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For the love of the Animas
By Ty Churchwell No one in Durango nor Silverton, Colo., will ever forget Aug. 5, 2015 — the day of the Gold King mine spill that sent 3 million gallons of ugly, toxic mine water down the Animas River in southwest part of the state. To say the accident was highly visible is an understatement. In today’s digital world, photos of the orange…
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Skating big dries for big trout
Nicco stood next to me along the middle reaches of Patagonia's Malleo River in the fading Argentine light. Willows shrouded the creek, and I could only see the silhouette of the big Fat Albert as it drifted in the heavy water just across river. Nicco, my guide for the day, chose the hefty, foam monstrosity…
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Making a double spey cast
Spey casting is a growing discipline among fly fishers, even though the method has been employed for centuries. For many of us, though, spey casting is foreign and simply looks incredibly difficult. The long, two-handed rods appear unwieldy and complex. The graceful, yet foreign, motions of the spey cast don't feel at all intuitive. Yet,…
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Fasten, buckle and clear
As fly fishers, most of us are gear junkies. We like the latest gadgets and we like to use things like sling packs, hip packs, chest packs ... whatever it takes to bring everything we need (or think we need) to the water. But all that gear can get in the way. It can get…
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Casting into the wind
[et_pb_section admin_label="section"] [et_pb_row admin_label="row"] [et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"] The wind is considered by many to be among the biggest challenges fly fishers face on a consistent basis. And, to some extent, that's entirely accurate. A strong headwind can turn an otherwise perfect day on the water into something significantly less enjoyable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsHkGduGeqk Simon Gawesworth of RIO…
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Hanging with the pros
Dave Kielar felt like he had to pinch himself. There he sat, surrounded by what amounted to fly fishing glitterati, at a dinner table at TroutHunter in Island Park, Idaho. Earlier in the week, he got to rub elbows with the venerable Craig Mathews, who for years owned and operated Blue Ribbon Flies in nearby…
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Everyone needs a tune-up
Most of us who have fly fished for years--decades, even--are likely self-taught casters who have learned the craft over many moons of trial and error. Casting becomes an intuitive activity, with alterations done to meet certain requirements on the water. Over time, it becomes much easier to get that caddis fly to drift right under…
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