A lot more goes into a good fly shop than some big-name decals on the windows. Sometimes, a good fly shop has faded sign with a cartoon worm underneath the words “live bait.” I’m not kidding. What makes a good fly shop is all about the soul on the inside. You need flies, rods, and …
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 …
Even if I hadn’t been out in a week, the first cast felt like it was simply the next cast in a succession of fly fishing moments. It was like picking up where I had left off. Like I had never left. Never stopped fishing. It is a great feeling. I’ve had two such seasons …
You speak, I listen. And then I speak about it. In this episode, I respond to some feedback that I’ve received from Casting Across articles and podcasts. There is a comment on keeping spots secret, a question on how I prioritize fly fishing, and an angry mob. Well, kind of. I enjoy sharing a little …
Having your rod separate into two pieces is never a good way to catch a fish. But that is precisely what happened. With a sudden sensation of weightlessness followed by an awkward plop, I realized that the top two sections of my rod were in the pond. Injury had been added to insult, as my …
The first half of this story can be read here on Casting Across. Immediately, the ascent was treacherous. I plodded up the loose forest floor in my wading boots, every step strengthening my resolve to get to the top while simultaneously increasing the force with which I asked myself “why?” Mind you, this was a …
Thought number one: “Well, that’s where the trout were the whole time.” Thought number two: “I’m pretty sure I’m going to fall to my death.” Looking back, all these years later, the latter is clearer. In my mind’s eye, I can see the pool. I can see the fish. I can see where I was …
It was a damp fall morning. The kind of morning where the weather wasn’t great but at least it wasn’t damp and summer. There wasn’t any humidity to speak of, just a little wet. You could see it on the changing leaves, sense it underfoot, but not feel it in the air. We had gotten …
Imagine watching a movie dozens of times but never seeing the beginning. Assuming the story isn’t too complicated, you’ll probably get the gist of things. And if it’s a good flick you’ll enjoy the experience regardless. Up until this past week, that was kind of my experience with Shenandoah National Park. Since the earliest days …
Crystal clear. Bug factory. Low gradient. Constantly cold. Lush vegetation. Year ‘round. Lots of big, wild, selective, spooky trout. Each statement describes one aspect of spring creeks. But even all of them together fail to adequately communicate how special these unique waterways are. I’ve been privileged enough to fish spring creeks in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, …
