A good local fly-fishing shop deserves as much nurturing and protection as an endangered flower. Threatened by internet competition, giant chain stores, and a shortage of fly fishermen, these shops hover a short step above extinction. So, when a shop opened nearby, I immediately went to pay homage, and as is my habit in fly …...

Fly rodders easily recognize names like Kreh, Pallot, Fernandez, Flick, Beck and Abrames. Yet for all the skill and knowledge they’ve shared to help fishermen catch fish, one name has outshone them all when it comes to helping anglers NOT catch fish: Lorenzo Dow Baker. Baker introduced the banana to America, giving landlubbers a reason...

I stood on the top of the dune and looked out at the expansiveness of the Atlantic Ocean and wondered just where the heck I was going to fish. Reports came in about big schools of fish on the beach, but no one said where. I couldn’t blame ‘em, for finding the fish along this …...

The first question I ask my fly-casting students is if they have musical training. Most don’t, unfortunately. As a people, Americans are musically ignorant, about which I can do nothing. Music training makes learning to cast a fly rod easier. After all, there’s a rhythm to the cast. Fly casting happens in a four-four-time...

When people north of the Mason-Dixon Line or out West think of fly fishing, they naturally think of wader-clad anglers, fishing vests bulging with hand-tied imitations of nature’s bounty, tossing their feathery creations to wily trout in flowing mountain streams. Down South, fly fishermen tend to think of cork poppers bouncing off...

Truth be told I’ve never found the high tide view of Cape Cod Bay to be very inspiring. It can be fun to watch the water roll all the way to the horizon from a Widow’s Walk at False Dawn. On those mornings you’ll feel a salty breeze and watch the stunning colors like vibrant …...

Many of the best fly fishing experiences that we have had in Kentucky have come from the Cumberland River tailwaters of Cumberland Lake. Wolf Creek Dam, located 12 miles from Jamestown, is the beginning of great trout fishing that extends for approximately 385 navigatable miles. The river offers many access points for wading, and for...

Now that you have a basic understanding of when stripers move up- and down-lake, and where to target them throughout the year, let’s dive into the gear needed to catch these fish. Rods In general, a 9-foot 8 weight fly rod is the best rod to target striped bass. A fast action rod is recommended, …...

Low, gray clouds that spurt rain have different affects on fly rodders. When a low-pressure system rolls down the river and the first drops fall, some anglers make a beeline for pancakes and coffee at the nearest greasy spoon. As the rain falls harder, others make ‘one-last-cast’ after another until they can take no more....

Anglers talk about the comfort of their “home waters.” These are the rivers, streams, and lakes that we know best, where the catch, and something more profound, is bountiful. Discovering and navigating our home waters leads to deeper self-discovery, more thoughtful consideration of others, and rethinking the seemingly insurmountable...