For all their distractions and hindrances, smartphones can really improve your outdoor experience. Getting an email from work or a robo-call while on the water is certainly obnoxious. Still, locating a trail, identifying an insect, and photographing the beauty of nature are all great uses for the ubiquitous pocket technology. And everything we do, we …
“Do you guys smell the plants?” “You mean the flowers?” “No, the plants. Can you notice that they smell differently than the plants back home?” To be fair, I don’t think I was paying too much attention to the olfactory stimulation elicited by Virginia flora when I was a young teenager. My kids didn’t pick …
Although it is certainly not the most wild place in the west, Rocky Mountain National Park provides plenty of fantastic fly fishing opportunities. Rocky Mountain is one of the most visited national parks in the country on an annual basis. It boasts numerous visitor centers, hundreds of miles of trails, and most of the iconic …
Who doesn’t love a good fly fishing trip? Whether it be exotic locations on the other side of the globe or premier destinations across the country, most anglers long for exciting water in which to fish. But what about the creek down the road? In this episode, I talk about the inherent value of fishing …
“You want to know what your Father’s Day present is?” “Umm… do you want to tell me?” “When we go on vacation to Virginia later this month, we want you to take a whole day to go fishing.” “That is a great present.” “I was going to surprise you, but I thought you’d have more …
How does your fly fishing library look? Along with keeping tabs on your favorite fly fishing websites, what tangible resources do you keep within arms’ reach? At and given point in time, I have one fly fishing book that I’m working my way through. Often it gets whatever is left after a day of work …
Roughly two years ago I received a package from Castaway Customs. Based out of coastal Florida, they specialize in SeaDek fabrication and installation for boats. Basically, they help protect your boat while keeping you safe and comfortable on the water. I don’t have a boat. But I did request the package. Inside was a handful …
The last neon lights for about thirty miles signal the last opportunity for a hot meal for at least a half hour. For years, that gas station was my first stop out of town and my last stop before getting on the water. Spring creek brown trout, big river small mouth, and mountain brookies; the …
I like to think of Casting Across as a platform that gets you to do something. That isn’t meant in some kind of manipulative or creepy sense. I just don’t envision you reading my writing and listening to my podcasting as ends unto themselves. They’re meant to be a step unto something else. I want …
Some of the rivers that our grandfathers lauded as destination waters have declined in one way or another. The quantity or quality of the fish just isn’t there anymore. There are still fish present, and there is still good fishing to be had, but things have changed. And people don’t like change. But change shouldn’t …
