The name Orvis is synonymous with American fly fishing. If you are at all interested in the history of the sport, you’ll certainly enjoy learning about the fly tying daughter of the company’s founder: Mary Orvis Marbury. Mary was more than an angler, of course. But her contributions to her father’s fledgling brand and the …
Although it is not the oldest work on fishing in the English language, Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler is undoubtedly the most prominent. From both a literary and cultural perspective it is well known and widely celebrated. For these merits and those intrinsic to the nearly 400 year-old book, you should read a passage or two. …
Some hot weather and a spur of the moment decision turned into an excellent 24 hours of father-and-sons fly fishing time. In this episode, I talk about the great time that my boys and I had in Manchester, Vermont. The occasion was the American Museum of Fly Fishing’s Summer Festival. There were vendors, exhibits, and …
Something that contemporary fly fishing culture has latched onto is the wonderful distribution of anglers: very different people from very different backgrounds are in very different places fly fishing. This is true throughout this present space. This is also true throughout time. If you fly fish, you’re connected to people who did what you do …
If you enjoy fly fishing, specifically the uniquely American take on dry fly fishing, you need to be familiar with the Catskills. Names like Gordon and Dette, places like the Beaverkill and the Upper Delaware: the profound impact of this special part of New York has left an indelible mark on fly fishing. This fantastic …
Dry flies looked about the same 100 years ago. Streamers? Things were a little different. We hadn’t gotten around to articulated flies that use half a bucktail yet. But we still caught fish. And the flies that were being fished worked. Plus, you could cast them on your regular trout rod. All was well in …
There have been countless ecological missteps taken by those attempting to protect fish because of errors in identification. Some were understandable, given the technology at the time. Others, including those of the last few generations, really stem from relying on hasty or superficial investigation. Anglers, who are not only the beneficiaries of conservation efforts but …
That is me. And I’ve obviously caught a largemouth bass. Aside from those two facts there’s not a lot of certainty I have about this picture. Why should that matter to me? Or, more pertinently for the reader, why should this photographic mystery matter to you? I have a good reason why this all matters …
Fly fishing is treasured by so many because it is a multifaceted activity. On one hand, it is a solitary pursuit. Yet it always takes place within some sort of community. Today’s contemporaries follow old paths walked by countless anglers that have come and fished before. Some were remarkable because of their contributions in conservation, …
Latest and greatest had to start somewhere. Often, that place had a lot going for it too. Having a preliminary knowledge of the history of fly fishing might pay off in really good fishing. More often than not, the reward is going to be in what you learn and how that impacts your time on …
