News On The Fly
Tagging and Tracking Bonefish and Tarpon
Posted on August 26 2004
If you’ve ever wondered what the tagging and tracking devices used by scientists studying bonefish and tarpon looked like, Doug Kelly offers this excellent article on DTO.com. An excerpt: “I recently went on a tagging trip with Michael Larkin, an … more
How to Row a Drift Boat
Posted on August 26 2004
The ClackaCraft Web site hosts this instructional article on drift boat handling. It’s an excellent introduction to rowing and equipment. If you want to learn more, Neale Streeks and Rod Walinchus authored an excellent book on the subject, Drift Boat … more
Jackson Hole One Fly History
Posted on August 25 2004
Here’s an interesting history of the One Fly on the nonprofit site of the same name. If you happen to know any or all of the characters who’ve been involved in this contest, it’s quite entertaining to read the past … more
Fly Fishing Canyon Pocket Water
Posted on August 24 2004
This piece by Jason Akl on the D.H. Thompson (manufacturer of vises and fly-tying tools) site gives an excellent overview of techniques for fishing those difficult canyons that seem to offer a challenge at every pool. “To be a successful … more
Naturalist's Wife to Restore Mongolian Monastery
Posted on August 21 2004
Betsy Gaines Quammen has begun raising money to restore the Dayan Derkh Monastery in northwestern Mongolia, closed during the Chinese religious purges in 1937. One of the purposes is to provide a conservation outpost. “The monastery would also give Mongolians … more
Fly Fishing the Gaspe Peninsula
Posted on August 20 2004
“‘We have six primary salmon rivers,’ Greiner said. ‘Of the hundreds of pools available, I’d rate the top ones as White House on the York, Big Indian on the Saint Jean, Maitland on the Saint Jean, then Spruin Rock and … more
Fly Fishing Techniques: Trout Whispering
Posted on August 19 2004
As described in the “Lucky” piece above, those who have good luck earn it. Dave Kumlien has earned some luck, and he offers advice to the Billing’s Gazette‘s Mart Henckel “Becoming a better fisherman is a function of spending a … more
Kick Boats Get More Sophisticated and Numerous
Posted on August 19 2004
Trolling motors, urethane bladders, and puncture-proof shells are some of the features offered with the growing number of kick-boats being sold each year to trout fishermen. What was originally invented to fill gap between float tubes and drift boats has … more
Tying the "Bonefish Bitters"
Posted on August 18 2004
Martin Joergensen fishes a Hardy Ad Swier Pike Teaser pike rod (!) out of Punta Allen north of Mexico’s Ascension Bay and discovers the magic of Craig Mathews’s “Bonefish Bitters” pattern. This article on GlobalFlyFishers.com shows a slightly different way … more
Landscape Photographer Larry Burton Dies
Posted on August 17 2004
“Larry Burton earned degrees in electrical engineering, physics and pure mathematics, then decided he’d rather earn his living outdoors. For 35 years he did, hauling his 4-by-5 camera — one of the old boxlike cameras with a cloth to cover … more
Alaska's Drive-To Rivers
Posted on August 17 2004
“Alaska’s wilderness character may be largely defined by its lack of asphalt, but the state’s few major highways and smattering of secondary roads nonetheless lead to some of its best angling. Whether you want prolific salmon runs a short jaunt … more
Humiliated by Brook Trout
Posted on August 13 2004
James R. Babb delivers a typically hilarious account of sponging off of his friends and being humiliated by brook trout. “In the Rocky Mountain States, fishing for brook trout is less a backcountry vision quest for a grail with scales … more
Good to Their Word
Posted on August 13 2004
Wes Smalling makes the excellent point that outdoor writers spend too much time focusing on the “Secret Spot” and not enough time directing the masses of fishermen to the more accessible, better known areas where they are less likely to … more
Why Not Release Whitefish?
Posted on August 13 2004
That’s the question Bruce Rich, Region 3 fisheries biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks asks when he finds dead whitefish that have been given the “Montana handshake.” Whitefish are, after all, a native species and don’t … more
Mike Lawson on "Unmatching the Hatch"
Posted on August 12 2004
New on MidCurrent today, Mike Lawson writes about the secrets of fishing spring creeks when there are millions of bugs on the water. This is a terrific four-page excerpt from Mike’s new book Spring Creeks. “One of the myths of … more
115,000 Anglers on Madison River
Posted on August 12 2004
“The upper Madison River from Ennis Lake to Hebgen Lake took over last year as the most heavily fished water in the state. More than 115,000 anglers dipped a line in that reach of the Madison between March 2003 and … more
The Barometric Pressure Myth
Posted on August 11 2004
New on MidCurrent, Dr. David Ross questions an old wives’ tale and one of our favorite excuses for bad (and good) fishing in saltwater with his article “The Pressure Myth.” “A rise or fall in barometric pressure, such as with … more
Old Florida/Nautilus Reels Sold
Posted on August 11 2004
Old Florida Reels, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, has been sold to Mustad Ventures (unrelated to the O. Mustad Company of Norway), a company that has been involved with the reel manufacturer for several months.
Winslow Homer's "Unsentimental Realism"
Posted on August 09 2004
It was fishing that led Winslow Homer to the Adirondacks of New York State to record moments in American angling like that captured in “Casting, A Rise” (1889) and “Pickerel Fishing” (1892). “To paraphrase the American art critic Robert Hughes, … more
Fly Fishing Techniques: The Leisenring Lift
Posted on August 09 2004
Jason Borger describes this deadly technique that can be used for nymphing, streamers and even dry fly fishing to entice strikes. The secret is in controlling drag. “The angler stands at the edge of a current tongue and casts up … more
Night Striper Fishing Advice
Posted on August 08 2004
“Before setting forth for night fishing, stow your gear in your shirt, vest or pack with care. Have a special place for a light – a hat-mounted light is good because it frees your hands to change flies and release … more
A Photographic Travelogue
Posted on August 08 2004
Christian Figenschou, a 23 year old fly fisher from Norway, keeps a bunch of really interesting photos of his various fishing trips to distant locations on his Web site. There are lots of fine photos mixed in with the standard … more
Current Drought Conditions in the U.S.
Posted on August 07 2004
Here’s a very handy link to a nationwide survey of current drought conditions updated by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
California's Pit River
Posted on August 07 2004
This excellent tailwater trout river between northern California’s Lake Britton and Lake Shasta can be fished in a variety of ways, but be sure your wading skills are up to par. “While some of the river is accessible within casting … more
Almost Roughing It
Posted on August 06 2004
As any hard-core hiker, camper, or cross-country skier knows, coming across a cabin in the middle of nowhere means a glimpse into nirvana. Not surprisingly, there is a growing interest in the cabins that dot the North American wilderness. Christopher … more
Colorado's Cebolla Creek
Posted on August 06 2004
‘Cebolla’ is Spanish for onion, and no doubt this small stream near the continental divide was named for the wild onions that grow along its banks. “As the creek travels down from the San Juan Mountains into the Gunnison Valley, … more
Invasive Northern Snakehead in Potomac River
Posted on August 05 2004
This asian fish has apparently been dumped into the Potomac and now is breeding at an alarming rate. NPR offers this audio stream of their coverage of the problems associated with this invasive species. More info can be found on … more
Shock Therapy
Posted on August 04 2004
That’s the only parallel that writer Mark Littleton can think of when he thinks of a week upriver. If you haven’t found yourself babbling with excitement recently, it might be time to take Mark up on his advice to take … more
Aldo Leopold's 'Alder Fork'
Posted on August 03 2004
“‘Knowledge of the whereabouts of good hunting or fishing is a very personal form of property,’ Aldo Leopold wrote. ‘It is like rod, dog, or gun: a thing to be loaned or given as a personal courtesy.'” Aldo Leopold is … more
Fly Patterns from History
Posted on August 02 2004
The best thing about this piece called “History of the Art of Fly Fishing” are the recipes from Treatsye on Fysshynge with an Angle, probably the earliest known list of selections for fly fishers, and, classicly, organized by month. On … more
Making the (Cane Rod) Plane Sing
Posted on August 01 2004
Perry Ralston makes cane fly rods and runs a store in Felton, California that sits across from All About Hair and harkens back to United Cigar, “the old-fashioned tobacco and tackle shop on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz frequented by … more
Ennis Fly Fishing Festival September 1-4
Posted on August 01 2004
The annual Ennis Fly Fishing Festival brings 5 days of fly fishing, conservation, art, sculpture and photography to this epicenter of Madison Valley fishing. 3M’s Bruce Richards will be there, as will Brian O’Keefe, Bruce Richards, Bob Jacklin, Kelly Galloup, … more
Alaska: Salmon on $25 a Day?
Posted on July 29 2004
“Well, you stay at a lodge that was designed by I.M. Pei and featured in Architectural Digest. The chef has studied under Escoffier himself, and the wine cellar would get four stars in the Guide Michelin if their writers would … more
Are Animals More Reasonable Than Colleagues?
Posted on July 29 2004
This bit of humor, which first appeared in the Wall Street Journal, describes a businessman’s first experience with trout — in this case on Connecticutt’s Housatonic. “In a sport brimming with such bromides as ‘the worst day of fishing is … more
"Master of the Manifesto" – Sheridan Anderson
Posted on July 28 2004
On the 20th anniversary of the death of Sheridan Anderson, Evelyn Spence takes a look back on one of the most colorful characters fly fishing has ever known. “After finishing about 15 pages of The Curtis Creek Manifesto, Anderson sent … more
A Trout Illustrator's Studio
Posted on July 28 2004
National Public Radio interviews James Prosek about his artist’s abode and shows a selection of his work on their Web site. Prosek is the author of Trout: An Illustrated History and other books. “His Yankee farmhouse is a model of … more
Anglers' Bequests Help Preserve Madison Access
Posted on July 25 2004
You could say that there’s nothing all that special about the Three Dollar Access on Montana’s Madison River, except that it has captured the hearts of many anglers by being a doorway to fishing this famous river. Located below Quake … more
Fly Fishing Summer's Blizzards: The Trico
Posted on July 24 2004
John Merwin describes fishing size 26 dry flies during the remarkable trico hatches of late summer as “fly fishing at its perverse best.” This piece in Field & Stream describes the habits of Tricorythodes mayflies and how to contend with … more
How to Buy a Fly Line
Posted on July 21 2004
“‘Your two most important pieces of fly tackle,’ says Joel LaFollette, retail manager at Kaufmann’s Streamborn in Portland, ‘are your rod and your line. The trick is to make sure they work together. Do it right, and you’ll have good … more
First London Trout in 70 Years
Posted on July 20 2004
A remarkable transformation has occurred in the city of London, England, where the river Wandle meanders among factories, derelict housing and shopping centres, but where trout are beginning to be caught again in increasing numbers. Given the Wandle’s historical value … more
Online Fly Tying Resources
Posted on July 20 2004
I sometimes wonder if the inventors of databases didn’t do it just for fly tiers. If any category of fly fishing mania could have its appetite satisfied by the Web, it’s fly tying. This arena is just beginning to take … more
Kaminsky's Fly Fishing for Dummies Reviewed
Posted on July 19 2004
Terry Lawton gives a balanced review of this recent introduction to fly fishing and also some insight into how U.S. fly fishing books do — or don’t — get covered in the U.K. press. On the U.K’s Fish & Fly … more
Flies for Clam Worm Hatches
Posted on July 17 2004
Ken Abrames — author of The Striper Moon and A Perfect Fish: Illusions in Fly Tying — writes about flies, leaders and tactics for fishing the clam worm hatches for stripers on the northeast coast of the U.S. Fishing these … more
"Aelian Lives" by Paul Schullery
Posted on July 15 2004
Paul Schullery — author of American Fly Fishing and the classic Mountain Time — shares his insight and elegant commentary on the origins of fly fishing in “Aelian Lives.” Though he admits to sifting skills from hundreds of how-to books, … more
Packing Light for Wilderness Fishing
Posted on July 15 2004
“Backpacking anglers need to go extra light due to the increased load of rods, reels, waders, and bulging fishing vests. Shed pounds by packing only a tent’s rain fly and poles, plus a groundsheet. Toss the water filter and replace … more
McGuane's "A Fish Story" in Sports Illustrated
Posted on July 13 2004
Thomas McGuane’s snook fishing story in last week’s (July 5) Sports Illustrated manages to do two things that I previously thought were impossible: describe your saltwater fly fishing guide with without succumbing to irresistable urge to lionize him, and sort … more
Catching the Unapiker
Posted on July 12 2004
Lake Davis in California’s Sierra high country abounds with high drama and speculation over the “spiking” of the lake with pike. Formerly a favorite of trout fishers, the lake is now surrounded, it seems, with folks of lively imagination. “‘I … more
John Gierach Profile
Posted on July 11 2004
Tom Bie, publisher and editor of The Drake magazine, adds this insightful profile of author John Gierach to MidCurrent‘s “Books” section. “Gierach and I are sitting in the back room of the South Creek, Ltd. rod shop in the tiny … more
Neuromasts and Quivering Baetis Bellies
Posted on July 10 2004
What you can’t say about James R. Babb, thankfully, is that he writes “Me & Joe” stories. Beyond the irony of noisemakers being acceptable in saltwater but not in fresh, Babb addresses the concept of vibrating flies of all types … more