Articles

Squirrel tail clousers

In case you thought squirrels were only good for eating

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Wednesday, Jun 6th, 2018

Squirrel tail clousers (photo: Johnny Carrol Sain).

 The morning’s hunt in the Ozark National Forest had ended with four fat gray squirrels riding home in my truck. As I cleaned the squirrels, readying them for a simmering pot of potatoes, carrots, onion, celery and a blend of seasonings, the white-tipped fur on each tail caught my eye. It seemed wasteful to throw them away.

The fishing lodge

A glimpse into anglers' heaven

by Chris Hunt - Monday, Jun 4th, 2018

Photo: Chris Hunt

The old dart board hangs from the split-log wall, inviting a game of 501. It’s just to the left of the bar, which rests in the shadow of a massive bull moose mount. The fireplace crackles nicely, spitting flames up the rock chimney and spreading the aroma of seasoned spruce throughout the lodge. It mingles with the earthy smells of whisky and the fragrances of dinner being carefully prepared in the kitchen.

Review: Sage SALT HD fly rod

Sage's latest saltwater specialist does it all

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, May 31st, 2018

Casting the Sage SALT HD at a bonefish from the deck of a Bair's Lodge skiff (photo: Earl Harper).

When the Sage SALT HD was announced last year, it rode an enormous hype wave to the forefront of virtually any discussion about saltwater fly rods. It won"Best in Show" at the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in Orlando. And the proclamations came: it's a Scott Meridian killer, or a G. Loomis NRX killer, it's Sage's best saltwater fly rod ever and so on. Then came the naysayers, it's too heavy, the tip is too stiff, it's all marketing, ad infinitum.

Of these hills

Turkeys start gobbling, shad start running, and crappie start biting when the dogwood buds grow to the size of a squirrel’s ear

by Matthew Reilly - Tuesday, May 29th, 2018

Photo: Matt Reilly

There’s a saying developed and propagated in the great state of Virginia that outshines and outperforms any watch or calendar of any make or ability—at least as far as its use in predicting the outset of the plethora of sporting traditions that burst into effect following the spring equinox. It’s a device fashioned of local knowledge by minds weathered and ecologically observant enough to do so, and it’s made truer with each passing year that it rings on time.

Crawdads

Mudbugs are a fixture in many of the rivers and creeks where we chase fish

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Thursday, May 24th, 2018

Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

The most humble of waters call to me. Chocolate-milk-colored seeps and tinkling rocky rivulets no wider than a long stride are the most persuasive. I know the denizens of those tiny waters, and they call as well. They whisper of a time that seems not long ago when all I wanted could be found at the end of a long dirt driveway or just beyond the next creek riffle.

I wanted crawdads.