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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The weather in Virginia had been horrible. Snow, snow, snow, and cold, cold, cold! Then came the sudden change of warm weather, with snow melt,
Several years ago, I bought my first ten foot rod. I soon discovered that there are many virtues of a ten foot fly rod. In
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
I think that Leonard Wright Jr. is one of the twentieth century’s most overlooked fly fishing authors. Well known to his contemporaries, his works have
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
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