News On The Fly
Last Cast Secrets: Fly Floatant for Visibility
Posted on August 20 2006
Tom Chandler offers a handy bit of advice for those trying to eke effectiveness out of fishing in the almost-dark: sprinkle an excess of fly floatant on your fly. Is it the bubbles, or just the fact that seeing the … more
Schullery on Orvis
Posted on August 19 2006
Fly fishing and conservation author Paul Schullery writes a brief history of Orvis on the 150th anniversary of the company’s founding in Vermont’s Manchester Journal. “In 1989, In Search of Excellence author and business guru Tom Peters named Orvis rods … more
British Anglers Attacked By Animal Rights Activists
Posted on August 19 2006
“‘I decided to get out of there and go home but suddenly they all ran towards me waving bats and blocks of wood, shouting, “Get her'” ‘I was jostled and they smashed my fishing rod.’ As she broke away from … more
The Lure of Blue-Winged Olives
Posted on August 19 2006
Why are blue-winged olives such a favorite of trout everywhere? In part because they are typically abundant, and in because they belong to the “swimmers” group of mayflies, making them more available to hungry trout than “crawlers,” “clingers,” or “burrowers.” … more
T.U. Blogs the Yaak
Posted on August 18 2006
“There are plenty of writers far more capable than me (i.e. Rick Bass) who wax philosophical about the Yaak, so if you are interested, I suggest you read their fine works. I’ll just say that the Yaak is one of … more
Smokey Mountain Summer Tactics
Posted on August 18 2006
Trout Underground picked up this informative piece from Ian Rutter on strategies for fishing mountain brook trout streams when the weather is warmest. There’s lots of good detail here, particularly on fishing terrestrials in small streams. “Aquatics are funneled by … more
Fly Fishing Colorado's Fabled Gunnison Valley
Posted on August 18 2006
“The Gunnison River starts at Almont, where the East and Taylor merge. The East rises near Crested Butte, the Taylor up at Taylor Park. The Lake Fork of the Gunnison flows north from Lake City. All are exquisite trout streams, … more
New Australian Film Adapts Carver's "So Much Water, So Close to Home"
Posted on August 17 2006
“Unsurprisingly, news that the four white men left the body in the water, tethered to a tree branch while they spent a few days fly-fishing, and then returned home unrepentant causes uproar among their wives and girlfriends, the Jindabyne locals … more
Famed Brodhead Undergoing Restoration
Posted on August 17 2006
Severe flooding and long-term bank erosion have taken their toll on a Pennsylvania stream once fished by Ted Williams, Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison. Now the local township is giving the once-famous stream its due, restoring … more
More and More Women Fly Fishing
Posted on August 17 2006
Raspberry, turquoise and hot pink are relatively new colors for fly fishing equipment manufacturers, but don’t be surprised if you see more feminine colors on the water. According to this piece by the Associated Press’s Pat Graham, the number of … more
Finding Comma Lake
Posted on August 16 2006
“As I headed on the Winopee Lake Trail north of Cultus, two thoughts hit home: First, that this pack was so heavy I was going to flip onto my back. Second, that though I’d come by myself, I wasn’t really … more
Toxic Rail Spill in Pennsylvania Caused By Excessive Speed
Posted on August 15 2006
Norfolk Southern may be fined $35,000 a day for the poisoning of Pennsylvania’s Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek, after safety officials determined that the train which derailed was traveling at almost five times the speed limit in that area. “Cole Davis, a committee … more
Experimental Forest Nurtures Lahontan Cutthroat
Posted on August 15 2006
The Sagehen Forest in California’s Lake Tahoe basin has been designated an “experimental forest” by the U.S. Forest Service in an effort to provide training for university students and to help the recovery of the Lahontan cutthroat trout. “Prof. Phil … more
Dry Times Visit Montana Again
Posted on August 14 2006
Releases from the Yellowtail Dam, which feeds the Bighorn, have been reduced to minimum levels, and streams and rivers all over the state are going dry. “Flows at those low levels will have long-term consequences on the fish population, Darling … more
Vermont's Winooski
Posted on August 14 2006
“Thousands of anglers take advantage of this recreational resource, a beautiful, in many places tree-lined, river that that holds a wide variety of fish species – from the lively and popular-with-anglers brook trout at the headwaters to the prehistoric and … more
"Muskie Garages" of Wisconsin's Flambeau River
Posted on August 13 2006
“‘It was a huge fish, maybe a 50-incher,’ he said. The hook-up, though, didn’t feel right to [Bob] White. ‘After about five minutes, the muskie just let go. Up floated a 12-inch, shredded smallmouth. (The muskie) must have been lying … more
California's Middle Fork San Joaquin River
Posted on August 13 2006
“If you’ve never felt it or seen it, you may not understand. It’s that moment when a trout grabs your dry fly. It starts when you see the trout rise before you feel the grab. A millisecond later, the trout … more
A Polemicist's Obsession with Catfish
Posted on August 13 2006
“They’ve splashed me in the kayak numerous times. I know channel cats, especially, feed at all depths. But to get catfish on a dry fly would make my summer and then some . . . I know catfish are [low-rent] … more
"Rover – Release!"
Posted on August 12 2006
We admit that we will not be rushing out to purchase the new Woolrich fly fishing vest for dogs, but only because there is not enough room for the water bottles. “The aforementioned tutu displayed here was a tempting choice … more
Reasons to De-Barb
Posted on August 12 2006
“Under the Bro’s nose was a colorful little moustache that looked a lot like a Royal Wulff. The hook had somehow missed the outside of his left nostril and gone clean through his septum — the bit between the nostrils … more
Getting Counted: A National Saltwater Registry
Posted on August 12 2006
“Connolly tied on a Clauser Minnow fly and, in no time at all, sank it to the barb in his right ear. This was my cue to flee; I hopped out of the First Shot to wade-fish a lovely little … more
Fly Fishing's Annual New Product Flood
Posted on August 11 2006
Unlike a typical floods, the number of fly fishing products doesn’t crest until the annual Fly Fishing Retailer World Trade Expo, which this year happens August 24-26 at the Denver, Colorado Convention Center. MidCurrent will be at the show, keeping … more
Economist Reviews George Black's New Casting a Spell
Posted on August 11 2006
“This is the story, as the author admits, of the worm in the bud: the age-old battle between perfectionism and economics. On the one hand a clique of craftsmen, handing down through small workshops the knowledge of how to make … more
Idaho's Silver Creek Returning to Normal After Spring Floods
Posted on August 11 2006
Despite complaints from some anglers about changed stream structure, Silver Creek seems little worse for wear 4 months after floods doubled the normal water flows. “During a warm, wet spell at the tail end of one of the snowiest winters … more
Profile: Fly Fishing Photographer Paolo Marchesi
Posted on August 10 2006
Paolo Marchesi, whose photos appear regularly in American Angler magazine and Patagonia and Simms product presentations, relates adventures in the British Virgin Islands as he helped shoot an Outside magazine story called “The 40-Year-Old Virgin Swimmer.” “After attending the Brooks … more
Bighorn Fire Victims
Posted on August 10 2006
The Milwaukee Sentinel Journal reports today that the victims of the fire at the Bighorn Trout Shop have been tentatively identified Linda Kopp, 58, Kopp’s husband Edwin G. Gohlke, 60, and their friend Susan Koeppe, 53,” all of Glendale, Wisconsin. … more
Water and the "Misery Index"
Posted on August 09 2006
As the “misery index” tied to gas prices raises the discomfort level for U.S. politicians, we easily forget that in many cases we still pay more for bottled water than we do for auto fuel. According to most reliable sources, … more
One for Loonatics
Posted on August 09 2006
“While sharing a small pond in the Moose River drainage with a loon, I found out first hand that they are better at fishing than me (no surprise). The point was driven home as I stood in my canoe stripping … more
Profile: Maggie Merriman
Posted on August 09 2006
You don’t often hear Maggie Merriman mentioned in the same breath with Joan Wulff, widely recognized as a legend among fly fishing women. But her contributions to the sport are enormous, as Dave Strege points out in this extensive profile. … more
Bighorn Trout Shop Burns to Ground, Killing Lodgers
Posted on August 08 2006
Tragically, three people died in the fire that burned the Bighorn Trout Shop to the ground in Fort Smith, Montana early Sunday morning. As Ed Dentry notes in the Rocky Mountain News, “Eight of 17 lodging units burned. The Yellowtail … more
Fly Fishing Books: Review of Black's Casting a Spell
Posted on August 07 2006
As we mentioned last week, Random House has just released George Black’s new book of fly fishing essays centered around bamboo rod culture. Casting a Spell (Random House, August 2006, 272 pages) gets reviewed by Ron Wynn of the Nashville … more
Stocking Remote New Hampshire Lakes
Posted on August 07 2006
“Early anglers were among the first explorers of headwater streams, icy cold mountain brooks feeding the upper reaches of the Connecticut, Merrimack, Ammonoosuc, Saco, Wild and Androscoggin rivers. Legend has it that the Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch on the … more
Portage Creek May Lose Brown Drakes Forever
Posted on August 06 2006
Author Charles Meck says that Pennsylvania’s Sinnemahoning Portage may never quite recover from the disastrous spill that scoured its banks of all life one month ago. In article noting a similar permanent loss of green drakes after a chemical poisoning … more
Steelhead Numbers Down for Idaho Anglers
Posted on August 06 2006
Current counts show only half of the normal amount of steelhead returning to Idaho rivers this season. “Most steelhead returning this year headed to the ocean in 2005, when ocean conditions were poor for young fish because of low amounts … more
Tapply's Classic New England Flies
Posted on August 05 2006
With more than two dozen books to his name — from titles on upland game and bass bug fishing to his Brady Coyne mystery series — William Tapply is one of the most prolific fly fishing authors alive. He is … more
How to Clean Gear to Prevent the Spread of Mud Snails
Posted on August 05 2006
BlueQuillAngler.com recently posted what seems to us to be the best guide yet to cleaning wading gear to prevent the spread of New Zealand mud snails and other invasive species. As BlueQuill‘s Pat Dorsey describes in his regular email newsletter, … more
L.A. Times "Altered Oceans" Series
Posted on August 04 2006
Kenneth R. Weiss and Usha Lee McFarling are authors of what is likely the most well-researched report on the condition of the world’s oceans yet written for the general public, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times. We’ve already mentioned Weiss’s … more
A 30-Year Payoff for the Rocky Mountain Front
Posted on August 04 2006
Concerned individuals, along with conversation groups like Trout Unlimited, are winning a prolonged battle to permanently prevent oil and gas drilling in the Blackleaf area of the Rocky Mountain Front in western Montana. (More info on the Rocky Mountain Front … more
Cutting With the McGuanes
Posted on August 03 2006
Dennis Anderson visits author, angler and cutting horse man Tom McGuane in Big Timber and on the Boulder River. “On his horse, Tom was helping another cutter. This was a long way from Los Angeles, where he once wrote for … more
"Get Off the Bow… Now!"
Posted on August 03 2006
How many times have I heard otherwise companionable saltwater fly fishers turn into seething enemies when one or the other feels they are not getting their share of time on the bow? If you can’t agree, or just need a … more
Solitude: You Can Dance to It
Posted on August 03 2006
FishingJones points to a fine article on the upside of solitude by Newsweek writer Anna Quindlen, who finds that “eating Raisin Bran for dinner on the porch instead of bothering with a starch, a stove and a napkin” ain’t all … more
Agog Over Outdoors Garb
Posted on August 02 2006
Gary Lewis pokes fun at the excessive concern displayed by U.S. outdoorsmen and sportsmen over their outerwear. Tips: don’t wear Realtree camo in Canada, where it will elicit laughs, or in Africa, where it is likely to get you shot. … more
Bret Bishop Profile
Posted on August 02 2006
Guide and English teacher Bret Bishop, who won gold in the first National Fly Fishing Championships in Boulder, Colorado this year, is profiled by Jeff Cordes in the Idaho Mountain Express. “‘Bret is a finesse angler and he’s a natural … more
An Oceanic Embarrassment
Posted on August 02 2006
We should probably be shocked by the data in this excellent article by Kenneth Weiss of The Los Angeles Times on the plague of plastic in our oceans, but this is simply old news gotten much worse. It’s a tragedy … more
Some Flies You Have to Tie Yourself
Posted on August 01 2006
There are some flies that you simply can’t buy. (I won’t use a commercially tied Merkin, for example, unless it’s on bonefish.) It has to do with confidence, with discriminating taste, or, as Mark Littleton points out, with the fact … more
Fly Fishing As Physical Therapy
Posted on August 01 2006
“He has seen a student with just one arm tie a wooly bugger using his teeth. And he’s watched as the veterans’ motor skills and confidence have improved.” On the Boulder river near Big Timber, Montana (my home for two … more
Montana Heat Closing In
Posted on August 01 2006
“On Monday, Montana officials closed fishing from noon to midnight on eight main-stem rivers stretching 538 miles. Included are the Bitterroot, lower Gallatin, east Gallatin, lower Madison, Sun, Dearborn, Smith and the Yellowstone River downstream from Big Timber.” Besides these … more
Yosemite's Merced River Video
Posted on August 01 2006
From beginning to end “vodcast” correspondent Judy Muller manages not to make her account of fishing in the Merced River too precious. Instead, there is some nice, relaxing footage here, complete with the kind of drag on a hopper fly …
Fly Fishing Books: New Bamboo History by George Black
Posted on July 31 2006
Coming August 8 from Random House, this new history of bamboo rods in the U.S. promises to be good reading for split cane rod anglers and craftsmen. Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection … more