Currently browsing… Fly fishing
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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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Adventure fishing delivers
Going deeper always pays As snow falls gently from the sky and piles up enough to snowshoe and ski (and shovel), I can’t help but think about the places fishing took me over the warm summer months and where I’ll seek out trout next summer. There’s something about seeing snowflakes gently cascading down that makes me excited for adventure…
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Grateful for fly fishing
While life has recently dealt me a tough hand, I still have much to be thankful for this holiday season. Cancer hits so many people, but as a 40-year-old, healthy, fit, active woman, I certainly didn’t think it would be me dealing with breast cancer. Luckily, family and friends top my thank-God-I-have-them list, and I…
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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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Isonychia Parachute
I'm less than a week away from a much-anticipated trip to Argentina, where I'll be fishing the country's northern Patagonia region. When I arrive, summer will be on the horizon, and bigger mayflies will be in my fly box. Tim Flagler ties an excellent big mayfly pattern—size 12—in his Isonychia Parachute pattern, a dependable dry…
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It’s about fish … and people
Here in the West—particularly in its more fishy corners—it's easy to see how trout and fly fishing impact the regional economy. In places like Livingston, Mont., where a giant trout crafted in rock graces the hill above town, or in Island Park, Idaho, where outfitters and lodges line the Henry's Fork, it's easy to grasp…
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Faith
I was driving home the other morning from my son’s school, where a prospective head of school had fielded questions from an auditorium full of parents. One father had asked how the candidate would promote critical thinking in an environment so well known for its “indoctrination” of our nation’s youth. He seemed to accept this reality, yet expressed hope that debate would be encouraged on controversial topics. One of them, no surprise, was…