Articles

Through my veins

What do the creeks mean to you?

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Friday, Jan 29th, 2016

Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

“So what do the creeks mean to you, Johnny?”

The documentary producer asked me this question while we were standing on the banks of Big Creek in Newton County, Arkansas, while videoing a segment for his upcoming documentary. The documentary is about a hog farm that’s set up shop near the banks of Big Creek, and Big Creek is a tributary of the Buffalo National River. I won’t give any spoilers here, but the documentary focuses on this farm’s impact on the waters and also its impact on the people of the region. It’s a polarizing subject here in Arkansas.

Building a simple Euro-style tight line nymphing leader

A basic sighter rig for tight line nymphing for trout

by George C Costa - Thursday, Jan 28th, 2016

Landing a big rainbow that was sighted in front of a boulder in Cheesman Canyon, CO (photo: Brad Bessett).

Certainly, the basic “tight line” technique has been around for many years. George Harvey and Joe Humphreys pioneered the technique when bamboo and cat gut where the de facto reg. But over the past several years, the proliferation of tight line techniques that are most often referred to as “Euro-style” nymphing has continued to gain steam and we’ve seen tons of leader formulas and styles to go with it. Czech leaders, French, Polish, Spanish, hell I even think there’s a Latvian leader these days.

Closer look: Mystery of the Cuttyrainbrown Trout

The latest film from world renowned fly fishing expert Hank Patterson

by Chris Hunt - Wednesday, Jan 27th, 2016

Admit it. You chuckled the first time someone sent you the YouTube link to that first “Hank Patterson” fly fishing video. The goofy, over-the-top personality of the know-it-all guide, parts of which we all recognized from our various fly fishing adventures.

It was a comedic mix of the surly Keys flats captain who ridicules your cast and blames everything on you and the upstart fly fishing “guide” who starts a blog and is suddenly a world-renowned expert.

We loved it, at least according to the YouTube viewership numbers. And we wanted more.

The freedom to fish

With freedom comes responsibility

by Todd Tanner - Tuesday, Jan 26th, 2016

Enjoying the freedom to fish on the Lamar River (photo: Tom Estilow).

Take a big map of the United States. Spread it out on the table. Now take your finger and put it down on the state of your choice. Montana. Pennsylvania. Texas. North Carolina. California. Alabama. Wisconsin. Colorado. It doesn’t matter. Under your finger, or within a nail’s width, you’re likely to find something wonderful. Something important. Something truly American. The implicit promise, if you can drill in close enough with your naked eye or your magnifying glass, of public water.

Redington's CHROMER, the gateway to Spey

New spey rod offers unique advantages for newcomers

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Jan 22nd, 2016

Photo: Chad Shmukler

Spey casting is easy. Honestly, it is. While it is true in any type of fly casting that the rod, and not the caster, should be carrying the workload, in two-handed casting this is ever more so. If you put the pieces of your cast together correctly, you can send line soaring across the river with a minimal amount of effort. Some would argue it is even easier to gain proficiency and mastery in two-hand casting than it is with one-hand casting. First-time spey casters, with proper instruction, can fairly readily huck a 75-80 foot cast on their first day.

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