Articles

Brookies for Beginners

Submitted by Chad Shmukler on Thu, 05/16/2013 - 11:37

Newcomers to the sport of fly fishing can feel overwhelmed and lost at times. The challenges faced by the novice fly fisherman can be significant and the lack of positive feedback from successfully enticing a fish to take your imitation can make the prospect of learning the ropes a daunting one. Especially here in the eastern United States where the fish populations are lower and pressure is higher, more selective, more "educated" fish can make the task facing the unexperienced fisherman seem, at times, impossible.

Pennsylvania Brook Trout
Mountain brook trout love a parachute adams.

Take for example my experience last week on the West Branch of the Delaware River, albeit one of the most technical and difficult rivers to fish anywhere in the United States. After a day of nothing much at all except prospecting with nymphs and streamers under sunny skies and through low, gin clear water, fish began to rise readily after the sun dipped below the horizon and a number of bugs appeared on the river. With at least a dozen fish to target from my spot in the river, surely success was about to be had, no? No. With no less than 6 different bugs on the water and in various life stages, the next hour was spent blowing through patterns and rigs and all to no avail. Walking off the river in the dark and straddling a boulder in the process, led to a pathetic, helpless slide into the water and a pair of filled up waders.

Why Let a Little High Water Stand in Your Way?

Submitted by Colin K. Breck on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 10:23

For many fisherman, big rains that lead to high water are a reason to stay home. After all, why venture out to your local stream or river when it's "blown out". Off color water, churning rapids, water up in the trees. Surely this is no time to catch fish.

Fly Fishing High Water
In times of high water, look for newly created holding and feeding lies.

Those who have put in hours on the river during times of high water know the above to be false. They also hope that the majority of anglers go on thinking it is true. High water days are often lonely days on the river, much to the delight of those who have become adept at fishing during such conditions.

The reality is that, during the high water conditions caused by runoff from storms and snowmelt, trout often move into relatively predictable locations within a river. When you take into consideration that reading the water of a high and turbid river can often be easier than reading the water of a river in its normal state, the possibilities begin to look up.

Fly Fishing the Eastern Cicada Hatch

Submitted by Ben Kryzinski on Mon, 05/13/2013 - 09:19

During the next 4-6 weeks, fly fishermen in the eastern United States -- from North Carolina and north to Connecticut and New York -- may be able to enjoy something that their western brethren find relatively commonplace, but is rarely experienced on eastern waters: throwing big bugs to voracious trout that aren’t the least bit picky about pattern or presentation.

Brood II Cicada
Any day now.

This year marks the year of the emergence of the Magicicadas, also known as the 17-year or Brood II cicadas. These periodical cicadas, the longest living insects in North America, will emerge in massive numbers throughout the eastern United States with concentrations in some areas approaching 1.5 million insects per acre.

These insects, who have been living underground since 1996, will emerge when the average soil temperature reaches 64 degrees. As their wings harden after emergence, they will take flight to the trees where they will pursue a mate. After mating, these insects will fall to the ground, littering meadows, forest floors and rivers and streams. Unsuspecting trout will quickly key on this bounty of protein, gorging themselves on these readily available bugs.

Backcountry Fly Fishing: Choosing a Tent

Submitted by Chad Shmukler on Sat, 03/16/2013 - 13:23

The task of choosing a tent for a trip into the backcountry can be a daunting one. There is a seemingly endless progression of options. Do you want a 2 person tent even though you’re only one person? Do you want a 3 season tent or four? Do you need a footprint? What series aluminum should your tent poles be made from? What about a bivy, should you be looking at those?

Tents in Yellowstone Park's Black Canyon
The sun rises on tents in Yellowstone's Black Canyon.

The topic is an expansive one, and wrapping your head around it is a worthwhile undertaking. That said, for most folks, especially those headed off on your average backcountry fly fishing excursion, much of the mystery surrounding tents doesn’t need to be unraveled.

Backcountry Fly Fishing: Choosing a Backpack

Submitted by Chad Shmukler on Fri, 02/15/2013 - 01:59

For most trips into the backcountry that don’t include weather related extremes, your backpack will be your most important piece of gear. Choosing an ill fitting or poorly featured backpack, or worse, one that will fail and let you down in the field, has the potential to plague your trip. Here are some guidelines on picking the right pack for you and your trip.

Leaving the Black Canyon in Yellowstone NP.

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