I’m not being dramatic. Nor am I being flippant. You can truly get yourself in some serious moral peril while fly fishing. Waist deep in moving water miles away from other people? Yes, it is fun. But yes, it is not without risks. Today I cover four areas of danger worth thinking about as you …
…and a few of them are pretty inexpensive, too. For one reason or another, you might find yourself fly fishing in the kind of weather that isn’t found on catalog covers. But there is also a very good chance that such outings yield experiences that you won’t forget. By and large, the gear that you …
As far as I can recall, I’ve only really pressed my luck once when it has come to fly fishing in blizzards. To be fair, I was fishing the Lake Erie tributaries. Not only are the lake effect weather patterns erratic, but combat fishing for steelhead* puts you in an unstable state of mind. After …
I’m not a biologist. But I do have enough common sense to analyze data, listen to experts, and pay attention to the world around me. Consequently, I’m aware that it isn’t wise to fish for trout as the thermometer goes up. It is more nuanced than “don’t fish when it is hot” though. Air temperature …
The stream was crowded. Walking from my car to the water, I had to tell myself that I can’t control the fish and I can’t control the fishermen. I can only control my cast, my fly selection, and my attitude. It didn’t help that I had a pounding headache and an increasingly damp shirt from …
A park like Shenandoah has everything going for it. …everything that could lull you into a state of lackadaisical passivity. Countless amenities with ample signage, easy highway access, and throngs of tourists make a popular east coast park seem overwhelmingly safe. Shenandoah National Park is a place where your grandparents picnic. It is a place …
It sounds like a dad joke; I know. But think about it. Fish are used to water. It is us that are the problem. That being said, there are absolutely some things to consider when fly fishing in the rain. Fish, what fish eat, and what fish swim in all change a little bit based …
I broke my net. The net broke my fall. The wooden handle took my full weight as I hit the granite boulder. Shiny rocks looked like icy rocks, so I let my guard down. One of those shiny rocks was actually an icy rock. My feet went out from underneath me so fast that I …
The streambanks, even the stream bottoms, are mostly bare. There might be snow and ice. Days are short but the cold weather lasts for a long time. Overall, things are gray, It isn’t the same as fishing in the spring, summer, or fall. But it is still fishing. Guides and fingers freeze. Fish, and most …
If you want to guarantee that you’ll get rained on, forget your tent’s rainfly. I believe in providence; not luck or coincidence or karma or Murphy’s law. The handful of times I have neglected to ensure that I’m completely protected from precipitation are, in fact, the nights when the heavens have opened up. Waking up …
