“Hi Matthew. Ashleigh gave me your number. I’m not a fly fisherman, but I’m interested in getting into it. Anyways, we’re thinking about offering a class and wondered if you would have any interest in teaching it. Think about it and give me a call back.” It was hardly a big break. However, after trying …
Tag: Youth
Those Days
In those days it was the fastest, unhealthiest, loudest way out of suburbia. McDonald’s double cheeseburgers and the biggest Gatorade money could buy. Gas station cigars and The Allman Brothers or The Scorpions or The Police at 9 miles over the speed limit on winding state highways. The same jokes about the same road signs, …
Podcast Ep. 125: Another Introduction
If you’ve been fly fishing for any length of time, there is a good chance that major life events are bracketed by rivers and trout. I can certainly say that. And in this episode of the podcast, I do say that. Although Casting Across has a lot of me in it, I don’t usually get …
A Different Color of Fly Fishing Marketing
Sunday night: the little boys went to bed around 7:30 pm. The bigger two, six and eight, stayed up until halftime of the AFC Championship game. When you’re that age 8:30 is a treat because it’s late. (I’d gladly take it, but for other reasons.) As we were heading upstairs I pointed over to the …
All Things Bright & Beautiful
My mother told me that my grandma would read Casting Across now and then. She wasn’t a fly fisher. She just liked reading about what her grandson was doing. She passed away last week at the age of 89. Some of my earliest memories involve my grandma and grandpa. They were remarkable people. They …
2020 via Casting Across
This year, 2020. This weird, awful, ridiculous year. But looking at these nine little thumbnail images is a reminder that there was a lot of good. A lot of good. In fact, these “top nine” pictures represent a mere fraction of the blessings that came in 2020. For one, they’re all only related to fly …
Writing Fly Fishing, est. 2001
My wife and I both enjoy books. Too much, maybe. We’ve got large built-in shelves in our living room. My office is organized so that I am wrapped in bookshelves. There are two more extra sets of shelves in the spare bedroom. That is where my second-tier, rarely consulted fishing books live. I headed up …
Club in Their House: Tying Flies Online with Students
Whether or not you agree with measures taken to handle COVID-19, it is clear that daily routines of students have been significantly affected. Depending upon age and location, children and teenagers may very well be spending the bulk of their day in front of a screen. While this impacts reading, writing, and arithmetic, there are …
Podcast Ep. 101: Fly Fishing Accusations, X
Why have more than one pair of sunglasses? Why spend a lot of time creating loop-to-loop line/leader connections? Why listen to anything I say? I answer those questions, and a few more, on this week’s podcast. Thanks for listening and for subscribing. I always appreciate getting feedback, and have a lot of fun interacting with …
Podcast Ep. 100: Special Guests for #100
100 episodes. That is a lot of my voice. So, this week I have a few special guests that join me on the podcast. All three have been fishing for their entire life, and I think that you’ll appreciate their perspectives. I can honestly say that they keep it simple, keep it real, and keep …