Many (? most) fly fishers obsess over their fly selection. They carry more than a few boxes of flies at all times, and spend a
If you are looking for a good read that intertwines fly fishing with the storyline, then you should consider the novel “Ruin“, by Leigh
Judged by blogs and books, it seems that most anglers are obsessed with catching a trophy trout. But what exactly is a trophy trout? Although
The salmon fly hatch is surely one of the West’s most famous and sought after hatches. Anglers from around the globe flock to the few
While “to tightline or suspension nymph” may at first appear to be a binary question, it is not intended to be so. Each of these
We’ve done our research, come to the stream, looked about, maybe looked at some streambed stones, tied on our fly(s), and waded in. But after
It is increasingly difficult to find solitude on many of our trout streams. When I began fly fishing 60 years ago, fly fishing was a little
Within the sport of fly fishing, one may pursue a number of avenues beyond the fishing itself. One may choose to build rods, explore the
Let me make it clear at the outset that I am a dyed-in-the-wool wade-fisherman. For some time now, I have spent most or all of
Perhaps best known for his later work, “Nymphs and the Trout” (1958), I recently found Sawyer’s first book, “Keeper of the Stream” (1952). He grew
This summer, fishing buddy Reid and I decided to explore the waters of western Wyoming. We couldn’t go until late-September, and therefore knew that the
Over the last ten to fifteen years, the fly line industry has manufactured its lines with a loop at the leader end. There is no
Several years ago (?4) a commission was appointed by the state to study the increasingly popular and crowded Madison River in Montana. The picture below
I have just published the 2nd edition of my book, “The Ramblings of an Aging Angler, Lessons Learned While Fly Fishing for Trout”. It
The West is in the midst of an unprecedented heatwave, with daily ambient temperatures running 10-15 degrees above normal. In addition, the winter snowpack was
I was fishing with a friend, Jake, a few weeks ago. He was tightlining, with a prodigious length of mono. It reminded me of an
We’ve reached the stream, and to our disappointment, there are no bugs in the air. Except for spring and early summer, when healthy trout streams
After a bit of a hike, we reach our stream. As rods are being assembled, the first question is usually “What fly are you going
I recently saw a blog titled “How to Fish the Old-fashioned Winged Wet Fly”, and it gave me pause. The assumption has always been that
As you may have surmised by now, I really enjoy reading the older fly-fishing literature. If you share this interest, I would suggest that you
It’s fall in Montana, and the flyshop ceilings are echoing the cries of “It’s streamer time, it’s streamer time!” But I beg to differ. It’s
I’m getting older and the lenses in my eyes are getting stiffer, just like my joints. This ocular affliction is called presbyopia. The lenses no
I noticed a change last year, 2019, when fishing my home water in Montana, the Madison River. There were fewer fish, especially larger fish. So
The SB Beadhead Nymph, short for Simpson-Billmyer, is the best generic nymph pattern that I have yet fished. I have developed it over several years
Hikers often carry a Camelbak or water bottles to maintain hydration, but why should anglers? We’re standing in or floating on water all day long,
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