Articles

Don't dress stupid

When chasing trout and other finicky fish, what to wear can be a crucial decision
Nice jacket, Chris (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Corey’s green-and-yellow plaid shirt stood out like a sore thumb. The yellow was almost a neon yellow. The green? Linda Blair vomit.

As we hiked along a lonely trail that stretched between two small Madison River tributaries, the southwest Montana afternoon sky shimmered with sunlight as it sliced through pockets of storm clouds. The grass of the lowland pastures was high and deep green. Below us, miles away, we could see the Madison, shining silver in the patches of sun the clouds failed to filter out.

Review: Orvis Clearwater fly rod and reel

Orvis' new entry-level rod and reel outfit is a clear winner
Photo: Spencer Durrant

The 9’5wt Orvis Clearwater deserves an article’s worth of accolades, but if nothing else this rod proves a surprising truth:

Orvis has, for the moment, lept to the front of the pack in the arms race that is manufacturing fly fishing tackle. Top to bottom, Orvis’ offerings outdo or match even the fiercest competition, and the updated Orvis Clearwater is perhaps the best example of this resurgence.

The Hatch Magazine scholarship

If you want to learn from the best, throw your hat in the ring
Photo: Tim Romano

Hatch Magazine has been preaching the same message for years: anglers who want to become more effective have to pay the piper. That means grabbing your gear, heading for the river, and putting in your time on the water. Nothing beats personal experience, or learning from the mistakes that we all make. Unfortunately, though, it can take decades to gain enough experience, while very few of us have the freedom to spend an unlimited amount of time on the water.

Fly fishing books everyone should read

A few essentials of fly fishing literature
Photo: Spencer Durrant

A few weeks back, I sat in my Monday afternoon contemporary American literature class while we discussed the current renaissance of love for the American West in film and literature. The class is small, required for my major, and I’m a junior in college, so everyone knows me as that “guy who writes about fish and killing elk.”

I protest that I only hunt elk; killing one is lucky.

So, the class deferred discussion to me when our professor said, “Give me some examples of your favorite contemporary Western literature.”

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