Walking in the shadows of the great volcanic peaks surrounding the ancient city of Antigua, Guatemala, I stopped to pick a ripe coffee berry. That berry was one of a cluster on a coffee tree, which was one of many on the grounds of a great plantation. Some of the varieties of beans and the …
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 Cheeky Fishing, Unaccomplished Angler, and Paflyfish. If you’d like to be featured in the Last …
I’m always fascinated by the dynamic of same/different on the stream. One example is how I can be on a mountain trout stream anywhere in Appalachia, and there is going to be some geological similarities. But if my eyes wander up the banks, the foliage will be completely different north and south. Another is a …
I wonder if I’ll ever see this backing again. I might. The reel that it is going to be spooled onto is going to feature a six-weight line. There are plenty of circumstances where I could get into a very large trout, a steelhead, or carp that could run me out a hundred feet. But, …
The hashtag is a funny thing. I think that most of us resent the concept to a certain degree, but ultimately appreciate how the things can sum up a lot in a few letters. And it isn’t all #yolo anymore, as every corner of social media has their set of hashtags and language. Fly fishing …
The other day I thought to myself, “Why don’t you conduct a brief, informal survey of complete strangers in the mall?” I know that thinking such things isn’t normal. And that carrying out plans like that is even less so. However, I had a few too many cups of coffee and I wasn’t going to …
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, …
We’ve all been there before. Standing in front of the rod rack at our local fly shop, trying to justify another 5-weight, and you hear the voice. “Kids these days! With their sling packs and their Twitters… no wonder I can’t catch any fish!” The shop employee is nodding along, but at a rhythm that …
I’m not afraid of snakes. What I’m not a fan of is their snaky-ness. Herpetologically speaking, this is the trait that snakes possess that allows them to surprise you. Rarely does one see a snake coming from a long distance off, as you would with a bison or a truck full of rural folk. The …
I’ve always maintained that New Year’s resolutions are a little silly. Take a goal that tops the priority list for so many people on a yearly basis: lost weight. Okay, if you know you are in need of shedding a few pounds on December 1st, why consume the Big Mac, chocolate cake, and gallon of …
