T here, it just rose. You still don’t see it? I asked my buddy in exasperation as the 18-inch trout took a mayfly for the fourth time in 10 minutes. Then it hit me. “Here,” I said, shucking my sunglasses, “try these.” We’ve all been there; that moment when we …
THE FIRE CRACKLED and threw shadows against the opposite bank as I methodically shot fly line into the dark water. With only myself for company, I focused on fishing. Strip. Strip. Pick it up, cast again. Strip. Strip. Nothing. Take a step to my right. Like a steelhead angler in …
I NEARLY TRIPPED OVER the shed antler, one side of what had been an impressive 10-point whitetail buck’s rack. It was concealed in the leaf litter, slightly mossy and gnawed a bit by rodents (probably squirrels), but it was still beautiful. I zipped it into my pack and continued hiking …
“SNICK!” I felt—more than heard—the sound, as the tension on my fly line suddenly gave way, sending it rebounding in puddles through …
“DEAR SIRS,” the e-mail started, “My name is Reginald Kibugi, and I am seeking to sell you excellent-quality fishing flies.” My cursor …
BACK IN THE SIXTIES, a designer at the Kennedy Space Center named Harley Gheen was looking for a better way to fish …
IN 1983 the new “He-Man” cartoon series was the most impor- tant thing in my life. At my preschool that year, we …
A TLANTA GOT ITS start in 1836, when a railroad engineer pounded a stake into the ground near the Chattahoochee River, …
ICE encased the gunnels of the long white jon boat as we motored into position beneath the looming shadow of Bull Shoals …
F ighting a striped bass is like fighting a person. The take feels like a reverse punch, like a human being grabbed …
Our boat decks were awash in a sickly green light, like nuclear phosphorescence. I played out cord, lowering the submersible fish light …
10 tips to make your stand-up fishing from any small craft more fun and effective. I had just blown my second shot …
F or some, it’s the roar of the crowd in the Big House—100,000 strong, all bellowing for the maize-and-blue. For others, it’s …
THE FOG WAS INCREDIBLE. I could hear the river, but not see it, as I rolled out of my tent on the …
The canyon walls had closed in by the time I stumbled over the kill site. It looked like a circle of fur, …
Silly Putty allows you to make just about anything out of epoxy—including expensive spoon flies! THE FIRST TIME I ever went redfishing, …
When it comes to fly lines for Spey fishing, confusion is the order of the day. Most new Spey casters are aware …
My rod surged and bucked, and for a moment it threatened to shatter like dry spaghetti. That’s what happens when you are …
FACT: FLY FISHERS LOVE TRAVEL. UNFORTUNATE FACT: Travel is a lot more difficult than it was 10 years ago, thanks mostly to …
Red clay is amazingly sticky. Mix three inches of rain with a Georgia dirt road made out of the stuff, and you …
My article on fall fishing on the White River in Arkansas, “Brown Butter,” for the current issue of Arkansas Life magazine, is …
“Woooooo! Pig! Sooooiiiieeee!” The tinny crackle of the radio broadcast sounded weakly from under the drift boat seat. One hundred miles away, …
Note: This article is now out of date. It’s still worth reading, but when you’re done, check out our new review of …
IF THERE’S ONE THING FLY FISHERMEN GET worked up about, it’s fly rods. Golf addicts may expound for hours about a club …
YOU’RE FINALLY THERE. After years of saving coffee money and a thousand hours poring over catalogs, you’ve made the decision to buy …
