I’m sure I’d trigger the plagiarism-detecting software if I ran an article that began with the sentence: “fly fishermen love their gadgets!” But it is true. Anglers that prefer to pursue fish with fly tackle have a special affinity for specialized apparatuses. (That one cleared.) Even the facet of our sport that is simplest, purest, …
Tag: Gear
Fly Fishing at Fourteen
I began fly fishing at the age of fourteen. When I turned 30 a few years back it struck me that not only had I been involved in the sport in one way or another for over half my life, but that I’d been fly fishing for longer than I’d known my wife or lived …
Somerset Fly Fishing Show: The Load-Out
After a couple of fly fishing shows, I feel like the audience that Jackson Browne sings about in “The Load-Out.” For those of you missing out on a quintessential piece of music, I’ll bring you up to speed: Browne sings about the daily grind of the touring musician, while each city’s crowd experiences the spectacle …
Risen Fly: Rods, Reels, & Relationships
Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. For so many anglers getting into fly fishing, a lot of invention goes into assembling everything that is needed in a somewhat expensive sport. Risen Fly, a company that has been selling rods, reels, and a number of other accessories since 2013, was birthed out of that …
At the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show: Wrap Up
A perennial fixture of the fly fishing scene, the winter shows featuring vendors, tyers, and outfitters are highlights for anglers enduring the winter doldrums. With the premier expo holding events at seven locations across the country, and numerous other shows put on by sportsman’s groups and Trout Unlimited chapters, anglers from virtually anywhere can spend …
Better Casting? Get a Grip
When I was getting close to finishing graduate school, I decided that a custom bamboo rod was an appropriate way to celebrate. There is something inherently “product of the American education system” about spending a lot of money right as all of those student loans kick in. Regardless, I met with a local builder and …
Fishing in the Jeans
Being seasonably relevant, Hatch Magazine recently sent links out via social media to the 2014 article Winter Fly Fishing: Leave the Cotton at Home. It is a brief, but sufficient public service announcement that makes a great case for eschewing jeans and sweatshirts in favor of much more efficient materials. As the piece mentions, efficiency …
Fly Fishing & Outdoor Co. Holiday Meetup Recap
Last week, the second Fly Fishing & Outdoor Company Holiday Meetup took place in Boston. In the basement of West End Johnnies, a handful of New England enterprises and around fifty attendees spent the evening talking fishing and fishing products. This was by no means the Somerset Fly Fishing Show. It was something completely different, …
The Slow Down
Scrolling Instagram and Twitter, there are a lot of “wishing it was summer” posts. Pictures of short-sleeved anglers against ardent backdrops do make you wish that the weather – and the hatches – was a little different. But it can’t be, at least not for much of the world. So suck it up and deal …
Gifts for Fly Fishers (If You Don’t Fly Fish)
Fly fishers are a very particular bunch. The vast majority like what they like, and have what they need. When it comes to giving gifts this puts the non-fly fishing buyer in a quandary. You could ask for a specific list, and then just do the buying for them. Or you can hop on Amazon, …