Articles

Picking a favorite tenkara rod

by Tom Sadler - Tuesday, Feb 17th, 2015

The popularity of tenkara has given anglers an opportunity to chose from a variety of rods. In fact, at last count, there were more than a dozen U.S. based companies selling tenkara rods. Having that many options can make things confusing.

Folks just starting their tenkara journey may find this many choices intimidating and be concerned about the research required in making a sound rod purchasing decision. Those who have taken up tenkara, used to just a few options, now face unfamiliar names and performance characteristics.

I asked a few of my favorite tenkara groups, “If you had to pick your favorite rod -just one- what would it be and most importantly why?” I asked because I wanted to learn what characteristics make a favorite.

Whether you are new to tenkara or an old hand, the myriad choices of rods makes it more likely you will find a rod (or really more likely, rods) that you enjoy fishing with. Here are some things to consider.

Orvis to expand Recon lineup with 9 new models

by Ben Kryzinski - Monday, Feb 16th, 2015

Orvis's new, mid-priced Recon rod series has been garnered with heaps of positive feedback since its announcement last summer. While the Recon is being touted as Helios 2-like in its feel and performance, a fact that surprises few given the Recon is based on the Helios 2's design, the Recon series is built on a unique set of tapers and blanks that use less expensive materials than Orvis's flagship rods. The result, many have noted, is a rod with high-end performance but without the high-end price tag. Late last week, Orvis announced they are expanding the Recon lineup with nine new models, expanding the full lineup to 18 rods.

Inlcuded in the ranks of the nine new models are three specialty "brush rods" designed specifically for fighting big game in backcountry environments, such as snook and baby tarpon in tight mangrove quarters. Also amongst the newcomers are five new longer models, including 10 foot models in sizes 4, 5, 7 and 8 as well as a 9' 6" six weight. The new models are slated for availability come May 2015.

Finding trout in winter: spring seeps

How spring water influences can create thermal contrasts that congregate trout

by Ben Kryzinski - Friday, Feb 13th, 2015

Winter Trout

The next time you're wading your favorite freestone stream in the warmth of a summer day, and all of the sudden notice a rush of colder water around your legs and ankles, take note. Chances are, you've stumbled on a spring seep and that seep can mark an area where fish will congregate. In summer, that seep and the relatively cooler water it is contributing to the flows of the stream can offer a respite for trout when water temperatures rise.

An awakening in The Glades

Exploring Florida's Everglades National Park

by Mike Hodge - Wednesday, Feb 11th, 2015

The prom queen (photo: Dan Decibel).

I’m not a morning person. A 7 a.m. trico hatch? No way. Give me an evening Drake hatch any day. Tailing reds at sunrise? Not a chance. I’ll be there at sunset.

But my perspective on early-morning fishing all changed one Sunday when I met Dan Decibel for a late December trip to Flamingo.

I called him the night before from my hotel in Homestead. It was late. I asked what time we should meet. Thinking we’d meet at 7 or 8 AM, Dan suggested 5. I set the alarm for 4:15 and made sure the coffee pot worked. Four hours later, Dan’s silver truck pulled into the hotel parking lot, a Gheenoe Low Tide in tow.

Sustained by Red Bull and breakfast bars, we drove toward Florida City. About an hour later, we arrived in Flamingo, the southernmost point of Everglades National Park, greeted by hordes of blood-sucking mosquitoes.

Ward, let's talk about the beaver

by Chris Hunt - Monday, Feb 9th, 2015

A beaver dam on Fish Creek, in the Wyoming Range (photo: Chris Hunt).

For the backcountry fly fisher, there might not be anything sexier than a lonely beaver pond reflecting a blue-bird mountain sky, and dimpled only by the rises of braindead, off-the-beaten path trout.

God bless beavers and their industrious nature. They make habitat for the fish we love, and opportunities to catch them.

But beavers haven’t always been so fondly considered, even by us anglers. For centuries, they were sought after, not for the work they do to improve stream habitat, but for their luxurious fur. They were trapped throughout the Rockies, nearly to extinction. But, in the last 50 years or so, they’ve made a remarkable comeback, thanks mostly to a cultural shift in how we view the toothy rodents that turn a straight-pipe trickle into a trouty backcountry oasis.