News On The Fly
Wilderness Kayaking Checklist
Posted on July 06 2006
“Like biking trails for cyclists and hiking paths for backpackers, a handful of coastal kayak trails is offering ways for novice and expert paddlers alike to explore new territory, fish or just get lost on purpose. The trails, offered now … more
Blue Lining Gets Popular in Michigan
Posted on July 06 2006
The notion of getting a topographic map and following the blue lines that reach into untrammeled territory has gained ground with more than a few Upper Peninsula anglers, according to this piece by Eric Sharp. “Paul Rutherford of Walker usually … more
Green River Development Controversy Continues
Posted on July 05 2006
356 acres along the banks of the Green River in northern Utah are still the focus of anglers protesting the state’s possible plan to allow a Georgia development firm to build a private fishing lodge on the property. “Flint Timber’s … more
Go To the Wild Country
Posted on July 05 2006
Rex Turner tell the story of a message imparted to him by his wife’s dying grandfather, whose final question reminded him of what remains most important. “I knew what this wind had traveled across to get here. It had blown … more
Take Me to Your Leaker
Posted on July 04 2006
“The subject of fishing waders reminds me of a monologue Jerry Seinfeld might do. Jerry: ‘Why do they call them waders? They don’t wade. Why not call them leakers? That’s what they do best.'” Randal Sumner brings humor to the … more
Project Healing Waters
Posted on July 04 2006
Retired Navy Capt. Ed Nicholson started Project Healing Waters two years ago after spending time in Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The organization now regularly sends recently wounded vets on fly fishing trips to help their physical and emotional recovery. … more
European Commission to Ireland: Stop Drift-Netting Salmon
Posted on July 04 2006
The European Commission has give Ireland a “final warning” about permitting commercial fishermen to use drift-nets to catch wild atlantic salmon. “At present Ireland allows the use of drift nets at sea which catch high numbers of salmon bound for … more
Good Luck, Mosquito Eaters
Posted on July 03 2006
Montana scientists are experimenting with the importing of Gambusia affinis to help control mosquito populations in that state. Since I’ve long held the belief that a person could survive, if necessary, on the bugs squashed on a pickup truck’s windshield … more
Swiss Call for River Restoration
Posted on July 03 2006
The Swiss Fisheries Federation has joined with conservation groups in calling for a reversal of river obstruction and channelization which has led to a widespread loss of wild fish. “The federation’s president Werner Widmer said Switzerland’s remaining fish stocks were … more
Hancock, Livingston Manor Devastated by Recent Floods
Posted on July 02 2006
“The Town of Hancock calls itself ‘the gateway to the Delaware River,’ and for good reason. The town sits at the confluence of the river’s east and west branches and is prime fly-fishing territory.” Like many others, this small town … more
Is India At War With Its Wild Trout?
Posted on July 02 2006
400,000 troops with hand grenades seem to think so. Indian troops fighting separatists in the Kashmir region, an area reknowned for trout fishing ever since the British began introducing rainbow trout in 1900, are supplementing their diets with huge quantities … more
Raines Book Review: "Trust the Story, Not the Storyteller"
Posted on July 02 2006
Seems everyone want to offer their opinion on Howell Raines’s latest book, The One That Got Away. The Philadelphia Inquirer is late to the party but quite positive about the new title. “Whatever else one might say about Howell Raines, … more
Pennsylvania Stream Access: "Don't Bother to Ask"
Posted on July 02 2006
Development has taken its toll on access to some of Pennsylvania’s most fertile trout streams, but often bad behavior on the part of anglers worsens the situation, according to Dan Nephin of the Associated Press. “Melody Zullinger, executive director of … more
Fly Fishing Trips: Why the Madison Ranks
Posted on July 01 2006
“‘Of the three rivers (Jefferson and Gallatin, as well), the Madison — if you were giving it a ski-slope rating — would be more toward the black. It’s swift and technical, but easy to master in a couple of years. … more
Bling on a String
Posted on June 30 2006
A champagne-induced dare in Fiji led angler and jeweler Mac McBurney to begin designing diamond-inlaid fishing flies and lures. Now his bling-bait is sold to “the fisherman who has everything.” “Here’s a true story: last year while on a television … more
Living Like Kings
Posted on June 30 2006
Blogger Nick Mills describes an essential truth — that salmon and trout rarely live in places that are not beautiful — in his correspondence from Maine’s Upper Dam. “Darkness arrives late in mid-June, but it eventually does, and when we … more
New Ivan Doig Novel
Posted on June 29 2006
Ivan Doig doesn’t write fly fishing novels, but he is a favorite of fly fishers who read, perhaps because of his ability to write with such great skill about Montana and its unique personality. “The Whistling Season does what Doig … more
Fly Fishing for Bass: The El Salto Challenge
Posted on June 29 2006
“After days of sweating yourself dizzy you finally come down to 15 pounds, then 10. Finally you say, ‘Lord, just let me land a couple of eight pounders and I’ll never ask for anything more the rest of my life.'” … more
"This Ain't No Pee-Laf!"
Posted on June 28 2006
More notable for me because of the hometown recipe included — Sullivan’s Island Shrimp Bog — A. D. Livingston’s take on copyeditors and the damage they do must be read by all current and aspiring fly fishing authors. “But all … more
Colorado: "Please, Not Another Streamer"
Posted on June 28 2006
Stream flows in Colorado are reaching that matching level where trout are accustomed to taking surface insects. Those who’ve worn the cork off their grips casting streamers all spring are sighing with relief. “The same tale is being told in … more
Gold Cup Tarpon Tournament Results
Posted on June 28 2006
The last of the big three tarpon fly fishing tournaments in the Florida Keys ended Friday. The top three finishers: 1. Angler Tim Mahaffey fishing with guide Rick Murphy. They caught 5 weight fish — including a 155-pounder — and … more
Fishing Art: Salmon Pressings
Posted on June 27 2006
Three members of the Idaho state fish hatchery staff have discovered a surprising level of interest in their pressed paintings of sockeye, chinook and steelhead (they’ve also done sturgeon and cutthroat trout). Their Web site, FourSockeye.com, includes a gallery of … more
Fly Fishing for Nile Perch
Posted on June 27 2006
Jeff Currier spent some time fly fishing for Nile perch in Egypt’s Lake Nasser this spring and Wally Zimmer of the Casper, Wyoming Star-Tribune reports on the trip. “Currier compared the experience to fly-fishing smallmouth bass, but ‘smallies that get … more
Saltwater Fly Fishing Guide Funnies
Posted on June 26 2006
I fished with Captain Bob Branham in Biscayne Bay this weekend. Bob has been guiding on the flats east and south of Miami, Florida for almost 30 years. Something funny always happens when guides get together to fish — this … more
The Sporting History of Maine's Grand Lake Stream
Posted on June 26 2006
“The lodges that draw fishermen from around the country are temples to the sport. The walls of historic old Weatherby’s, once the home of the tannery superintendent, and Leen’s Lodge are lined with mounted trophy fish and photographs of celebrated … more
Piscator Non Solum Piscatur
Posted on June 25 2006
Certain social predicaments seem to arise naturally among anglers. Consider, for example, the passing of a bit of good advice from one angler to another — it’s an act of generosity that is often quickly and conveniently forgotten once the … more
Urban Fly Fishing in Glasgow
Posted on June 24 2006
Beth Pearson profiles Alistair Stewart, who for a couple of years now has been sharing his perspectives on the River Kelvin, which runs through the heart of Glasgow, Scotland, in his blog Urban Fly Fishing on the Kelvin. Among our … more
New England's June Trout Hot Spots
Posted on June 24 2006
Al Raychard describes some of the larger — and more famous — trout waters in Maine, New Hamphire and Vermont in this extensive overview from New England Game & Fish magazine. If you’re looking for brook trout, Maine is the … more
Bob Jacklin's 10-Pound Brown
Posted on June 23 2006
Last Friday, West Yellowstone Fly Shop owner Bob Jacklin was demonstrating nymphing techniques for future viewers of a fly casting video when he hooked and landed a 10-pound brown trout on the Madison River. “‘I was doing a segment on … more
Raines, Conservative Media Trade Blows
Posted on June 23 2006
Styling itself as “Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias,” Newsbusters.com offers some tasty quotes from Howell Raines’s recent book The One That Got Away as further proof of conspiracy. “‘Fox Television showed us the future — outright lies and paranoid … more
Fly Fishing Books: New College Press Titles
Posted on June 22 2006
Beneath a quick review of Manstealing for Fat Girls, StyleWeekly.com’s Valley Haggard mentions two new fly fishing books out from the University Press of Virginia. “James Barilla’s West With the Rise: Fly-fishing Across America (University Press of Virginia, $27.95) and … more
Lake Superior Atlantic Salmon
Posted on June 22 2006
Though this article is doesn’t talk fly fishing specifically, it’s a good history lesson about salmon stocking in Lake Superior and the distribution of Atlantic salmon in the north-central U.S. “‘Salmon’ is derived from an ancient word meaning ‘the leaper’ … more
The Best Fishing Cities in the U.S.
Posted on June 21 2006
“If you’re a serious fisherman, ask three questions when you’re rating a city: If you could switch jobs, would you consider moving there, to increase your fishing options? Would you plan a visit there, specifically to fish?” Field & Stream … more
Au Sable Anglers Rejoice at Ruling Against Drilling
Posted on June 21 2006
A Michigan judge granted summary judgement for the Sierra Club and Anglers of the AuSable in their lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to stop drilling in old-growth forest by Savoy Energy LP. … more
Judge Throws Wyoming Developer in Jail for Damaging Teton Creek
Posted on June 21 2006
Unless an appeals court rules differently, C. Lynn Moses of Driggs, Idaho will spend 18 months in jail for violating the Clean Water Act. “It was a landmark criminal conviction in Idaho under the 1972 federal law. Moses was indicted … more
Crime: Taking Back the Ramps
Posted on June 20 2006
It had to happen sooner or later: thieves have begun regularly targeting vehicles at boat launch sites and recreation areas around the country, most notably in Tennessee and Oregon. Some anglers are getting fed up about wondering what is happening … more
Agencies To Try Poison Again in Rescuing Paiute Trout
Posted on June 19 2006
Opposition from environmentalists and difficulty with permitting have prevented use of Rotenone several times in the past, but state and federal officials will try once again to use chemicals to help recreate an environment for the endangered Paiute trout near … more
Fly Casting Techniques: Beyond Competence, Part I
Posted on June 19 2006
Macauley Lord is head instructor at L.L. Bean’s fly casting schools and certifies casting instructors for the Federation of Fly Fishers. We long ago realized that becoming a better fly caster required not taking bad advice as much as it … more
Vast Hawaiian Sea Area Protected
Posted on June 18 2006
1,200 nautical miles of the northwest Hawaiian Islands will be protected from commercial and recreational fishing within five years, thanks to U.S. president Bush granting National Monument status to the area this week. “Many presidents have long tried to protect … more
De Gustibus Indeed
Posted on June 18 2006
Prisoners, prostitutes, bikers, sailors … and fly fishers? I remember the first time I saw someone sporting a fly fishing tattoo. It was on their shoulder, and I noticed it only because we were fishing a very still, hot day … more
The Raw Deal
Posted on June 18 2006
Despite losing his eye on a fly-fishing outing with this father, Tanner Vavra says his dad, now hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins, is the one who got the raw deal. Though a story with tragic overtones and lessons aplenty, … more
Learning to Fly Fish
Posted on June 17 2006
I’m not sure why it’s so rare to see an accomplished fly fishing instructor write a brief guide to getting started in fly fishing. Maybe there’s the desire to keep something sacred a secret, or save it for the next … more
Bonefish: "The Party Keeps Getting Bigger"
Posted on June 17 2006
Whether it’s Mexico’s Yucatan, the Bahamas, the Seychelles, Christmas Island or Los Roques, traveling anglers enjoy an embarrassment of riches compared to what was available just 40 years ago. As a class of sight-castable and catchable gamefish, bonefish have helped … more
Thieves Steal Prime Breeding Chinook
Posted on June 17 2006
Sometimes crimes affect not only people, but the economy and the long-term viability of a species as well. Thieves managed to steal 200 adult spring chinook salmon from the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery on Washington state’s Icicle River last week, … more
Tribute for a Fly Fishing Father
Posted on June 16 2006
This appropriately timed piece about the fly fishing traditions of a father and father-in-law includes not just an eloquent tribute and and a striking example of sporting art, but a great recipe for wild trout. “‘The fish were flipped expertly, … more
Microcaddis Hatch
Posted on June 16 2006
“‘That one rises up off the bottom and opens its mouth just under the surface, so it’s taking emerging caddis,’ [Dennis McKinney] said. Then he proved it with a small beadhead emerger pattern. He declared the emergence of the insects … more
Judges Gives Esopus Protectors Victory
Posted on June 15 2006
Noting that New York City’s argument that it shouldn’t have to comply with the Clean Water Act because it doesn’t apply to drinking water is simply silly, a panel of judges upheld a 2001 ruling that penalizes the city for … more
Andy Mill Wins Hawley Tarpon Tournament
Posted on June 15 2006
While wife Chris Evert cruised the Greek Isles with the elder Bushes, Andy Mill added the Hawley Invitational Tarpon Tournament to his list of impressive fly fishing tournament wins. It was the first time Mill has one the Hawley — … more
"Like Herding Cats"
Posted on June 15 2006
Sisters on the Fly is in the news again, this time with due attention paid to their fancy trailer-work. “While the 515-member national organization was established in 1996 with an emphasis on linking women interested in fly-fishing, the Sisters are … more
Au Sable Hexed
Posted on June 15 2006
“It’s that Shaquille O’Neal of mayflies, that Andre the Giant of Ephemerids, that behemoth of bugs, the Hexagenia limbata, which is starting to make its annual appearance on streams.” Eric Sharp notes that the recent cool weather will prove a … more