Tying flies through the outbreak Like a lot of anglers who endeavor to tie their own flies, either out of economic necessity or simple hubris, I tend to overdo it sometimes. I was scheduled to take a trip at the end of the month to the marshes and beaches of south Alabama (yes … check … Read more
Fly fishing on both coasts for striped bass wouldn’t be the same without Bob Popovic’s Surf Candy. It’s one of the best patterns anglers can use for stripers that are crushing bait in the salt, and even for fish that are migrating upriver en route to spawning water. Above, Tim Flagler ties up a new, … Read more
We’ve learned about the “point” and how to avoid the “bloody L” as we learn to spey cast from RIO Products’ Simon Gawesworth. Now, the casting artist has his sights set on angles, targets and how to avoid the dreaded “collision loop.” As Simon notes, any fly cast—not just a spey cast—has a distinct target. … Read more
On the whole, the spey cast looks a lot harder than it really is. But there is an art to it, and RIO’s Simon Gawesworth has mastered that art. For a good spey cast to occur, a lot of little things have to come together, and if you’ve never spey casted before, it likely looks … Read more
For some of us long-time trout anglers, the idea of spey casting on trout water used to seem kind of pointless. Who needs to throw that much line, for crying out loud? Well, honestly, you do. And so do I. So, if we don’t know how to spey cast, it’s time we learn, right? The … Read more
When I first started tying flies, I would avoid tying with bucktail altogether—it was unwieldy and my flies never seemed to come out the way I liked them. But, when I started fishing bigger water, and when I started chasing fish in saltwater, I had to get my head around tying with bucktail, and now, … Read more
Serious fly tiers have known about the “magic” of Antron for some time, and Tim Flagler is clearly a big fan, as you’ll see in the video below. I like to tie with Antron (and other synthetic materials), but I also recognize that this nylon fiber doesn’t necessarily break down readily in the environment (it … Read more
Over the past few years, Redington has boldly reinvented itself. What used to be a budget fly-fishing equipment manufacturer is now a quality-based company that produces good equipment for anglers of all stripes for prices that are sometimes significantly lower than their competitors. But let’s be clear. Nobody is going to mistake Redington’s soft-good equipment … Read more
Grayling are a tough fish to reintroduce to former habitat. For a long time, it was assumed that once the sailfish of the north winked out of a certain watershed, they were gone for good. Over the last 20 years, though, grayling reintroduction in Montana has shown promise. And, in just the last five years, … Read more
Cameron donned the headphones in the co-pilot’s seat, the splendor of McGavock Lake spread out before him through the windows of the DeHavilland Beaver. He had a little spring in his step that morning as he jog-walked his way down to the dock where the Beaver floated on the calm boreal lake that, for most … Read more
