Flannels, pumpkin spice, and… slowly swung streamers? Just like the changing colors of the leaves, there are some inevitable alterations we make every fall in our fly fishing. Dropping temperatures and shorter days cause cold-blooded creatures to act differently. If we want to see them in our nets, we need to respond accordingly. Today I …
If you fly fish for trout, you can fish 12 months out of the year. There are a handful of very important caveats to that statement, but it is true nonetheless. Exceptions aside, it is key to understanding some of the reasons why fishing changes throughout the year and why. In another surface-level introduction, I …
It is Thanksgiving. And I am thankful. Today’s episode is all about what I’m thankful for. It is about fly fishing. And it is personal. But as is the case with a lot of what I put out on Casting Across, I hope my personal musings about fly fishing will resonate with you. Whether they …
Here’s to a new tradition. Here’s to giving thanks. Here’s to the trout. It is the day after Thanksgiving. It was a good holiday. The meal is over. The family is still in town. The sales are in full swing. All of these things are fine and good. In fact, they’re great. Leftovers, loved ones, …
To fish or not to fish? That is a good question, come fall. Why? Some of our most beloved quarry have been making fish babies for millennia in the autumn. Proper stewardship necessitates we wade lightly and cast conscientiously during their more amorous intervals. So when do you lay off? Ask four different anglers and …
Fall fishing usually means changing your approach to pursuing fish. Hitting different spots and using different flies are usually required. Switching up your gear is almost as necessary. Personally, I carry more in the fall. Generally speaking, this comes down to the fact that I employ (and switch up) more layered clothing. My terminal gear …
The calendar says that winter doesn’t arrive until late December. The frost on my windshield and the ice on the edges of the streambank say otherwise. Cold weather means flies can be tied and deer can be hunted. But it also means that there are aspects to fly fishing that open up to us. Taking …
Bass are unaware of Daylight Savings Time. They don’t have an emotional response to the first frost or “sweater weather.” They certainly aren’t swayed by the pumpkin spice-ification of the world. This does not mean that bass, like any other fish out there, are not impacted by the temperature shifts that accompany the change of …
We were created to rest. Five days of vocational work followed by two days of other work is still seven days of work. Scripture gives a divinely ordained reason to rest. Unsurprisingly, secular biologists and psychologists agree. We have periods of time for this, and periods for that. The same applies in fly fishing. For …
I don’t use the term magic much. But there is something magical about fly fishing in the fall. The woods and the fish get more colorful. The fishing seems to last all day; it stops being a morning and evening activity. The air is crisp and and the water has a little more of a …
