As another big winter storm bears down on the Mid-Atlantic, I'm sitting here thinking about all the little things anglers do to stay sane when you just can't get out. If you're a fishing forum reader like I am, you'll notice a giant boost in nostalgic "this one day back in October" posts. Misery loves company, even if that company is digitally connected. There are countless local fishing forums on the web that cater to almost every nook and cranny of the country. Question is, do you think they're worth a lick?

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Here's an update that really warmed my heart.  As you know, the  great outdoors writer Charlie Meyers passed away last month. Whether you knew Charlie personally or not, his work, which spanned a remarkable 43 years at the Denver Post, made a lasting impact for all of us who appreciate the wild outdoors.  Now the Colorado Division of Wildlife is proposing a worthy and permanent tribute--renaming a section of the Spinney Mountain Ranch State Wildlife Area, which contains one of the West's most popular trout fisheries we now call The Dream Stream, "The Charlie Meyers State Wildlife Area."  You can see the proposal here (in .pdf form).



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Last week my father-in-law sent me an email from one of his friends. A speech a grand daughter gave to her grand father on his 90th birthday. It resonated deeply with me.

I won't ruin it by trying to over-explain it. The paragraph below (from him), helped me understand the back story. I hope you like it.

TR

The bond between a North Carolina grandfather and his first grandchild began 30 years ago. On a secluded and secret stream in western North Carolina, an angler learned, mid-cast, that his daughter had given birth. [ Read Full Post ]

So you know someone who wants to get started in fly fishing. Question number one (which I get asked a lot) is, what type of rod and reel should a newbie start with?

And my answer is, that depends on the person... how old they are, how big they are... whether they do a lot of fishing with conventional tackle, what they plan to fish for, and so forth.

For example, take my nine-year-old son, Paul.  I started him out with the Old Orvis 8-foot 6-weight that I started with (at the age of 18).  For kids, I think the number one criteria for a starter rod is  that it has a slower-to-medium action.  I've often thought that fast 
rods, while wonderful in many ways (and I prefer them myself now) can be a crutch that covers up casting flaws.  In my opinion, it's important to develop a feel for the cast, and instill a natural sense of timing and tempo, especially with younger anglers.  You can build up to fast rods once you have that feel.  Slower is better for starters.  I often dedicate days on the water to fishing with slower,  softer rods, just to polish my own casting during... [ Read Full Post ]

Trout Unlimited has named Chris Wood, currently TU's chief operating officer, to fill the chief executive officer's position held by Charles Gauvin since 1991.  Wood will take over February 1.

Since Gauvin took the helm of TU at the age of 34, the organization's development has been nothing short of extraordinary.  According to a TU press announcement, back then,

"TU’s budget was $2.5 million and it had approximately 50,000 members. There was just one staff person who worked on conservation issues. [ Read Full Post ]

Do you want to fish on twelve miles of private, world class trout water in the pristine Wyoming wilderness for three days with a guide? How about a $1000 shopping spree at the one of the best fly shops in Denver before you go? Do you enjoy lavish gourmet meals? What about flying there in a private jet?

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I love sight fishing.  There is nothing better than picking out a  fish camouflaged among the weeds or against a gravel river bottom, then making that cast and earning the bite.

My young son is getting into it also.  He has his first pair of little polarized glasses now, and we like to walk along the river, sometimes without a rod or flies, just looking for fish. He summed up the game of spotting fish perfectly last summer when he said, "Hey Dad, this is just like playing Where's Waldo!"  Indeed... while fish don't wear little red and white striped shirts and beanie hats... the approach with spotting fish is the same as it is when you are playing the game in the children's book.  What you ultimately want to key on with your eyes is the slight inconsistency that gives your subject away amid a jumbled pattern around it.

Here are five tips to help you spot fish better (especially when they don't pop out like these rainbows).

1.  The secret to spotting fish is knowing where to look.  Sounds like a Yogi Berra-ism, I know, but if you know where trout hang out... on current seams, in tailouts of... [ Read Full Post ]

Hows this for a fly fisherman's life goal? Be able to cast your age well after you turn 70 years old.

For all of you golfers, you know that shooting a score that matches your age is an objective that not many old duffers can achieve. I can shoot my age now... on the front nine. I'm not holding out hope that I can break chronological par over 18 holes unless I live to be 123, and medical and golf technologies really improve in the next 80 years.

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Fly fishers are usually pretty easy to pick out of a crowd. We like to literally wear our sport... from the Sage baseball cap to the sweatshirt from far-off Alaskan lodge, the angler's wardrobe usually includes more than a few signs of "I fish" and/or "been there done that."

As such, I've recently added two new favorites to my fly fishing T- shirt collection:

The "Steelhead Your Face" fishy take on an old Grateful Dead icon...

And this "in your face" take on the evolution of the modern fisher- man. (Hold the hate mail, spin fishers, I love fishing with conventional gear as much as anyone... but I do think this is witty.)

What do you think? Do you have a favorite element in your "fishy" wardrobe? By the way, you can buy the steelhead shirt here, and the evolution shirt here, respectively.

Deeter [ Read Full Post ]

As I sit in the frozen Rockies, I often find my mind wandering to far-away, sunny saltwater fishing locales.  While most fly fishers daydream about tarpon and bonefish, I'm finding myself more and more fixated on snook.

Snook might be the most under-appreciated saltwater fish of all, but they have all the attributes a fly fisher could ask for... they attack flies with reckless abandon... they live in tangled mangrove gnarls that demand your best cast... and they fight like thugs. 

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In an attempt to drum up excitement over the new season of "Man Vs. Wild," the Discovery Channel just threw a few teaser clips up on Youtube. In the one below, host Bear Grylls, who is stuck on a Pacific Island, eats the eyeballs out of a triggerfish. According to old Bear, the eyes are full of fluid that can thwart dehydration. That may be true, but I still don't think I could ever eat a fish eye. But what I have thought about is what lures I'd want to have on me if I ever got stranded in the woods or on an island.

Here's the scenario: You're stranded by a river, lake or on the ocean. You'll be stuck for at least a month. You get to carry one lure and one lure only. We'll pretend that you  managed to get stranded with a rod and reel to fish said lure.

The white bucktail jig seems like an obvious answer for saltwater. In fact, they are included in some survival kits. No doubt, a white buck will catch almost any fish that... [ Read Full Post ]

It's show time folks. Even if winter cold has us frozen out of our favorite lakes and rivers, some of us anglers can visit giant outdoor expos to at least think about fishing with thousands of kindred souls. For example, this coming Thursday-Sunday (January 7-10) the International Sportsmen's Exposition will roll into the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Tim and I will be coordinating a panel discussion on stillwater (lake) fly fishing on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the Fly Fishing Theater. If any of you Colorado Fly Talkers have a chance to drop by and introduce yourselves in person (as some of you did last year), we'd love to meet you.

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