News On The Fly
Salmon and Hatchery Maps
Posted on May 11 2004
The InfoRain Web site (part of Ecotrust.org) hosts several highly informative maps of salmon and steelhead historical ranges, hatcheries and patterns of — unfortunately — extinction. There’s a ton of stuff here, including individual maps of specific species statuses, a … more
Tom Brokaw's Yellowstone
Posted on May 11 2004
Tom Brokaw gives his short take on the Yellowstone River area near his ranch north of Yellowstone National Park. Besides sending George Anderson the picture of himself rowing, Tom also made a poster of the saying that I coined several … more
Both Predator and St. Francis
Posted on May 10 2004
Falconry is not directly related to fly fishing, except perhaps in its ancient history and embrace of all things natural — or perhaps as a sport in which the participants are spectators in the process of natural selection. This article … more
Craig Barrett
Posted on May 08 2004
A current biography of fly fisher and Intel CEO Craig Barrett appears in the May 17 issue of Newsweek. “I’d rather spend my off-hours with a fly-fishing rod in my hand or riding a horse than being on a talk … more
Fly Fishing Books: The Iconic American Trout Pool
Posted on May 08 2004
Daniel Lewis reviews George Black’s “The Trout Pool Paradox” in the New York Times. Mr. Black, who customarily writes on international relations, uncovers an irony in the origins of manufacturing and pollution in the early years of the United States: … more
Fly Fishing Authors: Paul Schullery
Posted on May 07 2004
If you’re not familiar with Paul Schullery, you’re missing out on some of the finest outdoors literature produced by a North American writer. He has written everything from seminal works on fly fishing history (American Fly Fishing, 1987), to a … more
Fathers, Sons, and Mothers: Fly Fishing Stitches Them Together
Posted on May 06 2004
Brett French finds that the Mother’s Day hatch does something for fathers and sons as well. In the Billings (Montana) Gazette.
Jim Harrison's 50 Days of Trout
Posted on May 04 2004
Jim Harrison escapes legal hell and looks for an antidote to confusion in non-stop trout fishing in Montana. As always, wonderful, possessed prose. In this month’s Field & Stream.
Gary Loomis and Lewis River Salmon
Posted on May 03 2004
This fine piece about Gary Loomis’s Fish First organization — which since 1995 has been trying to improve the salmon population in Washington state’s Lewis River — includes a biography of the rod-making pioneer that describes his start as a … more
Gerrymandering Salmon
Posted on April 30 2004
When it comes to species protection these days, it’s much better to be an asphalt manufacturer than a fish. In a thinly veiled effort to aid timber, real estate, and power interests, Washington has decided that hatchery-raised salmon shall be … more
Fly Fishing Art: Russell Chatham Bio
Posted on April 29 2004
It’s telling that the headline of this ArtToday article is “Grandson of Gottardo Piazzoni At Chatham Gallery.” Gottardo Piazzoni was a great landscape painter and the grandfather of Russell Chatham. The ArtToday piece delivers the most detailed biography of Russell … more
Fly Tying 101
Posted on April 29 2004
In part three of ESPN’s series on fly tying, Lynn Burkhead describes how to tie the elk-hair caddis, pheasant tail nymph, and Clouser minnow.
Seventh Dry Year in Montana
Posted on April 28 2004
It looks like this year — like the past six — is shaping up to be another low-water year in Montana. In this Bozeman Daily Chronicle article, Kayley Mendenhall discusses the outlook with John Bailey and Mike Blanck, who pretty … more
Peter Mathiesen and Technicolor Reality in the Desert
Posted on April 27 2004
The fact that in common usage we use ‘technicolor’ to describe an ultimate visual experience says a lot about how we value the impact of human culture on the environment. Apparently it satisfies even the most hardened naturists (and I … more
Boston Harbor a Honey Hole
Posted on April 27 2004
At least it is in the opinion of Jack Gartside and other anglers who haven’t let wading among unmentionables deter them from great fishing. Monte Burke writes in Field & Stream about how Boston’s water has gotten cleaner and cleaner … more
Where to Fish in Montana
Posted on April 24 2004
Montana’s Fish Wildlife and Parks Web site has a neat new tool that gives suggestions for fishing spots in Montana, along with detailed topographic maps and information. I’ll admit to being a bit of a map nut, but I think … more
Guadalupe Bass and "Purd-in-Alice" Falls
Posted on April 23 2004
Jim Darnell of the San Marcos Daily Record writes about the beauty of Perdenales Falls in the Texas hill country and mentions the opportunities to fly fish for Guadalupe bass and bream.
How Not to Teach Your Wife to Fish
Posted on April 22 2004
Dave Hurteau describes an event that he will never live down in this month’s Field & Stream.
Bass and Tarpon Linked in Fly Fishing History
Posted on April 22 2004
It’s easy to forget the role fly fishing for bass played in the development of fly fishing in the U.S. Dr. James Henshall, considered the “Dean of American Bass Fishing” in the 1870s, was also the first to claim catching … more
Winston Worker to Picket
Posted on April 21 2004
Perry Backus of The Montana Standard offers this brief profile of Stephanie Dueck, a rod blank roller for the R.L. Winston Rod Company of Twin Bridges, Montana. Ms. Dueck plans to take to her feet in protest of the rod … more
James Prosek's Kids' Book
Posted on April 20 2004
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing has released A Good Day’s Fishing by James Prosek. You can watch an interview with Mr. Prosek (if you have the Real Player plugin installed) here. The author says the book is “about a kid … more
$ Millions to Clean Up Big Spring Creek
Posted on April 20 2004
According to the Associated Press, at least 100 local landowners have filed suit against the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Monsanto corporation in reaction to the continuing discovery of PCB contamination of Big Creek in Lewiston, Montana.
Big Spring Creek Threatened by PCBs
Posted on April 19 2004
Montana’s Big Spring Creek, which flows through Lewiston, has been polluted by an unlikely source: the Big Spring Trout Hatchery. Flowing out of the Snowy Mountains with more than 90 million gallons a day, Big Spring Creek is a favorite … more
Hickory Shad Above Breached Embrey Dam
Posted on April 17 2004
Gotta love it when a plan comes together. Technicians with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have already found shad preparing to spawn above the location of the breached Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock River in Virginia. Rusty … more
Politics and Bull Trout
Posted on April 17 2004
According to Sherry Devlin of the Missoula, Montana Missoulian, an analysis of the potential benefits of bull trout recovery, done for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was re-edited in Washington to include only the costs of protecting the fish. … more
The Picnicker's Worst Nightmare
Posted on April 16 2004
As many freshwater anglers already know, a huge 17-year cicada brood will be emerging in May or June of this year in the eastern half of the United States. As noted in this USA Today piece by Anita Manning, the … more
Isaak Walton League Origins
Posted on April 15 2004
At the bottom of this piece about the revival of Arapahoe, Nebraska’s Isaak Walton League (“the fastest growing in the nation”) is an interesting history of the League, derived in part from William Voight Jr.’s 1992 book “Born with Fists … more
The Church of the Junction Pool
Posted on April 13 2004
A pilgrimage to Roscoe, New York still weighs in the minds of some as more than pleasant duty. As one resident (Joan Wulff) says in this New York Times piece by James Prosek, “You see what tradition provides for people; … more
Soft Ringlets
Posted on April 12 2004
A. J. Bonavist’s remembrance of last July gives us a preview of the challenges of low water and spooky trout. It reminds me that fly changing, though the first thing that comes to mind when fish are difficult, is rarely … more
Fly Fishing Key West, April 10
Posted on April 11 2004
The last of three days in Key West started out as well as it could for tarpon angling — 5-knot SW wind and slightly overcast, keeping the oxygen levels low for the first couple of hours of the morning. We … more
Fly Fishing Key West, April 8 & 9
Posted on April 09 2004
Got a bit of a late start yesterday morning fishing with David D. and Scott C. and ran across the Northwest Channel in a nice, light southerly wind and great light. The wind was surprisingly cool, and I could see … more
Fooling Spring Trout
Posted on April 07 2004
I don’t often take the time to recommend offline sources of news of interest to fly fishers, but the April issue of Field & Stream is as good a bit of reading as anything else I’ve come across in the … more
Reynold's Mastering Pike on the Fly
Posted on April 07 2004
Ed Dentry reviews Barry Reynolds’s Mastering Pike on the Fly: Strategies and Techniques ($20, Johnson Books, Boulder). Besides being more fun to read, Dentry says, the book is a seminal work for fly fishers, the pike angler’s equivalent of the … more
Zihuatenejo
Posted on April 05 2004
Field & Stream has published this primer on Zihautenejo and Xtapa on Mexico’s Pacific coast. It’s a classic destination, well-accustomed to traveling anglers, and relatively cheap as great fisheries go.
New Fly Fishing Equipment: "Smooth"
Posted on April 04 2004
Ken Schultz and John Merwin talk up their picks for the “lightest, smoothest tackle available” in this month’s Field & Stream. On the list: Bauer Mackenzie Z Series reels, Sage Xi2 rods, and the Albright EXS Quartz Fiber rods.
Vast California Acreage Protected
Posted on April 02 2004
Remarkably, the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Companywill result in California getting 140,000 acres of pristine mountain land that is owned by the utility along with a $100 million fund to maintain it. Some of this land borders the … more
New Fly Fishing Game
Posted on April 02 2004
The folks who developed the broadcast enhancement that lays a first down line on the football field at the location of the first down marker have produced a fly fishing game that is quite entertaining. You can download a demo … more
Fifty Places to Fly Fish
Posted on March 31 2004
Chris Santella has authored a book titled “Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die: Fly-Fishing Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $24.95). He recently shared 10 of those places with USA Today: the Henry’s Fork, … more
Fooling Spring Trout
Posted on March 31 2004
Another 50 List. Slow trout metabolism and midday hatches mean different strategies for early spring trout anglers. Anthony Acerrano offers “50 Ways to Fool Spring Trout” (tips 1-17) in this month’s Field & Stream. (Tips 18-33 can be found here.)
Michael Ramsden, Painter
Posted on March 29 2004
Australian artist and fly fisher Michael Ramsden does some really extraordinary work using oil and shelac on canvas, later transforming his work with fire. Take a look at some of these luminous pieces on the Ray Hughes Gallery Web site.
Bob Montgomery Dies
Posted on March 27 2004
Bob Montgomery, a pioneer of light tackle and flats fishing in the Florida Keys, passed away last Saturday. When I started guiding in Key West in 1985, Bob could have easily made my life difficult — after all, there were … more
Recasting Howell Raines
Posted on March 26 2004
According to this New York Daily News piece, Howell Raines’s latest defense of his conduct at the New York Times has been qualified by some as “autoerotica.” Apparently Mr. Raines does a fair amount of complaining in his article in … more
From Kitchen Table Flies to Acres of Lures
Posted on March 26 2004
Earlier this week Cabela’s announced it’s initial IPO. Today, Manny Howard writes in the New York Times about the cultural experience of the Cabela’s superstore, which he describes in mildly squeamish terms as “unblinkingly red in tooth and claw.” One … more
Classic Yuba River Guide
Posted on March 25 2004
Retired California State University professor Ed Klingelhofer has printed an addendum to his Fly-Fishing California’s North Yuba River, an underground classic among locals.
Longest Anadromous Journey in the U.S.
Posted on March 25 2004
Well western Montana fishing ain’t bad either…. Daryl Gadbow writes in the Billings Gazette about the strong attraction of Idaho’s spring steelhead fishing for Montana’s fly fishers. Apparently in the past couple of years the steelhead run has been truly … more
Pink Salmon Eyesight
Posted on March 23 2004
According to this article by Henry Fountain in the New York Times, Pacific pink salmon adapt to the habit of spending more time in deeper water as adults by altering the type of pigment protein in their eyes. “The changes … more
Fathers and Daughters
Posted on March 22 2004
On the heels of Nick Lyons fine piece yesterday, Jim Harrison writes a fictional dad-and-daughter piece in The New Yorker. Ok, he mentions trout fishing only once, but as Nick pointed out that’s about all it takes in the hands … more
Nick Lyons: Reading Beyond the Book
Posted on March 21 2004
Actually, Nick Lyons refers to it as “teaching beyond the book” — that characteristic brilliance applied to great angling literature that is often not directly about fishing itself. In this wonderful piece in the New York Times, Mr. Lyons mentions … more
Black Canyon Cast and Climb
Posted on March 20 2004
Somebody’s always trying to turn trout fishing into an extreme sport. Bob Butz writes about picky fish and falling boulders as he and 3 compatriots descend 2000 feet into Colorado’s Black Canyon to fish among the Class V and VI … more