by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Oct 11th, 2018
Chances are, watching guide Santos Madero work a streamer is like nothing you've seen before. Instead of the long casts, big mends and extended swings or retrieves most anglers associate with streamer fishing, Madero works short. Really short; with stout, heavy flies intended to get to the bottom fast and move water.
by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Oct 9th, 2018
If you've never tried to fish a coldwater line in tropical conditions, the idea of needing a line specifically designed for those conditions may seem almost like a gimmick; a ruse to trick you into buying superfluous gear. At least that's how I took it, some 20 years ago, when I headed south for my first tropical fishing trip of any kind. In truth, it wasn't even tropical. I was headed to South Carolina to chase tailing redfish in sweltering, early September heat.
by Johnny Carrol Sain - Monday, Oct 8th, 2018
The old bass turned toward deep water on this late spring day. The familiar droning sound was the only thing that made her anxious at this stage in life, and it put her on the move. Without hesitation or thought, she slowly sank and casually finned along the point toward deeper water in the creek channel. She swam directly underneath the metal-flaked bass boat, mere feet from the angler aboard it. Eluding this pursuer required stealth as opposed to speed.
by Johnny Carrol Sain - Monday, Oct 1st, 2018
The blackjack oak stands like a skeletal sentinel on the northeast corner of my yard, partnered with a 70-foot white pine. The pair overlook young elms and redbuds fighting for survival against an ever-encroaching horde of invasive privet. Two branches fork from the hollowing corpse of the tree’s trunk as if in plaintive supplication. The scene calls to mind the parable of the rich man in hell begging for but one drop of water from the finger of Lazarus to quench the fires on his tongue.
by Justin Lewis - Friday, Sep 28th, 2018
The Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is one of the most well-known predators found in shallow water. With their torpedo-like shape, menacing teeth, and lighting speed, they truly are the cheetahs of the flats. Barracuda strike flies and lures with immense power, take off on long screaming runs, and are known to erupt into head-shaking jumps. But despite being well-known, barracuda remain one of the most underrated and under-targeted sportfish on the flats, especially on light spinning or fly tackle.
God it was ugly.
An ancient fiberglass fly rod leaned awkwardly in the forgotten corner of a vintage/junk shop. It looked like a seven-footer; clearly home-built...
Given the sheer amount of less-than-reliable fly fishing information floating around on the internet, it’s not always easy for anglers to know who to trust when it comes...
It wasn't so long ago that I was at the stage in life where a number of iconic figures in the art and entertainment world I'd grown up with had begun to pass out of this...
Flats fishing is an active pursuit, and the terrain isn’t always as friendly as we wish it was. And when you’re wading, it’s all about stealth and balance. Keeping your...
I teach basic fly-fishing skills at Penn State University. Most of my students have little experience fishing for wild or native trout but have spent plenty of time...
Yesterday, the Biden administration rejected the “speculative” Amber Road Project that would have constructed an industrial-grade road some 210 miles into the Alaskan...
