Articles

Behind the scenes with G. Loomis

The Woodland, WA rodmaker hopes its new video series will help customers "feel connected"

by Chris Hunt - Friday, Sep 27th, 2024

Photo: Darcy Bacha.

A new five-part video series from G. Loomis aims to show the company’s loyal customers how it crafts its fishing rods and how the process is worthy of the Loomis tagline, “Handcrafted in Woodland, Washington.” The series, which launched earlier this month, offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the G. Loomis brand and the intricate work that goes into making some of the most reputable fly rods in the industry. The idea, says, G. Loomis Creative Director Red Kulper, is to help the legacy rodmaker’s customers “feel connected” to the rods they use when they hit the water.

The paradox of choice

The futility of selection in fly design

by Tim Schulz - Wednesday, Sep 25th, 2024

Photo: Chris Hunt.

Despite over four thousand ways to deal it, the perfect hand in cribbage is scarcer than a Sahara stoplight. This rarity doesn’t arise from the thousands of ways it can happen, of course, but, instead, from the near billion it can’t. With just one perfect hand in 216,580 deals, a cribbage player’s cards are over twenty times less likely to attain their summit than a muskie angler’s cast, and a muskie angler’s cast is the errand of a fool. These are serpentine pursuits. Only a flawless succession of left and right turns gets you to the cheese.

Go back to school on small streams

Refocusing on fundamentals through the lens of creeks and small streams

by Chris Hunt - Friday, Sep 20th, 2024

Photo: Chad Shmukler.

There’s a creek freak in every fly fisher, even if it's compartmentalized away, deep in the emotional recesses of our psyches. Most of us who have fly fished for years — decades, even — cut our angling teeth on small water. That we’ve left these out-of-the-way little angling destinations for bigger waters and more sophisticated challenges is a bit unfortunate. For these diminutive waters still hold valuable lessons.

New fly fishing gear: September 2024

What's new on (and off) the water this month

by Hatch Magazine - Wednesday, Sep 18th, 2024

The new Winston Pure 2 (photo: Winston Rods).

Fall is officially upon us, and fly-fishing gear manufacturers are pushing new rods, reels and other goods out to consumers this month. From a handful of new reels — both freshwater and saltwater — to a new high-end trout rod and a surprising entry into the optics market from a traditional rod manufacturer, gear junkies should rejoice.

Here are some of the highlights from in these new September offerings.

Cloud, castle, creek

Lost and found in Poland

by Dave Karczynski - Sunday, Sep 15th, 2024

Photo: Dave Karczynski.

The first time I traveled to Poland I was 11 years old. It was about a year and a half after communism had fallen and my aunt, who my mother had not seen in fifteen years, was getting married. My brothers and I were taught no Polish growing up, but by the time we landed in Warsaw we could each repeat a token phrase. Mine was to be delivered to my 92-year-old blue-eyed great-grandmother: “My mother says I have your eyes.” More useful would have been: “Please don’t let us die.” The trip nearly killed all of us in different ways.