If there is no shame in using strike indicators, mop flies, and GPS-enabled cell phones in the pursuit of fish, there is absolutely no shame in using a small device to help you tie your fly on. Furthermore, when has a fly fisher ever been in a place where they can look down on using …
The river was around 40 yards wide. The fog was so thick that halfway across it was impossible to make out the opposite bank. Which means, halfway across, it was impossible to see either bank. The cold water from the bottom of the deep reservoir usually elicited a mist over the water on warm summer …
Nippers draw more ire than any other piece of fly fishing gear. The reason? Anglers are very opinionated regarding how much one should spend on this relatively simple piece of equipment. The nipper is a simple instrument. It cuts leader material and should include a small needle for clearing out hook eyes. You can procure …
This time I wasn’t simply fishing. I found myself explaining why I was doing what I was doing. Not how to cast. Not why a dry fly. Why. The reason why I was fishing. For someone who writes and talks about that very subject three times a week, and who has been doing so for …
This spring I bought a new pair of running shoes. Unbeknownst to me, they’re considered “maximalist.” Instead of the stripped-down and barely there shoes we’ve grown accustomed to see on the feet of marathoners, this trend overbuilds a number of shoe components. While still lightweight, these shoes provide a ridiculous amount of support and cushion. …
The trope is that all anglers lie about catching fish. That isn’t fair. Moreover, it isn’t even close to accurate. Anglers lie about not catching fish. We all know the real reason why you’re not catching fish: you couldn’t do it. They’re simple organisms that simply pursue basic biological impulses. How are you supposed to …
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 …
I’ve never carried a scale or a tape measure on the river. At one point in my life, when I fished primarily with a single fly rod, I knew the length of the rod butt to the cork and to the stripping guide. Even then, the inconvenience of laying a trout alongside my rod made …
Shows what I know. Months ago I was crestfallen about the perceived state of one of my favorite trout streams. A small, spring-fed, brook trout oasis in and amongst suburbia has been messed with. Not by man. By rodent. By castor canadensis: the North American beaver. The darned things had dammed up the creek. A …
I don’t think that the stretch of stream was cursed, per se. If I had to address the phenomenon that I experienced while fishing along this particular section I might use the term coincidental. But I’d say it with a wince and sideways glance. So, not a curse: just a really unfortunate set of circumstances …
