Where have you fished the most? Do you remember the first time you went? Was it a remarkable success or a tragic comedy of errors? Regardless, I’d wager that you can remember the first time you went fly fishing on your favorite river, stream, or lake. In this episode I recount my first trip to …
As unpredictable and difficult as 2020 has been, some organizations can’t afford to slow down. Conservation goups that support fisheries and wild places have kept at it the whole time. More importantly, fly fishing programs which support people have increased their efforts to come alongside those who need help the most. The Mayfly Project, an …
“I just go out there… by myself?” “Yup. You’ve got your flashlight?” “Yeah…” “You can do it, bud. I’ll be right here.” It was just a quick trip to go to the bathroom. But it was in the woods. And it was dark. And it was the first time he had done anything like that …
Trivial mistakes and learning opportunities are a gracious reality of life, aren’t they? With the benefit of time and perspective on our side, we can see where we’ve erred slightly or completely missed the boat. This is true with the big things. It is also true in fly fishing. A year ago I released a …
Full disclosure: Taking kids fly fishing is work. You’re not going to be fishing. You’re going to be untangling monofilament and dodging poppers. The time spent getting ready to go fishing is incredibly disproportional to the time spent actually fishing. And heaven help you if the fish aren’t biting. Taking kids fly fishing is an …
There is one fish that I have been trying to catch for nearly 20 years. It isn’t a specific fish, per se, but any rainbow trout out of a particular stream. This week I caught that fish. It was a little fish. Really little. But that is okay. After numerous failed attempts (some of which …
“What’s wrong with the creek?” It was a legitimate question. We were catching fish. We always caught fish. Not dozens, but a dozen maybe. Although it was a pretty pressured fishery, it consistently produced trout. “We just want to try something different,” I said. The man behind the counter gave us a mildly exasperated look. …
Honestly, I’ve vacillated on what today’s post would be about. This isn’t a website where I expect you to get your cultural commentary. But from where I’ve been and where most of us have been, casting techniques and fly rod reviews just didn’t seem right. Still, I’m going to focus on the outdoors. Instead of …
We’ve all realized a lot of things over the past few months. There are a good chance that some of these revelations have been in the realm of civics. Almost certainly, we’ve realized how good we have had things. To be able to pick up and fly anywhere in the world to go fishing was …
The Fuse – Jackson Browne: The Pretender, 1976 Singer-songwriters hit even better at 5 in the morning. Familiar lyrics accompany familiar highways. Alan and I were accustomed to the meandering route from Northern Virginia to South Central Pennsylvania. 7 to Leesburg, 15 north through Point of Rocks, past Big Hunting Creek in Thurmont, and then …
