Many a fly shop counter has heard the debates and the arguments. “Those aren’t flies.” “If it is within the law, it is a fly.” “That’s a lure.” “You’re just jealous you can’t catch as many fish.” …and so on. In this episode I take a brief look at the spectrum of fly authenticity. I …
“I’m in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I’ve just caught an enormous fish. But I don’t give a crap.” …at least that is what your face is saying. That is just one example of how people take fly fishing too seriously. Unless you are part of the <1% of anglers who …
“ACTUALLY, the fish is not that large. The angler is just holding it close to the camera. Just thought you should know.” . That was a real comment I saw. It was on social media (surprise, surprise). Imagine if internet commentators ran the world? The economy, global politics, and the proper viewing order for the …
There are plenty of reasons to mix camping and fly fishing. Sure, there are some that are all about nature and the experience. But what I am talking about is the pragmatic things: proximity, cost, and a bad night’s sleep helping you wake up early to hit that trico hatch. In this episode I explore …
Never judge a book buy its cover. Unless that book is a fly fisher and that cover happens to have a ventilated back cape. In that case, judge away. Because the only reasonable judgement that you could come to is this: that person knows how how to freaking fish. Anyone who is anyone knows that …
Bears can’t open car doors. Even if a bear could get into the car, a black bear couldn’t do it so fast that we couldn’t start the engine and escape. And a black bear wouldn’t hang on to the roof like James Bond as we swerved down the mountain. I could close my eyes and …
If you Google “muskrat,” you immediately learn a very interesting tidbit. Did you know that Ondatra zibethicus is the only species in genus Ondatra? The only one! Who would have thunk? Once your mind has adjusted to this startling revelation, scroll down a bit more. That’s where the world’s leading search engine gets real. The …
I’m not going to brag and say that I’m some kind of fallfish catching phenom. I’ll simply let the evidence speak for itself. At a purely quantitative level, I’m super good at catching fallfish. Want proof? I hauled in some real fine specimens the last time I went out. Which, it just so happened, was …
Cold cut through every exposed inch of skin like a knife. Wool and fleece and neoprene worked in unison but were unable to achieve success. Numbed fingers struggled with the most basic knots; hope was used as much as monofilament. The stream was the only moving thing in the stark winter landscape. Patches of snow …
If you were to write a classic fly fishing story you’d start with an existential statement. Maybe something about water or wind or the challenge of catching a fish. You’d develop it a bit. Then, you’d launch into the metaphor. Because this is real fly fishing writing, and everything is a metaphor for something else. …
