Buying gifts for someone who likes fly fishing can be daunting. What do they have? What do they need? Will they even use something I pick out? There are some items that will always be useful. Especially when shopping for someone who has just started fly fishing, certain gifts will absolutely make their way onto …
What is the best fly shop in your state? This is a very subjective question. But in a day and age when online reviews actually have an impact on the success or failure of a business, we have something close to objective data to work with. I’ve looked at a few review aggregations, and compiled …
Waders and wading boots are often afterthoughts in fly fishing gear discussions. But if you fish a lot, would you rather have a great fly rod and mediocre boots or a mediocre fly rod and great boots? I don’t think I’m overstating things when I say that another few feet of “castability” isn’t going to …
I think I’ve figured out the ultimate Father’s Day gift for fly fishing dads. You could really treat the dad in your life this year by combining two of their favorite things: their children and their fishing gear. The Redington i.D. reel came out a few years ago. It is a great cast aluminum reel …
This Memorial Day I’m bringing back an old feature that used to appear on Casting Across. For a few years, Fridays on Casting Across meant the “Last Cast of the Week” post. I’d feature three articles, videos, or social media accounts that I consider worth a click and a few minutes. As I got busier, …
Sadly, fly line is the piece of gear that lives in the shadow of the stars of the show: rods and reels. But for most fly fishers, line is much more important than a reel. For all anglers, fly line is much more important than we give it credit for. In this episode I talk …
If you fly fish, and you’ve ever come anywhere near the internet, you’ve seen gear giveaways. But there are two kinds of people in this world: Those who assume all giveaways are scams and rackets. Those who try to win any and every free thing that could possibly be given away. I’m here to tell …
‘Tis the season. The season for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. The season for shopping small, opting outside, and, of course, giving. A quick jaunt around the internet will yield an unfathomable number of deals, incentives, and other fly fishing gift temptations. Since November/December is the off season and the holiday season, …
Hardcore, devoted fly tiers own and use good tools. If you are tying every fly you fish or offering dozens upon dozens of patterns up for sale, you’ll get a lot out of premium tying accessories. To any fly fisher, that makes a lot of sense: we want the best tool for the job. But …
There are a lot of stigmas attached to fly fishing gear. People have opinions about rods, the name printed on rods, and even the name printed on hats. For better or worse, these stereotypes demonstrate how anglers generally feel about products and brands. Overpriced. Unnecessary. Cheap. Showy. For people who don’t know what they’re doing. This …
