Peering out our windows at the 3rd snowstorm to hit Virginia in the past few weeks, I smiled while recalling that but a few weeks
When I began to flyfish for trout in earnest some 40 years ago, I was living in Virginia. At that time, most anglers were fishing
In part one of “What is the Future of US Trout Fisheries”, I discussed the role played by fishery managers, the “Restore the Natives” programs,
I find it difficult to contemplate the future of US trout fisheries. Several years ago, Chris Wood, president of Trout Unlimited (https://www.tu.org) raised a red flag
I work part-time at an Orvis fly shop, and was told that the new Helios fly rods would arrive in early March. It was hard
Over the years (? centuries), what makes nymph patterns effective has been a moving target in the minds of anglers. G.E.M. Skues, generally regarded as
Roughly twenty-five years ago, I acquired my first REALLY GOOD fly rod, a 905 Thomas & Thomas (T&T) Paradigm. I say acquired, because I won
This August, fishing buddy Reid and I decided to go to the St. Joe River in the Idaho panhandle. I had previously read about the
Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), has documented a steady decline of trout numbers in its famous southwest streams since 2011. Hardest hit
Orvis released a new wet-wading boot this spring, the Pro Approach Hiker. I don’t enjoy fishing with crowds, so I spend most of my time
For fly tiers, Dr. Slick has introduced a new tool, the bead tweezer. For years, I have struggled to find an easy, reliable way to
Cutthroat trout have a reputation for being “pushovers”. The word on the stream is that all you need do is float a big, bushy fly
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
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