the podcast changes from week to week. Personally, that keeps it interesting to do!

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

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5 Years of Casting Across

“You should do  it. You should write about fly fishing.”

We had spent the day fishing the West Branch of the Delaware,  A number of fat brown trout came to hand, fooled by sulpher emergers. After the mist and the dark made seeing difficult and wading treacherous, we retreated to a riverside pub.

“You’d be good at it, and you’d have a blast doing it.”

Jeff has always encouraged me. In things more important than fly fishing writing. However, over a cheeseburger we were talking about my idea to write about something. I had a lot of ideas. Perhaps it was the West Branch flowing within earshot, but fly fishing rose to the surface again and again.

“‘Casting Across’? I  like it.”

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Religion, Politics, & Fly Fishing

Always talk about religion and politics when you go fly fishing.

And why wouldn’t you? Perhaps you have been told that such subjects are taboo for the dinner table, the break room, or the morning train. But maybe that is part of what is wrong with society. We can’t handle a difference of opinion. Furthermore, we can’t reconcile disagreement with cordiality. We have become intolerant of tolerance. So we do not talk. And not talking is often evidence of not thinking.

Fly fishers know that the woods and the water lead to contemplation. So, let us be better. Let us think.

Although the mind can wander, it often thinks about what it prioritizes. What matters to you? Talk about it when you are fly fishing. Now, this is not a license to be a raving zealot or lecturing hermit. Just talk about it. Explore ideas. Consider your presuppositions. Work concepts out to their logical conclusions. Share your opinion, and then contemplate a second one.

Can you talk about it and still enjoy the water? Of course. You are wonderfully made. You can think about two things at once. Furthermore, your mind has to go somewhere. Why not make a habit of giving it some exercise? You can still focus on the fish, the insects, and all the other necessary things. You are capable of both/and. You are able to cast and consider; each with enough effort to be effective.

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Podcast Ep. 102: Fish Tales – Under the Bridge

We all have memorable fish that we have caught. Some of the most memorable might be fish that we didn’t catch right away. That is the story of this fish.

This episode is a little different than most. Hear me talk through a season of chasing one particular brown trout. Along with some of the narrative, I share a little bit of the “how” and “why.”

Hopefully you enjoy it. More than that, hopefully it will get you thinking about chasing after that one fish yourself.

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

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Trout & Feather: October

Can you spot the steelhead in the image above? There are three fish, each over 20 inches…

There is a certain rush in the fall when the days get cooler, the leaves change, and 20 pound trout begin to show up where there was once only suckers and smallmouth. There is a culture, an industry, and a mythos that surrounds the lake run species from the UP of Michigan to New York State.

Often, the perception is that Lake Erie or Lake Michigan steelhead fishing means combat angling. That the only way to do it is to stand shoulder to shoulder, dodging weighted trebles and discarded egg cups. It can get that way. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be solitary. Yet it takes work. And then, of course, you have to trick animals that have been bombarded with flies, lures, and bait – and who have very little interest in actually eating – to get on the end of your line.

I haven’t perfected the Great Lakes steelhead game, but I think I’ve done it enough to offer up some principles that can make for a great day on the water.

That is an excerpt from Great Lakes Steel (aka, Adfluvial Rainbows), the article I wrote for Trout & Feather in October.

Also I share two great fly tying videos from Trout & Feather. If you have the materials, you’ll be able to tie both very quickly. Plus, you’ll learn a lot about the techniques that underpin both patterns.

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

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Fly Line Loop-to-Loop: Not All Are Equal

If you fish enough to wear out a fly line over the course of a season, you should absolutely tie a leader to your fly line with a nail knot. The result is a smooth connection that will not only slide through your guides with ease, but also facilitate the best transfer of energy. In other words, casts and presentations will be optimal because there is no hinge point between your line, leader, and fly.

However, if your fly lines last a few seasons or are used in a variety of situations, you’re better off with a loop-to-loop connection. These systems allow for replacing leaders, adding poly-leaders, and making quick  crisis management. If you’re prepared, fishing with “loops” means  no complex knots while on the stream.  All you have to do is thread a leader through two small loops and you’re ready to fish.

But not all loops are created equal. A bad loop will effect your cast and/or presentation. A bad loop will get hung up in your guides, leading to lost fish or damaged equipment. A good loop is a simple and great thing.

Also, I think this is important to mention: With minimal effort you can do better than tying your line and leader together with an overhand knot. I’ve seen it countless times. And I’ve heard the justification of “it’s easy and it works.” But your casting and fishing will benefit from a little extra work. Really, all you need is a few minutes and the knowledge of a simple knot.

Whether you are buying a new line or making a repair, it is worth considering how you’re going to attach your leader. Here are my thoughts on four common loop-to-loop methods:

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Podcast Ep. 101: Fly Fishing Accusations, X

Why have more than one pair of sunglasses?

Why spend a lot of time creating loop-to-loop line/leader connections?

Why listen to anything I say?

I answer those questions, and a few more, on this week’s podcast.

Thanks for listening and for subscribing. I always appreciate getting feedback, and have a lot of fun interacting with emails, comments, and social media chirps. Having that back-and-forth is a great aspect to Casting Across, and one of my favorite things about being a part of the fly fishing community. If you have a question or a potential topic for the podcast, don’t hesitate to reach out.

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

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Rusty Flybox: Steelhead

Okay, okay, okay. Lake-run rainbow trout. There. I said it. Now, on to the article:

When I lived in the Mid-Atlantic, fall meant trips up to the shores of Lake Erie. After my first time up, it became one of my favorite annual pilgrimages. The fish are great. But there is so much more to it. I won’t quite call it a “phenomenon,” but it is a pretty cool situation.

Today I have three posts from the Casting Across archives, all focused on steelhead:

  • A thumbnail sketch of fishing Lake Erie tributaries.
  • A story about a death in the family, a new vehicle, and a big fish.
  • A retelling of my first trip fishing  for steelhead.

Check out all three articles, along with a few more related links, below.

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