This is the second installment of a two part post – check out last week’s Fly Shop Lost. “Do you know what happened to the sporting goods store downtown on Main Street? It must have closed down about 15 years ago.” She kept pouring my coffee, but the waitress gave me a look. It was …
Years ago, it went out of business. It was one of the first fly shops I stepped foot in. Like many other storefronts on an old main street, some combination of modern economic factors caused it to shutter its doors after decades of service to locals and out-of-towners. It had the reputation for catering to …
You will find some real interesting characters in fly shops. After nearly two decades of formal, empirical anthropological research, I’ve developed an efficient classification system and taxonomy for the types of individuals one encounters in fly shops. As a former fly shop employee, an occasional customer, and a curious observer of awkward situations, I believe …
Chances are there is a fly tying event that is held on a regular basis somewhere near you. Fly shops, fishing clubs, and TU chapters are all getting in on these gatherings. Whether you are a beginner tyer or an expert, I think you should go. In this episode, I share 5 reasons why tyers …
Want some great last-minute fly fishing gifts? Want them in your hands in less than three days? Want to make all of this happen without leaving the comfort of wherever you currently are? *** Obligatory Disclaimer: You shouldn’t wait until the last minute to buy gifts. It adds stress to an already stressful time and, …
Every month, thousands of anglers find a small black box in their mail. The VHS cartridge-sized container is full of fly fishing gear, stickers, articles, and, most importantly, flies. Since 2013, Postfly has been putting quality flies and fly fishing miscellany in the hands of anglers through their monthly subscription service. Far and away the …
Most Fridays on Casting Across are devoted to other people’s contributions in the fly fishing community. Articles, pictures, social media accounts, videos, podcasts, products, and more will be featured on The Last Cast of the Week. Today, I’m sharing items from Hatch Magazine / Patagonia, Beaverkill Angler / Orvis, & Cortland. If you’d like to …
Believe it or not, I do other outdoor stuff outside of fly fishing. I run, I (enjoy it when someone else tends to the) garden, I hike. I’m even comfortable enough to spend a whole day doing one of those things, even if it means that I am “giving up” a day fishing. That doesn’t …
This past week I wrote about a less-than-pleasant experience that I had at a fly shop. This unnamed establishment seemed great by every external standard, but fell short on the particular day that I was shopping for some unknown reason. A lot of people read that article. Probably because negativity sells. Controversy, conflict, and contrarian …
I was looking at reels for a long time. A long time. Across the counter, he couldn’t have been more than three feet away. Not once did he look away from the computer monitor. Now, I shouldn’t have been surprised. When I walked in, I didn’t get a “hello” or even a head nod. When …
