Articles

Fly fishing Pittsburg—the other one

In between global fly fishing Meccas lie fishing towns outside of the limelight that offer world class angling

by Matthew Reilly - Wednesday, Sep 20th, 2017

Photo: Matthew Reilly

Modern fly fishing culture being as travel-centric as it is, a handful of worldly destinations have been documented heavily by the media. Montana, Patagonia, Bolivia, New Zealand—all tout excellent fishing opportunities and tug at the wallets and lives of anglers worldwide. But in between these global fly fishing Meccas lie fishing towns that operate outside of the limelight, but nevertheless offer world class angling. Pittsburg—no, not the one you’re thinking—is one such.

Hallelujah

The blurry line between squirrel hunting and religion

by Johnny Carrol Sain - Monday, Sep 18th, 2017

Photo: Johnny Carrol Sain

So he was starving, he was delirious, and he crawls up in this motte, like this group of trees out there in the middle of nowhere sticking up in this ocean of scrub.
And he found religion.
In that moment, he told me, he found God.
And it turns out, that God, he’s a squirrel.
Yeah, big ol meaty one.
I found God, he used to say.
While I was sitting there basking in the sublimity of mercy, I shot and ate that son of a bitch.

~ John Fitzgerald from the Revenant

Of stormclouds and smoke

Why is America taking it on the chin from wild weather?

by Todd Tanner - Wednesday, Sep 13th, 2017

Smoke blankets the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park (photo: Neal Herbert/NPS )

If you’re blessed with the normal human share of empathy and compassion, you probably can’t look at images from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma without feeling incredibly bad for the folks who have suffered—and are still suffering—so much from these unprecedented storms. We’ve seen homes flooded, and buildings ripped apart, and people trapped and waiting for rescue. We’ve watched as families are displaced, loved ones go missing, and survivors return home to sort through the detritus of their lives.

A fracking ban may be coming for the Delaware, but is it a step backwards?

New proposal would ban drilling but not some of fracking's most hazardous processes

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Sep 12th, 2017

Two anglers fish amongst the fog and mist in the Delaware River Water Gap (photo: Thomas James Caldwell).

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), a federal interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin, announced yesterday that it intends to consider a resolution seeking a permanent ban on fracking anywhere within the Delaware River watershed. If adopted, the resolution would initiate a process that would seek to formalize the de facto ban that has been in place since the DRBC enacted a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in 2010.

Combo deal: Lamson's new reel, with rod included

Waterworks-Lamson's new 'Center Axis' all-in-one rod and reel

by Kris Millgate - Monday, Sep 11th, 2017

The Waterworks-Lamson 'Center Axis' (photo: Kris Millgate).

There's a large, shallow, rectangular casting pond at the International Fly Tackle Dealer's show in Florida. I stare at it more than I use it. It's the show-off spot. That's where you go when your arm's on fire and you have a double haul you think deserves to be on display.

My arm rarely heats up in man-made conditions. I need fresh air to get the most out of my casting. There's no fresh air in a convention center no matter how high the a/c is cranked so I don't cast much at the show.