Articles

Cobia: the fish of the future

Will cobia play an integral part in feeding an exploding world population?

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Jun 9th, 2015

Guide Owen Plair helps a client show off a 65 pound cobia from South Carolina's Broat Rier.

Tuck Scott lets the boat slowly pilot itself as the motor trolls and we patrol the open, brackish waters of South Carolina's Broad River. Our eyes fight the sun glare as we endlessly scan the blue and silver expanse in hopes of spotting a solitary fish. A cobia.

Review: Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line

A unique fly line for the unique challenges of the tropics

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Jun 5th, 2015

Bruce Chard tests a final prototype of the Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line (photo: Tim Rajeff).

No type of fly fishing is more demanding on an angler’s fly line than tropical saltwater fishing. For the most part, this is a function of the physical conditions and the challenging nature of the species that tropical saltwater anglers spend most of their time targeting.

For years, Airflo has been making my favorite saltwater fly lines. There are lots of very good saltwater lines out there these days, but in my experience, Airflo lines consistently shine in the tropics.

Don't blame your fly rod for your lousy casting

It's not the stick in your hands, it's you

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, Jun 3rd, 2015

A skilled caster can make it happen with any rod (photo: Chad Shmukler).

We write a lot about fly rods. We write about which ones we like, ones we sort of like and sometimes about ones we don't like at all. We discuss their action, recovery speed, accuracy and so on, all in an effort to help anglers determine which rod is right for them. The driving force behind this practice is the idea that certain rods are better suited to certain casting styles and skill levels and are thus better suited to certain anglers than others.

Go fishing for science

Trout Unlimited wants you to help fish by catching more of them

by Chris Hunt - Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

All in the name of science: a brightly colored brook trout comes to the net after taking a stonefly nymph (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Trout Unlimited launched its TroutBlitz 2015 effort over the Memorial Day weekend, in hopes of encouraging America’s anglers to go fishing in the name of science.

ECHO intros new 'BOOST' fly rod series

ECHO's newest rod series offers ultra-fast action at an ultra-affordable price

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

The ECHO BOOST saltwater series.

Last week, ECHO more formally announced a rod series it initially revealed almost a year ago, its new BOOST series. The BOOST is a mid-low price range rod that can easily be described as ultra-fast, which ECHO owner and rod designer Tim Rajeff says he crafted for anglers with more compact casting strokes that are looking to deliver longer casts with higher line speeds and tighter loops.