It’s a cool, overcast spring morning when you throw a size 16 blue-winged olive fly (Baetis) into the current. You watch in amazement as within seconds it gets crushed by a hungry brown trout breaking the surface. Welcome to dry fly fishing, one of the most thrilling methods for catching trout on a fly rod. What Is Dry Fly Fishing? The dry fly is designed to float on the surface of the water and imitate an insect that a fish… Read More »
Trout fishing is most often associated with fly fishing with the notion that to be really effective at catching trout you have to use fly gear. The perception is that fly fishing is the “true” and only way to pursue the species. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. There are plenty of anglers who fish for trout with spinning gear, and they do it for many reasons. One that quickly comes to mind is the affordability of spin… Read More »
Many anglers today choose to fish with barbless hooks because they want to conserve our fish populations and natural resources. Fishing with barbless hooks is safer and more humane. These hooks are designed to catch fish without injuring them which is better for the angler, fish, and wildlife. It has become as valuable to today’s recreational fishing as using circle hooks and the practice of catch and release. These fish-friendly hooks can be used by anyone and for all types… Read More »
In fishing, as in life in general, we can sometimes take something that works in one situation and through small adjustments or adaptations, make it work in another. Fishermen have always been some of the best innovators anyway and this post is about taking what we already have and adapting it to a slightly different environment to catch fish. It’s fun and rewarding. Many of us grew up fishing small baits in creeks, waiting patiently for bluegills or catfish to… Read More »
I remember the first fish I ever caught as a kid like it was only yesterday. It was a snapper blue (juvenile bluefish) not much bigger than my hand. I still remember how it shimmered as I raised it out of the water onto that old bridge on a sunny summer morning on Cape Cod. My gear was very basic – a short generic-looking fishing pole with a pre-spooled spincast reel from a local department store and a box of… Read More »
When I return from a fishing trip and regale my non-fishing friends with stories from the stream, I am often met with bewildered looks and a predictable slate of questions. Namely, “Where’s the fish?” As a fly fisherman, it’s a question I’ve had to answer numerous times and my justification never seems quite adequate enough for a non-angler audience. During a recent round of questioning from a good friend of mine, I decided that it was time for me to… Read More »
Whether it be for food or sport or a little of both, the pursuit of salmon has captivated the imagination of anglers forever. Although certain salmon can be found all over the world, there are certain places that stick out more than others. The United States, Canada, Iceland as well as a few other global locations dominate the salmon fishing scene. Our focus for this post is salmon fishing in the United States, of course, and with that we are… Read More »
In the world of fishing, there are many different avenues. Fly fishing, saltwater casting, ice fishing, and so many other variations are all in the fishing world but can be wildly different from each other. When it comes to gear, bait, strategies, and performance, there are so many factors that go into each sect of the fishing world. Transitioning from one style to another can be tricky. When an entirely new skill set is required, there is a learning curve.… Read More »
A lot of what we know about fishing for any species was handed down to us from our elders. Father to child and so on. I was raised in a family that fished and was taught our way of doing it, but a book is the combined strategies of another angler’s perspective. While traditions passed on are valuable and help us to strengthen our own knowledge, it is also equally important to gain an outside perspective from others. That is… Read More »
Fishing lures have come a long way in terms of design and implementation over the years. A sport that takes place in so many different environments calls for an extremely wide variety of lures and bait because no two lakes or rivers are the same. While most lure designs work great, having been used for many years, fishing lures have nowhere to go but up in terms of design. As an example, the Flatfish design has been used since the… Read More »