Articles

How to cast 20 feet

Doing it well isn't as easy as you think

by John Juracek - Monday, Nov 14th, 2016

Photo: John Juracek

At the most recent Federation of Fly Fishermen conclave held in West Yellowstone, among other activities there was a lot of fly casting taking place. Never one to ignore such a thing, I took in the proceedings with great interest. The wide variety of casting skills I saw on display reminded me—as always—that one of the most difficult things to do in all of fly fishing is to cast twenty feet.

The current in the current

Shocking fish for population stats

by Kris Millgate - Thursday, Nov 10th, 2016

Shocked fish are netted and brought to the boat by the dozens. While stunned and immobile for a few minutes, the fish are measured and tagged then released back into the river (photo: Kris Millgate).

I prefer to fish via drift boat, but on this late fall day, I’m fishing from a jet boat. Well, sort of. We’re cheating the system in the name of science and the fishing has never been better.

My waded and booted body is braced against a rail system decorating the front of the boat. The top rail hits me well above the waist. This is a good thing. A higher rail holds me in better. There’s electricity in the water and the last thing I want to do is go overboard.

New 2016-17 fly fishing gear: Standout waders, packs, accessories and more

New gear for the year that made an impression

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Nov 8th, 2016

Just a badass hat (photo: Chad Shmukler).

There's simply too much to see each year at the IFTD (International Fly Tackle Dealers) show in Orlando, Florida. But, over the course of three days of poring over all the new offerings, a handful of products always stand out. Also be sure to check out our highlights in New 2016-17 fly fishing gear: Standout fly rods, reels and lines.

The sun ain't no joke

Avoiding holes in your face, skin cancer and other similar indignities

by Mike Sepelak - Monday, Nov 7th, 2016

Photo: Austin Orr

Terrific. Another hole in my face. My fourth. And not the fun kind, either. No cool piercings, this. Serious scalpel work. Micro-sharp curved Japanese surgical silicon, digging chunks of flesh – cancerous flesh - from my cabeza like fruit salad melon balls. Then, to cover the divots, layers of skin subcutaneously cut and stretched to cover the excavation. Two in my forehead, one in my right temple, and a chunk out of my nose, a few years ago, that made me cry, certain that I was permanently disfigured.

The sun ain’t no joke, my friends, and years of it add up.

RIO intros free fly fishing 'How To' video series

New instructional video series tackles a diverse range of subjects

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Nov 3rd, 2016

Over recent years, a number of fly fishing brands have gotten into the video gig producing videos that introduce customers to their products or provide instruction on a wide variety of fly fishing topics. RIO has been no stranger to video, releasing video tutorials on topics ranging from knot tying to welding your own sink tip loops, with a focus primarily on products like fly lines, leaders and tippets which RIO makes.