News On The Fly
New Old Florida Fly Reels
Posted on September 08 2003
A new saltwater reel series has arrived at Old Florida Reels: the Nautilus. From the looks of these photos, Old Florida’s got some talented designers at work. Apparently this series is also their move into the higher-end reel market, given … more
Tarpon Fishing History
Posted on August 31 2003
A terrific essay on the beginnings of tarpon fishing from the Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited Web site.
The Movie, Minus the Soundtrack
Posted on August 30 2003
A doubter’s review of The Movie. Pretty humorous.
Nostalgia Marketing's Beginnings
Posted on August 26 2003
An interesting piece on SunSpot.net talks abou how SI turned from a sporting magazine into a sports magazine; appears the turning point was a 3-part series on wet fly fishing. I remember discussing with Leonard Wright almost 20 years ago … more
Strong Bad
Posted on August 25 2003
Check out Strong Bad’s take on Lures and Jigs (be sure your sound is turned up.) Or go here for the full menu of humor for any Monday. This is quirky humor with quite a cult following.
Dolly Vardens and Bearanoia
Posted on August 24 2003
Bearanoia and Charles Dickens fish in far flung Alaska. In today’s New York Times.
Fly Fishing Long Island Sound Moraines
Posted on August 22 2003
In the valley where I lived in Montana, terminal moraines dotted the landscape where huge glaciers once slipped north out of the Beartooth mountains. The trout fishing in the rivers in and around this landscape was incredible. This morning, word … more
Seamaster Reels
Posted on August 11 2003
A question from a friend, plus the constant banter on the Net over What is the best large saltwater reel, prompted me to think about Seamaster reels and how reel-poor we all were before the 1990s rolled around. Here’s a … more
Ernest's Insect Poetry
Posted on August 03 2003
Ernest Schwiebert offers this poetic essay on this year’s insects. A fine riparian sonnet for a hot Sunday in August, in The New York Times.
Datus Proper Dies
Posted on July 29 2003
Sad news. Author and former U.S. diplomat Datus Proper drowned while fishing Hyalite Creek outside of Bozeman, Montana on Sunday. In the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
City Worms, Cinder Worms
Posted on July 29 2003
“You are just a guy with a ridiculously fake thing at the end of a string,…” Very nice piece on cinder worm hatches, incandescent light and the harm of clearer waters in Long Island sound. Must read. Kirk Johnson in … more
Fisherman's Hell?
Posted on July 18 2003
Sorry, but if you get bored catching big fish, then you jsut aren’t fishing enough. Dave Hurteau in Field & Stream.
"Skooting" Wet Flies
Posted on July 17 2003
James Babb writes about iconoclasts’ techniques for catching trout in the August 2003 issue of Gray’s Sporting Journal.
Fly Fishing, July 1922
Posted on July 16 2003
“A scow with horses then came through the pool….” R. Hewitt wrote this fine piece on dry fly fishing for salmon in the 1920s. He uses (coins?) the phrase giving him the butt. Somehow he writes as if he had … more
What's Good to Eat
Posted on July 14 2003
Here’s a very interesting look at the current status of our edible fish. The Monterey Bay Aquarium shows which fish are recommended eating, according to a variety of statistics.
Flotsametrics
Posted on July 10 2003
Ever wonder what will happen to that foam bug you popped off on the backcast on the Missouri when it reaches the Gulf of Mexico? Thought-provoking audio of Rubber Ducks at Sea from NPR.
What is the Sound of Perch Laughing?
Posted on July 08 2003
Gotta check out Glenn Yashimoto’s site for aficionados of fly fishing for perch in California’s surf.
Women's Fly Fishing Wear: Jammy Indeed
Posted on July 08 2003
“I’m quite a jammy fisherman actually,…” Could fashion be the economic infusion fly fishing needs? It happened once with TarponWear. For those who don’t know, ‘jammy’ is British slang for ‘lucky.’
Trout by Owl Light
Posted on July 01 2003
And be sure to squint as that fly whizzes by in the blackness. Anthony Acerrano in Field & Stream.
The Drake Magazine
Posted on June 29 2003
Picked up my first copy of The Drake yesterday and have to say it was bright, funny, erudite in a “damn we have a good time” sort of way. I dare say it reminded me of the guys I hung … more
Conservationist Richard Pough Dies
Posted on June 27 2003
Richard Pough passed away Tuesday. In many ways he was a model for the modern conservationist, encouraging, for example, people to buy endangered lands if they truly cared about them, and writing about the dangers of DDT long before Rachel … more
2003 World Fly Fishing Championships
Posted on June 21 2003
The Fly Fishing World Championships were just finished in Jaca, Spain. Apprently Jeff Currier of Jackson Wyoming (manager of Jack Dennis Fly Shop) won the Individual Bronze. The US team tied with Poland for 7th place.
Being Seen, Onscreen and Off
Posted on June 21 2003
Being seen on Friday at Livingston, Montana’s “Leaf and Bean” coffee shopt were a bunch of folks reminiscing about life before “A River Runs Through It.”
Good Knots, Bad Knots, Old Knots
Posted on June 18 2003
A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to land a big tarpon on my 16-year-old Sage RPLx 1190. Sticking to the 15-minute rule (fish to the boat) was challenging, and I had to seek endorsement for various special … more
Los Roques in The London Times
Posted on June 17 2003
“…The boy was using the carcass of the creature like a knight uses a lance. I didn?t give him much hope. His competitor was brandishing a barracuda….” An interesting current picture of Los Roques from the Times of London. Not … more
Howell Raines New Yorker Profile
Posted on June 10 2003
From June 6, 2002, a detailed New Yorker magazine piece on the life and style of Howell Raines, author of Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis and the recently resigned executive editor of The New York Times.
The San Francisco Chronicle on Del Brown
Posted on June 09 2003
The San Francisco Chronicle’s obituary. It mentions Del’s 127-pound tarpon on 8-pound test, which tends to be overshadowed by his permit exploits. “Mr. Brown practically invented the sport of fly-fishing for permit fish. He caught more permit — by a … more
New James Prosek Book Review
Posted on May 31 2003
“For James Prosek, the fascination of trout lies in their colors, an entirely sensible preoccupation for a skilled watercolorist. In his latest book, ‘Fly-Fishing the 41st,’ he describes a quest to catch, identify and photograph or sketch the varieties of … more
Del Brown Dies
Posted on May 29 2003
Sadly, Del Brown passed away yesterday. I just got the news this morning. Del was one of my better fishing clients. More than that, he was a generous human being, had a perceptive and innovative way of looking at the … more