Articles

DIY Fly Fishing: Why and How

by Chris Hunt - Friday, Jan 23rd, 2015

Fly fishers might be the ultimate explorers, and not just when it comes to unearthing new species of far-flung fish to target. Exploring can take place without leaving the country… or even the county, and without even turning over a new piece of fishy real estate. Instead, “exploring” can be better described under a banner of pride--”I’ll figure this place out if it kills me.”

Fly fishers can be like those uber-handy homeowners who can’t stand the idea of calling in a plumber or an electrician, even if if would make more sense to do so. Instead, they’ll pick up the parts at the hardware store and, if they think they’ll need it, a book on the topic.

And off we go.

The home flat

Few things are like having a bonefish flat right outside your window

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Jan 22nd, 2015

Bonefish tail on the home flat (photo: Chad Shmukler).

The sun begins to shine through the two foot gap I’ve left in our cabana’s curtains somewhere around 6 am. For the first time in months, sleeping in is an option. At least an option. Breakfast is at 7:00 and our guide, Daniel, will be ready by 7:30, but he’s gone out of his way to let us know he’s moving on our schedule — and so the opportunity to catch another hour or two of rest before hitting the flats is there, even if it’s one we’re decidedly unlikely to seize.

Headwaters Matter: EPA Report Confirms what Anglers Have Known All Along

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, Jan 21st, 2015

Photo: Andreas Olsson

Last week the EPA released the results of a study that confirms what anglers, thinking humans and other animals with basic common sense have known all along: what goes on in small streams and wetlands affects the larger streams, rivers and other water bodies they flow into.

Though it may seem nonsensical to suggest that any measure of investigation was necessary to demonstrate what anyone with a rudimentary understanding of gravity would take to be plain fact, the connectivity between headwaters and wetlands and downstream water bodies has been in dispute since a pair of Supreme Court decisions in the early 2000s claimed there was no proven connection between upstream waters and downstream waters, removing protections for small streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act and making them vulnerable to development.

Allen Fly Fishing Introduces New Exterus Line of Bags and Packs

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Jan 20th, 2015

The Exterus sling and large sling packs.

Allen Fly Fishing introduced last week its new brand, Exterus. The new brand is an extension Allen Fly Fishing that will feature soft goods aimed primarily at anglers. Exterus debuts with 4 new fly fishing packs, including two sling packs, a chest pack and a lumbar pack.

According to Exterus, the "started with nothing but a sketch pad and ideas forged through a combined several decades of experience ... each nook and cranny, each subtle feature came together to create four packs that we all agree are the perfect arrangements to complement each style."

25 and Windy

by Steve Zakur - Thursday, Jan 15th, 2015

For the past few years I've fished Black Friday with a bunch of friends. It was one of those traditions that was easy. No one wanted to be anywhere near a shopping mall so the only real alternative was to be on a river, right? Most years the weather cooperated but the fishing was always a crap shoot. But we were there for something else. At least that's what we told ourselves. This year the trip didn't come together. I'm not sure why other than that maybe the ritual had run it's course.

Around that time, a fellow Trout Unlimited member suggested the chapter get together to fish on New Year's Day. It seemed slightly absurd. First, the morning of the first day of the year is one for nursing a hangover and contemplating the coming season. Second, I doubted anyone would want to join us on the first frigid morning of the coming year. I was assured it was done and that it was something that "we" should do. It might even become a "thing".

Crisp and clear is the best way to describe the dawn of the New Year, though I was still a bit foggy when we got to the water. "We" included myself and two other anglers bundled deep in layers and facing out of the wind. While the water was more than ten degrees warmer than the air, it still froze rapidly once it was stripped up the fly line onto the waiting guides. Five casts was about all you'd get before you started to feel the line vibrate against constricted guides. I long ago gave up on pastes and other additives for keeping guides ice free, they don't seem to buy you all that much time, so at ten casts I either cleared my guides or risked having to fish Tenkara style.