Latest Blog Posts

A Closer Look at Loon

by Colin K. Breck - Friday, Nov 22nd, 2013

If you're looking for a top notch holiday gift, the Loon Streamside Kit is filled with goodies that every angler needs.

Loon Outdoors is one of the most well known and most innovative makers of fly fishing products. And while Loon doesn't make rods or reels or lines, they make a bevy of products that are often just as indispensable to the angler. From floatants to split shot to lanyards and more, Loon makes many of the products that make our time on the water more enjoyable and more successful.

Loon has decided they'd like to introduce themselves a bit more intimately to the fly fishing community, and tell everyone a bit about who they are and what matters to them. To do so, they've made a behind the scenes video showcasing what they're up to. And, apparently Loon thinks my above description of their company is spot on. I say that because, having written the paragraph above before watching the video, upon viewing it I was greeted by Loon's Andrea Zundel practically reciting my description word for word when talking about Loon. I almost pulled it from the post figuring I would seem like a hack.

Long Live the King

by Colin K. Breck - Tuesday, Nov 19th, 2013

A scene from the trailer.

The last two years haven't been good ones for Alaska's chinook, more commonly known as king, salmon. Returns in some drainages hit all time lows. Alaskan officials have resorted to placing stringent limits on king fishing on rivers throughout the state, including some of Alaska's most famous waterways. The list of possible reasons are myriad and include everything from over harvesting at sea to habitat degradation near the sure to natural variation in the stocks of salmon. These salmon are an integral part of not only Alaska's economy but its culture and heritage. Chinook returns of the last two years have left many concerned, even angry, and looking for answers.

A new film, titled Long Live the King, looks to share the story of the king with anglers and other viewers around the world. According to the filmmakers, Fly Out Media, "Long Live the King celebrates the great homecoming of salmon to the Last Frontier, while promoting a re-energized culture of sustainability among salmon fishermen and women worldwide. Through inspiring imagery, explosive fishing, emotional testimony and a tone of sustainability, respect, and stewardship, the film breathes new life into the hearts of anglers. One goal of this film is to boost the grassroots efforts of our conservation partners to defend the land, waters, cultural heritage, and invaluable resources of Alaska, including the mighty King Salmon of the Last Frontier."

Long Shot: A Shared Passion for Carp

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Nov 18th, 2013

A shot from the film.

Every spring, I tell myself that I'm going to spend more time chasing carp. Carp are readily available to target in virtually every state in the lower 48 and are, perhaps inarguably, one the most electrifying fish to hook up in fresh water. Yet, each year another season rolls by and I fail to explore local waters, some of which teem with carp. This reality is entirely perplexing, given that the last carp I connected with was a 40-plus pound specimen in Vermont's Lake Champlain which nearly pulled the rod from my hand, had me into my backing in seconds, and was gone forever when I panicked and tried to up the drag, quickly popping the tippet. The entire encounter lasted only seconds, but left my heart racing for much, much longer. Anglers who -- unlike me -- give themselves the chance to develop an obsession with these fish seem, almost invariably, to do so. In a new short film from The Fly Collective, well known Colorado anglers Erin Block and Jay Zimmerman share their passion and pursuit for front range carp.

The film starts off with a series of stirring readings by Erin Block -- snippets from her own writings on her blog Mysteries Internal -- which not only set the stage for the film, but illustrate very clearly why Erin is one of the best, perhaps the best fishing writer working today. The fact that carp are an elusive quarry isn't hidden by Zimmerman and Block, it is celebrated as a badge of courage. Though, after hearing about how frustrating the pursuit is and about how things almost always fail to go as planned, we're treated to the angler couple hooking up carp after carp.

Two Important Fisheries Conservation Issues You Probably Don't Know About

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Nov 14th, 2013

A spotted sea trout from Florida's San Carlos Bay. The bay is influenced by excess water discharges from Lake Okeechobee, which turn the water brown and add pollutants to the estuary (photo: Chris Hunt).

There is no shortage of conservation issues that are important or should be important to anglers. Human development affects virtually every corner of the globe, and whether large or small, its impacts are felt by our water bodies, watersheds and the flora and fauna that call them home. With so many issues out there, it is hard to be apprised of it all. Add in the fact that conservation issues often become "celebrities", rising to the top and shadowing other, often equally important, issues and staying informed is even more complicated. Following are just a few of the many issues that need more attention and involvement from anglers, be sure to give them a read.

Florida's Dirty Little Secret

"You've heard of Big Oil. The Big Three from Detroit. And, of course, the Big Lebowski. But have you heard of Big Sugar?," writes Eat More Brook Trout's Chris Hunt. Chances are, you haven't, but it is time you had. Big Sugar is the reason countless gallons of fresh water are annually diverted from its natural course by the Army Corps of Engineers in an effort to satisfy the needs of the mass agricultural development of the sugar industry.

The effects of this unnatural diversion of fresh water into Florida's estuaries, Hunt explains, are significant. "The Corps, through a system of diversions and locks, sends the excess water--and all the nitrates, phosphorus and fertilizer in it--into the estuaries on either Florida coast. The normally emerald green waters of these coastal oases turn dark and foreboding. Stained. Brown. Dirty. As this tainted water finds its way down the rivers and into the estuaries, the victims are the ecosystems these coastal bays and lagoons nurture ... and everybody who treasures them." Read about what's going on in three part series.

Joan Wulff Made Fly Fishing Hot Almost 70 Years Ago

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Nov 7th, 2013

Right?

In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, women's professional golf went through a transformation. All of the sudden, women golfers were hot. The days of Nancy Lopez and Laura Davies were over, and the sport saw an influx of healthy, fit young women that focused on their femininity. While these new, attractive young golfers may have had nothing on the golf game of their earlier counterparts, they were a boon for the sport. Golf no longer meant dressing up like a man and playing a man's sport. You could hit the links and still be feminine, still be pretty. And why not? The number of women golfers skyrocketed.

Fly fishing has seen a similar transformation in the last five or so years. While there have always been women in the sport, fly fishing has never been seen as a feminine endeavor. It has been, and remains largely, a male sport. Within the last few years, though, a crop of similarly young, fit, vibrant young women have taken to the water. They've not only been noticed by the sport at large, they've been celebrated. And they've had a similar effect as the new crop of women golfers: women are far and away the fastest growing demographic in fly fishing and have become a major part of the sport and the business of fly fishing.