Outdoor activities are inherently risky. While your home is likely where you’re going to get hurt or run into trouble, being in wild places can lead to potential hazards. Some have to do with critters. Most have to do with other people. Even though there is a small chance of something problematic happening if you’re …
We were looking for a campsite alongside the tumbling mountain creek. It was a brook trout creek. However, rainbows had been stocked without any fish’s consent and now made up the bulk of the trout population in the valley. We, along with the native brookies, were higher up in the hollow. It had been a …
I’ll be the first one to celebrate how people are a major part of fly fishing. Almost as much as the distinctive nature of the fly cast, the culture and the community make this particular pursuit of fish special. That said, it isn’t always rosy. As you aggregate a large enough sample size of interactions …
Mike couldn’t help but eavesdrop. The two guys that sat next to him at the bar weren’t quiet. But they were also talking fly fishing. Judging by their attire, they did more than just talk about fly fishing. He had just come off the river himself, and was celebrating a decent day with a burger …
Every year I make a concerted effort to write about the best fly fishing gift that you can give. It has the potential to cost thousands of dollars. It can also be free. Either way, it takes effort and it can be absolutely special. It is the gift of fishing. Taking someone fishing, telling someone …
The article was about the drudgery of nymphing in the coldest weather or storing waders for the winter or something that insinuated taking a break from fly fishing was an option. Apparently it triggered some people. A few comments and emails rolled in, questioning my angling bona fides and stating that any fly fisher worth …
If you know me, you know I don’t shy away from things like religion and politics. That would be like a doctor shying away from gaping wounds; a real estate developer shying away from a tract adjacent to a new exit on the interstate; you and me shying away from trout rising to big, splashy …
This week marks 9 years of Casting Across. Since October of 2015, three posts a week have been published on the people, places, and things that go into the pursuit of fish. First and foremost, Casting Across is a creative outlet for me. It has been a way for me to flex muscles in a …
This episode is an overflow of this week. On the website I’ve focused on the region that has been most impacted by Hurricane Helene, and I’m going to continue to do so on the podcast. Even though southern Appalachia is remote and wild, it is incredibly close to so the vast majority of those who …
The trout will come back. But that is little consolation to the families of the hundreds who have died in the path and wake of Hurricane Helene. Ripping through Florida and Georgia before pounding the Carolinas, the storm did immense damage to the southern Appalachians. The usual coastal and flatland issues associated with wind and …
