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
This interesting blog, “Fishing in Second Hand Bookshops”, was forwarded to me by Tony Orman, a Kiwi fly fisherman. He is an avid fly fisherman,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I have just published the 2nd edition of my book, “The Ramblings of an Aging Angler, Lessons Learned While Fly Fishing for Trout”. It
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
In my last blog, I emphasized the helpfulness of recognizing the bug order(s) of a hatch. It has since occurred to me that many in
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
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
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
I just returned from a week fly fishing in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, a long sought adventure. “The Bob”, as it is affectionately known by
Winter is nearing its end here in Montana, although begrudgingly. One day it’s sunny and nearly 70 degrees, and the next it’s 30 degrees with
For many first-time anglers, the journey begins in a drift boat, on a big western stream. Captivated by their experience, I’m often asked what one
I just returned from a trip, fly fishing for brown trout in Nelson NZ. Roughly twelve years ago, I visited the Taupo Region of the
Most discussions of how to increase your catch-rate of trout dwell on time-of-day, water temperatures, fishing techniques, or flies. Each of these is important, but
When I first began fly fishing, parachute flies seldom filled flyshop bins. Catskill flies were in vogue then. But I quickly realized that flush floating
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