In 1922, Leonard Halladay tied up a mayfly imitation on the banks of Michigan’s Boardman River, and then handed the fly to his friend Charles Adams to take with him fishing. The rest is history, as the fly old Chuck tied on at the river proved to be an excellent attractor dry fly, and now, bearing the angler’s last name, is recognized as perhaps the best dry fly ever crafted.

The first stretch of Appalachian trout water I laid eyes upon, boulder-strewn and narrow with isolated pockets, was just what I’d imagined it would be. I approached each run camouflaged by the vast green of the forest and, thanks to the diminutive 7-foot 3 weight rod I’d strung up before hiking into the creek, was able to unfurl precise casts despite the ever-present, overhanging limbs. Just around the bend, however, the creek and the forest opened wide. Long runs trailed from the prime pockets, and if I wanted to reach the best water, I’d need a bit more range on my casts.