News On The Fly
Leon Chandler Passes Away
Posted on March 19 2004
Late news is that another fly fishing great, Leon Chandler, has passed away. Leon was another pioneer of the sport of modern fly fishing, helping produce some of the first fly fishing films and contributing to development of the first … more
Hindu Kush: Paradise Lost
Posted on March 17 2004
Jonathan Ledgard transports us to hidden geographic anomaly in the Hindu Kush, a valley called the Ajar, the hunting grounds of the Afghan king. This is a place where armies feared to go, but where the king once hunted snow … more
Fly Rod Designer Jim Green Dies
Posted on March 17 2004
Famed rod designer and innovator Jim (“Jimmy”) Green passed away last Saturday. Among many other inventions, Mr. Green was responsible for the non-metal ferrule design used on almost all fly rods today. I remember him as a partner in designing … more
Olympic Peninsula Steehead Ban
Posted on March 16 2004
The idea of halting all steelhead harvesting on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula has polarized the various interested groups there. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to impose a 2-year moratorium on the taking of all steelhead there. It … more
17-Year Cicadas
Posted on March 15 2004
My brothers and I, while growing up in South Carolina, could hear the loud call of male cicadas on most warm summer mornings. Perhaps the species there were broods with short cycles, like the Tibicen or “dog day” cicada. Or … more
Outsourced Flies
Posted on March 14 2004
An interesting opinion piece in the Montana Missoulan on the role of outsourced fly-tying in the growth of the sport. According to the article, the United States last year imported nearly 137 million flies and artificial baits.
University of Wyoming's Rare Fly Fishing Books
Posted on March 14 2004
The University of Wyoming’s Frederick Willcox Toppan and LaFontaine Collections hold an impressive number of rare angling books, including “Dry Fly Entomology” by Frederic M. Halford. Halford pioneered dry fly-fishing in the late 19th century in England, then helped introduce … more
Bangladesh: Carried in by Bullocks
Posted on March 13 2004
A short story by Bangladeshi poet Premendra Mitra describes an adventure into the wilds of his country, complete with panthers, malaria and transport by bullock.
Fly Casting: Getting the Distance
Posted on March 12 2004
George V. Roberts, Jr. offers this guide to distance/power casting on the FlyFishSaltwaters.com site. He has some interesting ideas on hauling. (Thanks to reader David Dalu for the link.)
New Zealand Tips
Posted on March 11 2004
John Barrett gives advice on how to best fish New Zealand in this ESPN.com article by Lynn Burkhead.
Pre-Spawn Steelhead in Pennsylvania Streams
Posted on March 11 2004
Deborah Weisberg quotes author and fly fisher John Nagy in this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about the various strains of steehead that frequent Pennsylvania and Ohio rivers at this time of year.
Schwiebert on Winter
Posted on March 11 2004
In the New York Times, Ernest Schwiebert meditates on the angler in winter, particularly on the growing potential of the rivers to produce the insects of the year.
Key West, Last Day
Posted on March 10 2004
The wind was forecast to be 15 knots north again yesterday, and when we ran west around the northern edge of the Cottrell Key reef I had to navigate some 4-foot rollers. We arrived at Heaven’s Gate around 8:45 AM … more
Key West, Day 4
Posted on March 08 2004
Yesterday the wind went flat and so we ran into the Key West/ Sugarloaf backcountry to look for tarpon. We fished Asphyxiation Basin and NoWhere. The fish were highly sensitive, but clearly new fish and pretty large — 80-120 lbs. … more
March Fishing in Key West
Posted on March 06 2004
We came to Key West on Thursday with the goal of catching Jim L. his first permit on fly. Yesterday began fishing in the early morning in a 25-knot southeast wind. We ran west to the gulf side of the … more
Those Alluring Collectibles
Posted on March 03 2004
In this month’s Field & Stream, John Merwin writes about the allure of angling collectibles and how the game is best played: with lots of knowledge. Don’t miss this the sidebar, which contains links to a few important antique tackle … more
Lefty Kreh Gallery
Posted on March 02 2004
There are a fine bunch of photos of Lefty fishing at home and around the world on his Web site. The photos speak for themselves.
Andy Mill Tarpon Techniques
Posted on March 01 2004
Andy Mill shook the fly -fishing-for-tarpon world last year when he took first place in both the Gold Cup and the Golden Fly tarpon tournaments in a span of two weeks. This year, on January 27 at the IGFA headquarters … more
Flip Pallot in Pittsburgh
Posted on February 29 2004
Flip Pallot, host of ESPN’s “Walker’s Cay Chronicles, will be speaking at Cabin Fever, the Penn’s Woods West Trout Unlimited fly fishing expo Saturday at the Palace Inn, Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Flip’s “poetry” seems to embody escapism for many modern saltwater … more
Fly Fishing for Redband Trout
Posted on February 29 2004
Fishing with two feet of line in narrow canyons and hooking tough nine-inchers. Pat Wray in the Corvallis (Oregon) Gazette-Times. Here’s a James Prosek illustration of the Redband — or Redside — from his Web site.
Fly Fishers' Shoulder Pain Common
Posted on February 29 2004
Dr. Tim McCue, a Billings native and the head athletic team physician at the University of Montana, offers his expertise to fly fishers suffering pain or discomfort caused, he guesses, by improper form. Daryl Gadbow in the Billings Gazette.
Tom McIntyre on Louisiana Redfish
Posted on February 28 2004
While inhaling gnats in the Louisiana wetlands, Tom McIntyre learns all about redfishing and spins a really fine story in Gray’s Sporting Journal. The piece is full of hilarity, including this quote from Gloria Steinem: “a woman without a man … more
Lawn Chair Bouillabaisse
Posted on February 28 2004
James R. Babb writes about clean air and water in this mildly disguised discourse on worm fishing for dinner. In Gray’s Sporting Journal.
"I Would Fish Anybody's St. Vrain"
Posted on February 26 2004
This John Gierach quote about sacred streams inspires Bob Krumm to write about fishing a friend’s secret spot for brown trout. In the Billings (Montana) Gazette.
Shad Homecoming
Posted on February 25 2004
The Embrey Dam, built on the Rappahannock River in 1910, is no more (photos in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star). According to this article by Rusty Dennen, “By early March, herring and shad will swim up the Chesapeake Bay and into … more
Entomologists' Heaven
Posted on February 24 2004
Jason Neuswanger has just launched TroutNut.com, an outstanding resource for trout-fishing entomologists, complete with hi-res photos, QuickTime movies and a unique “Compareware” application that allows you to look at various insects side by side. This is just the kind of … more
By MidCurrent on 2004-02-24
Posted on February 24 2004
It seems like every fly fishing Web site has a page that describes tying basic fishing knots, but there are only a few that are not hard to look at. Here are a few of the better ones: Global Fly … more
Bikinis, Castro and The Third Reich
Posted on February 15 2004
Just when I finish shrugging off Sports Illustrated’s use of bikini-clad fly fishers to sell magazines, I find out that “In 1946, every ad for fly lines had a girl in the bathing suit,” that Hemingway was encouraged to take … more
Umpqua Oral History
Posted on February 12 2004
Bill Barker relates a fascinating oral history of the Umpqua and his family’s experience — as fly fishermen and ranchers of land on one of its tributaries — in catching the river’s once-abundant rainbows, salmon and steelhead. It truly points … more
Wild Steelhead Protection
Posted on February 12 2004
Last week the Washington state Fish and Wildlife Commission imposed a two-year moratorium on the taking of wild steelhead (notable by their intact adipose fin). The Fish and Wildlife Commission is a citizens’ board appointed by the governor, and it … more
Bob Nastasi Dies
Posted on February 10 2004
Bob Nastasi, co-author of several well-known fly fishing books and the Comparadun pattern, died on Sunday.
For the Love of Insects
Posted on February 08 2004
Dereck Bickerton reviews Thomas Eisner’s quirky and fascinating book For the Love of Insects in today’s New York Times. Mr. Eisner is a pioneer in entomology and chemical ecology. What I’d really like for Christmas is to be invited to … more
Frog Hair Manufacturing
Posted on February 08 2004
As far as I can tell, Frog Hair invented the process of zapping copolymer nylon with gamma radiation to make a supple line with high tensile strength. This article by Deborah Weisberg in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes the process at … more
Colorado Tailwaters
Posted on February 08 2004
Charlie Meyers lists many of the most important tailwater fisheries for Colorado-area anglers and a bunch of good tips about fishing them. On the list: the South Platte River below Spinney, Elevenmile, Cheesman and Strontia reservoirs; the Arkansas below Pueblo … more
Sage Rod Factory Tour
Posted on February 08 2004
Western Sport Shop has put up a page with an instructive narrative and some nice photos of the Sage rod manufacturing process. Be sure to look at the photo details by clicking on the images.
Baby Everglades Tarpon
Posted on February 07 2004
Sight-fishing for baby tarpon in the Everglades makes the subject of today’s Walker’s Cay chronicles. Writer Lynn Burkhead interviews Flip Pallot in this piece on ESPN.com.
Civilizing the Florida Keys
Posted on February 04 2004
A PBS segment this evening points to the role of Flagler in “stitching” the last piece of the U.S. to the mainland in the first part of the last century. I say civilizing tongue in cheek, of course, because the … more
Merwin on Large Arbor Fly Reels
Posted on February 04 2004
In this issue of Field & Stream, John Merwin writes on the advantages of large arbor reels. “Fly reels designed for trout fishing have been essentially unchanged since 1874, when Charles Orvis patented the first American ventilated, narrow-spool model. Sure, … more
Photo Journal: Dave Lewis
Posted on February 02 2004
There are some real hidden gems on the Web when it comes to fishing photo journals. One of them is at http://www.performanceflyrods.com/journals.html. Dave Lewis owns Performance Fly Rods of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and his sometimes spectacular photos are from his home … more
African Fly Fishing Safari
Posted on February 01 2004
Back in November, I incorrectly credited a reviewer with authorship of African Fly Fishing Safari. In fact, the authors of the book are Karl & Lesley Lane. Though I’m not sure if the book is yet available in the US, … more
Willy Wonka's Rule
Posted on January 30 2004
Undoubtedly there are more experts in fly fishing than any other avocation. The good news is that in any human endeavor where the cognoscenti make up the majority, the humble are the elite (witness Bruce Richards, Lefty Kreh, Mike Lawson, … more
Wyoming in Winter
Posted on January 29 2004
Bob Krumm and his friend own the stream while fishing Wyoming in the depth of winter. In the Billings Gazette.
Valles Caldera Preserve
Posted on January 25 2004
Near Los Alamos in New Mexico, those with a perservering mindset can fish San Antonio creek in the new Valles Caldera National Preserve. Christopher Solomon in the New York Times.
Best National Park Fishing
Posted on January 24 2004
This handy piece in Field & Stream lists contact info for various shops, outfitters, and lodging places close to good fishing in five national parks. I can never find the number to the Flamingo cabins in the Everglades, a cool … more
"So Sharp Even Fish Talk About Us"
Posted on January 23 2004
Business Week recently published this interesting article by Laura Cohn on the legacy of Mustad hooks. With deep roots in commercial fishing, Mustad makes over 10,000 products, most of them with wire from their own machines, an anomaly in the … more
Bighorn Drought: Buy on the Rumor
Posted on January 23 2004
On the heels of reader comments from yesterday about drought in Montana, this Associated Press article on the plight/emergence (take your pick) of the Bighorn River outlines most of the influential factors, the largest of which is water supply. Not … more
Giant Hammerhead Tales
Posted on January 21 2004
This story about “Old Hitler” on Captain Mel Berman’s site reminds me of several encounters, including one off the south side of the Marquesas, where an enormous dusky brown hammerhead two or three feet longer than my skiff surfaced beside … more
Field & Stream's 2003 Book Picks
Posted on January 21 2004
Field & Stream has published their list of favorite books of 2003. The list includes Guy de la Valdene’s Red Stag and James Prosek’s Fly-Fishing the 41rst.
"Cozying" Up with a Book
Posted on January 20 2004
Jeffrey Trachtenberg writes in the Wall Street Journal about fishing author Victoria Houston and the growth of “less coarse” literature in American society. (Thanks to reeder Jim Langley for this link.)