Articles

Ditch the lead

Loon intros new line of tin split shot

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Jun 28th, 2018

Loon's new eco-friendly, tin Camo Drops (photo: Loon Outdoors).

Lead stinks. It's bad for fish. It's bad for birds. It's bad for people. It's toxic, nasty stuff that we shouldn't be happily tossing into our rivers and streams or sticking in our mouths. This is a fact that's been public knowledge for more than half a century and yet walk into your local fly shop today and chances are you'll still find lead split shot hanging on the wall and weighting down the weighted flies in the fly bin.

The old fart bar

Where you’re a stranger for as long as it takes you to sit down at the bar

by Chris Hunt - Wednesday, Jun 27th, 2018

Photo: Michael Cory / cc by 2.0

I stepped into the air-conditioned bar just off the main drag in Grand Isle, La., and was greeted with a familiar aura.

Dimly lit by sketchy beer lamps and neon, a haze of blue-gray cigarette smoke hovered at eye level. Most of the barstools were occupied by locals, all donning caps and shirts depicting fish or fishing of some sort. Mostly men, but a few women, too.

Beasts in the northern kingdom

In search of the big brook trout of northern Ontario

by Mark Taylor - Tuesday, Jun 26th, 2018

Photo: Chris Hunt

There are moments in fly fishing that haunt us.

And this had been one.

One moment the gaudy Chernobyl Hopper was dancing along the surface of the shimmering riffle. The next moment it was gone, destroyed by a brook trout that went almost completely airborne at the strike.

So what?

If you fly fish for native brook trout in small streams in the Appalachians, you’ve certainly enjoyed countless rowdy strikes like this.

But not at this scale.

This brook trout weighed probably 4 pounds.

Review: RIO Trout LT fly line

RIO's dry fly specialist works above and beyond its job description

by Cosmo Genova - Monday, Jun 25th, 2018

Working in a fly shop on a fabled trout river like the Delaware, it's my job to make sure our customers are outfitted with the right gear for their specific needs. With a discerning and well traveled clientele such as ours, you need to know your products and how anglers with different casting styles and skill levels will experience different rod and line combinations.

Review: Orvis Ultralight Wading Boots

Continuing our closeup look at Orvis' Ultralight fishing system

by Cosmo Genova - Monday, Jun 18th, 2018

Photo: Cosmo Genova

Forgoing grandiose statements about the future of technology and the outdoor industry, it's safe to say that outdoorsmen and women will always be pushing the limits of weight in their gear. Fly fishermen are no exception, and the demands of an increasingly adventurous sport will continue to drive the industry towards lightweight yet durable solutions.