Double-hauling a size 18 Parachute Adams out into the middle of a pond on a windy day is not my normal fly fishing. But some days that is where the fish are, and that is what they’re biting. It was what was in front of me and I had to figure out a way to …
Fly fishing is about the experience, not the labels or the quality of your gear. …but you need gear to fish, right? And if you need gear, it means picking one label over another. And that means money is a factor. So what do you do? In this episode, I quickly go through a dozen …
How many fly rods do you own? How many of those rods are within one line-weight designation of another? It is very normal to own an 8-, 9-, and 10-weight. Many trout anglers have multiple 5-weight rods; each with a different length or flex profile, each giving him or her an advantage as the situation …
My first key chain came from Cabela’s. It was a Royal Wulff dry fly encased in an oval of resin. It accompanied the two or three keys I needed at the end of high school and beginning of college. It met its untimely demise when I threw my keys out of frustration after blowing out …
Wading boots are a lot more than shoes that fit over waders. The right pair of boots will help you stay safe and keep you comfortable, ensuring more time on the water. But choosing a wading boot is about more than does it fit. It also goes beyond the kind of sole on the bottom …
If you can negotiate some time on the water, then you should absolutely sneak some fishing into your family trip. Want my advice? Don’t bring what you would normally bring on a fishing trip. Pack lighter. Be it out of necessity or simply to keep the peace, choose what you’re hauling along with coolers, strollers, …
I don’t like the sun. …let me qualify that statement: I am very thankful for the gravitational, thermodynamic, and myriad of other benefits that the sun provides to me and every other organism on this planet. However, I certainly don’t like sunburn and I’m not that fond of UV rays in general. Add to that …
Earlier this week I wrote about fishing long, light fly rods. Writing it got me thinking about how incredibly practical and fun something like a 9′ 3-weight is for certain situations in trout fishing. Moreover, these are length/weight models that aren’t as common as shorter lightweight rods. Consequently, they’re not usually discussed. I wanted to …
Not every river yields twenty-inch trout with consistency. Especially in smaller waters, footlong fish are the norm. As contentment in fly fishing is subjective, trout like these are targeted and celebrated. It is for good reason that fly fishers love to use light line weights for these trout. 4-weights and under are preferred when angling …
Fly line is the underappreciated member of the fly fishing gear trinity. Rods and reels get all the hype. A lot of that is deserved. But your rod is really only as good as you can cast it – and you can’t cast it without fly line. “Any old fly line will work” isn’t a …
