Posted by Zach Matthews at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Flowers line Arkansas' Little Red River's
banks in spring.

Siblings of the White
by Zach Matthews
First Published October 20, 2003 | Travel

This is not a giveaway article. Quite rightly, many anglers become upset when some online or published magazine starts selling out the secrets that locals spent years developing and shared with only a few. The streams I am about to dissect are known, even well known. Many hundreds of anglers fish them each week of the year, with marginal to excellent success. However, somehow these streams have managed to be passed over as “last years’ water.” There’s a prevailing myth here that these streams are overfished, that the fish are undersized, and that attempting an outing means wrangling with Bubba. This doesn’t have to be true.

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Posted by Zach Matthews at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Stripping Baskets on a Trout Stream? by Zach Matthews First Published October 1, 2003 | General Fly Fishing

“How’s the streamer fishing?” the well-accoutred young angler asked as I waded out of the river. “Terrible,” I responded, noting that he was oblivious to the dry-and-dropper rig I was reeling in as I flipped my basket around to the rear and grabbed a limb to step onto the bank. “Why do you ask?” “The basket, man,” he glanced down and looked slightly embarrassed for me. “Surf’s thataway,” he shot over his shoulder as he and his two partners clumsily made their way upriver, snickering. Surf’s thataway. Betcha need those long casts on this little stream, eh buddy? Hey, man, caught any striper in that trout stream? I’ve heard them all. They’re referring, of course, to my stripping basket, which I take with me whenever I fish, just about no matter what. My awakening to the stripping basket came in the standard way. I was learning to throw heads, getting ready for a big beach trip. I figured I needed some extra distance and I’d seen a lot of cool magazine pictures of guys on the East Coast with tubs around their legs. I went down to Wal-Mart and constructed myself a cheap basket which worked great (more on that later.) Then I took it out to the yard to try it out.

The author with his basket in a Yellowstone spring creek.

Continue reading " Article: Stripping Baskets on a Trout Stream? " »

Posted by Zach Matthews at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Posted by Zach Matthews at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

	How to Tie the Davy Knot 0:53 (Streaming) 2.5MB (Click Image to Start...)
Davy Wotton is an Arkansas guide who hails from the UK. His "Davy Knot" is an excellent near-100% knot that works best for small flies on light tippet.

Posted by Zach Matthews at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 1 )

How to Tie John Wilson's Trout Crack 2:56 (Streaming) 6.6 MB (Click Image to Start...)

John Wilson is a well respected and extremely successful Arkansas guide. His specialty is large trout on small flies - and his Trout Crack is among the best patterns ever invented for that purpose. For best results, use Trout Crack in sizes #14-20 with 6x or smaller tippet and the Davy Knot. Trout Crack Hook: #14-#20 Scud Dubbing: Tan Antron Shell: UTC Vinyl Rib (Small) - Tan or Brown Thread: UTC Clear Mono Please watch the video for specific tying intructions.

Posted by Zach Matthews at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Posted by Zach Matthews at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Well, you've done it again: you've stumbled on to yet another branch of the growing Itinerant Angler media archive. This archive features podcasts about flyfishing subjects, hosted by me, The Itinerant Angler editor Zach Matthews. Our first podcast accompanies an online Flash presentation on the subject of improving your flyfishing pictures. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Check back in future weeks for episodes including interviews with local guides, industry professionals, and ordinary fishermen on specific water. You might even find some roving travellogues in here. Once again, welcome!

Posted by Zach Matthews at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

All right, you've found The Itinerant Angler video archive. Congratulations. The videos stored here come in three varieties:

1) Casting Video

This is where I store my videos of my casting sessions. These videos go back a few years and you should be able to see some development. I've included analysis *written at the time the video was made.* In some cases I misdiagnosed my own problems, and you may be able to get something out of that. If you have casting questions, please bring them to the Bulletin Board.

2) How-To Video

I often get asked to demonstrate a particular knot, fly tying technique, or other fishing technique, and I often resort to video to better explain my sbject.

3) Fishing and Travel Video

This video tends to be a little more eclectic but you may find it amusing.

Videos will display blog-style in reverse chronological order (the newest are at the top).

Have fun,
Zach Matthews,
Editor, The Itinerant Angler

Posted by Zach Matthews at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Well, you've found your way here. This section of The Itinerant Angler is given over to media content. I currently have separate archives for my general video, my casting lessons, my artwork, and my photography. I plan to consolidate a lot of that information here. The artwork and photo areas will remain distinct from this blog, so please check the menu at the top of the page to find them or follow the click-through buttons in the right hand column.

I will soon begin hosting podcasts on these pages as well, so check back here or in the Bulletin Board often.

Thank you for coming, and welcome to The Itinerant Angler.

Zach Matthews
Editor, The Itinerant Angler

Posted by Zach Matthews at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )