[{"totalItems":"27,708","totalPages":9236,"currentPage":0,"items":[{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/1006103573","site":"https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":1006103573,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/1006103573","url":"https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/blasts-from-past-tobin-shotgun","path_alias":"blasts-from-past-tobin-shotgun","label":"Blasts from the Past: Tobin Shotgun","content":" A reader shares the story of an heirloom shotgun from a little-known gun maker in Canada This high-grade Model 70 Tobin was made in Ontario in the early 1900s. From Mike Who knew there were Canadian high-grade shotguns? For a few years in the early 20th century, there were\u2014and we have one today. Tobin Arms was founded by Frank Major Tobin of Nova Scotia, in 1905. Tobin had moved around the U.S., working as an agent for gun makers and dealers before he decided to go into business for himself. He bought the rights to a sidelock action, which he named the Simplex, and formed Tobin Arms in Norwich, Conn., in 1905. He produced several grades of his gun, ranging in price from $30 to $200, roughly the equivalent of $800 to $5,000 today. In 1909, Tobin moved his factory to Woodstock, Ontario. Unfortunately, the business faltered and ultimately surrendered its charter in 1921. Between the Norwich and Woodstock factories, about 18,000 Tobins were made. The high-grade guns had some beautiful engraving, gold-plated internal parts, and Krupp or Belgian fluid steel barrels. One of Tobin\u2019s gunsmiths, G.B.Crandall, bought up the remaining parts and, calling himself \u201cthe successor to Tobin Arms,\u201d made about 500 more guns over the course of many years. Mike\u2019s Model 70 Hi I have a Tobin 12 gauge that was my father\u2019s, which he purchased back in the forties and used for bird hunting. I believe it\u2019s a Model 70. I have restored it and it works fine. I had to make two new firing pins since it was a little problematic at times. It was made in Canada in my home town (Woodstock, Ontario) and is still a fine shotgun with a Full choke. It will make any turkey fear for its life come April. If this is a Model 70, that\u2019s the trap grade Tobin that would have sold for $70\u2014about $1,800 today. Thanks, Mike, for letting us see a little-known piece of North American gun making history. Keep the gun pictures coming to fsgunnuts@gmail.com. ","teaser":" A reader shares the story of an heirloom shotgun from a little-known gun maker in Canada This high-grade Model 70 Tobin was made in Ontario in the early 1900s. From Mike Who knew there were Canadian high-grade shotguns? For a few years in the early 20th century, there were\u2014and we have one today.","ss_name":"chillman","tos_name":"chillman","ss_name_formatted":"chillman","tos_name_formatted":"chillman","is_uid":742,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":false,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2018-03-16T13:08:41Z","ds_changed":"2018-03-16T13:47:24Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2018-03-16T13:47:24Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_exclude_from_cl":false,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"bs_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":false,"bs_field_x90_hide":false,"bs_field_last_updated":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
This Model 70 Tobin shotgun is a beautiful remnant from a little-known gun maker in Canada…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_summary_long":"
This Model 70 Tobin shotgun is a beautiful remnant from a little-known gun maker in Canada…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"\n
\n The Gun Nuts<\/a> <\/div>\n","timestamp":"2018-03-17T08:00:03.49Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_image":["https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/sites\/fieldandstream.com\/files\/styles\/325_4x3\/public\/images\/2018\/03\/tobias-model-70-shotgun.jpg?itok=vyYMgSF9&fc=50,50"],"bm_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"bm_field_x90_hide":[false],"tid":[105498,105600,106403,105709,106177,105267],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["guns"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Guns gun nuts Blasts From the Past Shotguns Hunting Guns"],"spell":["Blasts from the Past: Tobin Shotgun"," A reader shares the story of an heirloom shotgun from a little-known gun maker in Canada This high-grade Model 70 Tobin was made in Ontario in the early 1900s. From Mike Who knew there were Canadian high-grade shotguns? For a few years in the early 20th century, there were\u2014and we have one today. Tobin Arms was founded by Frank Major Tobin of Nova Scotia, in 1905. Tobin had moved around the U.S., working as an agent for gun makers and dealers before he decided to go into business for himself. He bought the rights to a sidelock action, which he named the Simplex, and formed Tobin Arms in Norwich, Conn., in 1905. He produced several grades of his gun, ranging in price from $30 to $200, roughly the equivalent of $800 to $5,000 today. In 1909, Tobin moved his factory to Woodstock, Ontario. Unfortunately, the business faltered and ultimately surrendered its charter in 1921. Between the Norwich and Woodstock factories, about 18,000 Tobins were made. The high-grade guns had some beautiful engraving, gold-plated internal parts, and Krupp or Belgian fluid steel barrels. One of Tobin\u2019s gunsmiths, G.B.Crandall, bought up the remaining parts and, calling himself \u201cthe successor to Tobin Arms,\u201d made about 500 more guns over the course of many years. Mike\u2019s Model 70 Hi I have a Tobin 12 gauge that was my father\u2019s, which he purchased back in the forties and used for bird hunting. I believe it\u2019s a Model 70. I have restored it and it works fine. I had to make two new firing pins since it was a little problematic at times. It was made in Canada in my home town (Woodstock, Ontario) and is still a fine shotgun with a Full choke. It will make any turkey fear for its life come April. If this is a Model 70, that\u2019s the trap grade Tobin that would have sold for $70\u2014about $1,800 today. Thanks, Mike, for letting us see a little-known piece of North American gun making history. Keep the gun pictures coming to fsgunnuts@gmail.com. ","Guns gun nuts Blasts From the Past Shotguns Hunting Guns","Phil Bourjaily","
This Model 70 Tobin shotgun is a beautiful remnant from a little-known gun maker in Canada…<\/div>","
This Model 70 Tobin shotgun is a beautiful remnant from a little-known gun maker in Canada…<\/div>","\n
\n The Gun Nuts<\/a> <\/div>\n"],"tm_vid_2_names":["Phil Bourjaily"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"im_field_author":[105267],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_field_exclude_from_cl":[false],"bm_field_last_updated":[false],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"sm_field_subtitle":["A reader shares the story of an heirloom shotgun from a little-known gun maker in Canada\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[105498,105600,106403,105709,106177],"im_vid_2":[105267],"sm_vid_Authors":["Phil Bourjaily"],"im_vid_1":[105498,105600,106403,105709,106177],"sm_multi_blog_blog_reference":["multi_blog:101"],"sm_vid_Tags":["Guns","gun nuts","Blasts From the Past","Shotguns","Hunting Guns"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/1006103568","site":"https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":1006103568,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/1006103568","url":"https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/take-an-nra-self-defense-course-or-else","path_alias":"take-an-nra-self-defense-course-or-else","label":"Take an NRA Self-Defense Course, or Else","content":" The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them Ruger SP101 in.327 Fed. Mag. Ruger The hottest selling guns right now are small self-defense pistols. This is fine. If a meth head kicks in your door at 3 am, he\u2019s not going to take a time out until the police arrive, so your life may be in your hands, and you\u2019d best have something with which to save it. But then there is the law. A retired gunsmith I know used to ask customers who had just a purchased pistol for protection, \u201cNow that you\u2019ve got the gun, what\u2019s the name of the lawyer who\u2019s going to defend you if you use it?\u201d The laws of self-defense vary hugely from state to state, are complex, constantly changing, often unclear, and you must act on them in an instant, under enormous pressure, and while you are in fear for your life. It behooves you, then, to take a class on the laws of gun ownership and self-defense. The courses to which I\u2019m referring are given at gun clubs and shooting ranges, and the ones you want are given under the auspices of the NRA. They\u2019re taught either by a law-enforcement officer or by a lawyer because it\u2019s better if your instructor knows what he\u2019s talking about. I took my first one in the 1980s. It was given by a sheriff\u2019s deputy, and the point he made constantly was, there\u2019s no good outcome from a self-defense shooting. You\u2019re not going to get a laurel wreath and a hearty handshake. What you will get is arrested and charged with murder, sued if the guy you shot lives, have your name smeared by the papers, and get a lawyer\u2019s fee that will render you bankrupt. That\u2019s if you\u2019re found innocent. If you\u2019re found guilty on any of the numerous charges that are possible, you\u2019ll go to prison. And if you lose the fight you\u2019ll be dead. Some of this can be avoided by knowing what the law is. The course I took two weeks ago was taught by an attorney who is also a handgun instructor and the holder of a carry permit. He was not a pain-in-the-ass lawyer, but was able to poke fun at himself and his horrible profession. The class was broken down into the laws covering buying, selling, storage, transportation, and use in self-defense. I will not weary you with the details, but here\u2019s an example of the sort of finer points that come into play: Maine, where I took the course, is a Castle Doctrine state, but this doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re free to blast away in your garage, or a walkway, or a barn, or a toolshed. It has to be in the part of the house where you actually reside. Moreover, if you blow away some jerk who\u2019s merely trying to steal your television and has made no threats against your life, you\u2019re in big trouble. You have to be able to demonstrate, when the prosecutor goes to work on you, that the guy you shot had: Ability. (He was obviously capable of inflicting grievous bodily harm or death.) Opportunity. (He was 3 feet away and advancing on you.) And that you were clearly in Jeopardy. (He was making threats on your life that no reasonable person could have doubted.) Some other points I took from the class: If you have a concealed-carry permit, that means don\u2019t go waving your gun around in public. Concealed means concealed. If a yahoo tells you to hand over your wallet, hand it over. Defense of property is not a cause for shooting. If you pull your gun and tell him to try and take your wallet, and he tries, and you shoot him, you will get to wear an orange jumpsuit for the next two decades or so. Finally, police officers hate surprises, especially if they involve firearms. Keep this in mind if you\u2019re pulled over and carrying. As I said, these classes are not a lot of laughs. But they can save you a life-changing amount of trouble. ","teaser":" The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them Ruger SP101 in.327 Fed. Mag. Ruger The hottest selling guns right now are small self-defense pistols. This is fine. If a meth head kicks in your door at 3 am, he\u2019s not going to take a time out until the police arrive,","ss_name":"chillman","tos_name":"chillman","ss_name_formatted":"chillman","tos_name_formatted":"chillman","is_uid":742,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":false,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2018-03-15T21:29:32Z","ds_changed":"2018-03-15T21:29:32Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2018-03-15T21:29:32Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_exclude_from_cl":false,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"bs_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":false,"bs_field_x90_hide":false,"bs_field_last_updated":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_summary_long":"
The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"\n
\n The Gun Nuts<\/a> <\/div>\n","timestamp":"2018-03-16T08:00:03.424Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_image":["https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/sites\/fieldandstream.com\/files\/styles\/325_4x3\/public\/images\/2018\/03\/ruger-sp101-fed-mag-handgun.jpg?itok=J9vzcz9F&fc=50,50"],"bm_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"bm_field_x90_hide":[false],"tid":[105498,105600,106104,105635,105570,105592,106101,104837],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["guns"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Guns gun nuts concealed carry gun laws Handguns Pistols nra"],"spell":["Take an NRA Self-Defense Course, or Else"," The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them Ruger SP101 in.327 Fed. Mag. Ruger The hottest selling guns right now are small self-defense pistols. This is fine. If a meth head kicks in your door at 3 am, he\u2019s not going to take a time out until the police arrive, so your life may be in your hands, and you\u2019d best have something with which to save it. But then there is the law. A retired gunsmith I know used to ask customers who had just a purchased pistol for protection, \u201cNow that you\u2019ve got the gun, what\u2019s the name of the lawyer who\u2019s going to defend you if you use it?\u201d The laws of self-defense vary hugely from state to state, are complex, constantly changing, often unclear, and you must act on them in an instant, under enormous pressure, and while you are in fear for your life. It behooves you, then, to take a class on the laws of gun ownership and self-defense. The courses to which I\u2019m referring are given at gun clubs and shooting ranges, and the ones you want are given under the auspices of the NRA. They\u2019re taught either by a law-enforcement officer or by a lawyer because it\u2019s better if your instructor knows what he\u2019s talking about. I took my first one in the 1980s. It was given by a sheriff\u2019s deputy, and the point he made constantly was, there\u2019s no good outcome from a self-defense shooting. You\u2019re not going to get a laurel wreath and a hearty handshake. What you will get is arrested and charged with murder, sued if the guy you shot lives, have your name smeared by the papers, and get a lawyer\u2019s fee that will render you bankrupt. That\u2019s if you\u2019re found innocent. If you\u2019re found guilty on any of the numerous charges that are possible, you\u2019ll go to prison. And if you lose the fight you\u2019ll be dead. Some of this can be avoided by knowing what the law is. The course I took two weeks ago was taught by an attorney who is also a handgun instructor and the holder of a carry permit. He was not a pain-in-the-ass lawyer, but was able to poke fun at himself and his horrible profession. The class was broken down into the laws covering buying, selling, storage, transportation, and use in self-defense. I will not weary you with the details, but here\u2019s an example of the sort of finer points that come into play: Maine, where I took the course, is a Castle Doctrine state, but this doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re free to blast away in your garage, or a walkway, or a barn, or a toolshed. It has to be in the part of the house where you actually reside. Moreover, if you blow away some jerk who\u2019s merely trying to steal your television and has made no threats against your life, you\u2019re in big trouble. You have to be able to demonstrate, when the prosecutor goes to work on you, that the guy you shot had: Ability. (He was obviously capable of inflicting grievous bodily harm or death.) Opportunity. (He was 3 feet away and advancing on you.) And that you were clearly in Jeopardy. (He was making threats on your life that no reasonable person could have doubted.) Some other points I took from the class: If you have a concealed-carry permit, that means don\u2019t go waving your gun around in public. Concealed means concealed. If a yahoo tells you to hand over your wallet, hand it over. Defense of property is not a cause for shooting. If you pull your gun and tell him to try and take your wallet, and he tries, and you shoot him, you will get to wear an orange jumpsuit for the next two decades or so. Finally, police officers hate surprises, especially if they involve firearms. Keep this in mind if you\u2019re pulled over and carrying. As I said, these classes are not a lot of laughs. But they can save you a life-changing amount of trouble. ","Guns gun nuts concealed carry gun laws Handguns Pistols nra","David E. Petzal","
The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them…<\/div>","
The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them…<\/div>","\n
\n The Gun Nuts<\/a> <\/div>\n"],"tm_vid_2_names":["David E. Petzal"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"im_field_author":[104837],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_field_exclude_from_cl":[false],"bm_field_last_updated":[false],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"sm_field_subtitle":["The laws of self-defense are varied and always changing. Make sure you know them\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[105498,105600,106104,105635,105570,105592,106101],"im_vid_2":[104837],"sm_vid_Authors":["David E. Petzal"],"im_vid_1":[105498,105600,106104,105635,105570,105592,106101],"sm_multi_blog_blog_reference":["multi_blog:101"],"sm_vid_Tags":["Guns","gun nuts","concealed carry","gun laws","Handguns","Pistols","nra"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/1006103567","site":"https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":1006103567,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/1006103567","url":"https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/how-i-fish-lefty-kreh","path_alias":"how-i-fish-lefty-kreh","label":"How I Fish: Lefty Kreh","content":" One of the greatest flyfishermen of all time shares his angling wisdom, talks about his favorite fishing spots and fish to chase on the fly, and explains his four principles of fly casting Lefty Kreh was as well-known for his contagious smile as he was for his flyfishing expertise. Chris Crisman Lefty Kreh, one of the most accomplished and beloved flyfishermen of all time, died this week. He was 93 years old. Kreh was a prolific author and globe-trotting angler. Among his many accolades, Kreh was the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Sportfishing Association and a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame and Flyfishing Hall of Fame. He was also a wonderful person\u2014kind, warm, funny, and always happy to teach others. Field & Stream\u2019s legendary fishing editor John Merwin once wrote of Kreh: \u201cIf America can claim a national flyfishing treasure, Lefty is it.\u201d Here, we\u2019re reprinting an interview Kreh gave the magazine back in 2009. His stories, humor, and fishing tips are timeless\u2014just like the man himself. I\u2019ve been fishing since I was old enough to walk to the Monocacy River, near Frederick, Md. My father died when I was young, during the Depression, and my mother had to raise four children. I was the oldest, at 6. We were so poor that we had to live on welfare. I\u2019d catch catfish on bait and sell them so I could buy clothes and food to get through high school. After World War II, I started fly casting when I got back from Europe. [Lefty fought in the Battle of the Bulge in 1945.] Back then, I got a job at the Biological Warfare Center, where we grew and concentrated the bacteria that the scientists worked on. I was one of three people who got anthrax\u2014on my hand and arm. My full name is Bernard Victor Kreh, and there is now a BVK strain of anthrax. I was doing shift work, and I\u2019d hunt or fish between shifts. I started to get a reputation as a hotshot bass fisherman. Joe Brooks, the fishing writer, lived in the Baltimore suburbs, and he was writing a column in the county paper. He came down with a fly rod one day. This was in September 1947. A big hatch of flying ants was trying to fly across the river, and millions of them were falling into the water. I\u2019m using a 6-pound-test braided silk line, and Joe pulls out this fly line that looked like a piece of rope and swished it back and forth. There were rings out there\u2014he was using a Black Ghost streamer\u2014and he dropped this damn thing in a ring, and boom, he had a fish. He caught almost as many bass as I did, and you don\u2019t normally do that to a guy on his own river. The next day I drove to Baltimore in my Model A Ford and met him, and we went down to Tochterman\u2019s Sporting Goods\u2014it\u2019s still there, third generation\u2014where he picked out a South Bend fiberglass rod, a Medalist reel, and a Cortland fly line. We went out in the park, and he gave me a casting lesson. Of course, he was teaching that 9 o\u2019clock to 1 o\u2019clock stuff, like everyone was. My favorite fish to flyfish for are bonefish, absolutely. In freshwater, I like smallmouth bass and then peacock bass. The longer you swim the fly, the more fish you catch. Gradually I evolved the method that I now teach, where you bring the rod back way behind you on the cast. This accelerates the line, lets you make longer casts and, in turn, puts more line on the water. I started fishing for smallmouths on the Potomac, at Lander, which is below Harpers Ferry. The river was full of big smallmouths. It was fabulous fishing. In the 1950s, I went down to Crisfield on the bay. They had a crab-packing plant there, and at the end of the day they shoved everything they didn\u2019t put into cans off the dock. It was the biggest chum line you\u2019d ever seen. My buddy Tom Cofield and I knew about it, and the bass were all over the place. We were using bucktails with chenille, and the wing kept fouling on the hook. On the way home, I said to Tom, \u201cI\u2019m going to develop a fly that looks like a baitfish, that doesn\u2019t foul in flight, that flushes the water when it comes out into the air and is easy to cast.\u201d That\u2019s how I came up with the Deceiver. Lefty Kreh got his nickname because he used to do everything left-handed\u2014except write and cast. Chris Crisman The first magazine story I sold was to Pennsylvania Game News. I got paid $89. We thought it was a fortune! It was on hunting squirrels from a canoe. I teach four principles rather than a rote method of fly casting. The principles are not mine; they\u2019re based on physics, and you can adapt them to your build. They are: (1) You must get the end of the fly line moving before you can make a back or forward cast; (2) Once the line is moving, the only way to load the rod is to move the casting hand at an ever increasing speed and then bring it to a quick stop; (3) The line will go in the direction the rod tip speeds up and stops\u2014specifically, it goes in the direction that the rod straightens when the rod hand stops; and (4) The longer the distance that the rod travels on the back and forward casting strokes, the less effort that is required to make the cast. My most memorable flyfishing experience was in New Guinea. There\u2019s a fish there called a New Guinea bass\u2014they spell it N-I-U-G-I-N-I. They are the strongest fish I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. My three favorite flyfishing spots in the world are Maine for smallmouths, Los Roques off Venezuela for bonefish, and Louisiana for redfish. The marsh near New Orleans is over 20 miles wide and 80 miles long. There\u2019s very light fishing pressure, and it\u2019s absolutely the best redfishing anywhere. The three most important fly casts are the basic cast \u2014you have to learn to use a full stroke; a roll cast, because you use it for all kinds of things; and the double haul. You need to learn how to double haul. Up until seven, eight years ago, you couldn\u2019t get into flyfishing if you didn\u2019t have a lot of money. Now we have fabulous rods. If you buy any rod today that costs more than $100, it will probably cast better than the person who buys it. ","teaser":" One of the greatest flyfishermen of all time shares his angling wisdom, talks about his favorite fishing spots and fish to chase on the fly, and explains his four principles of fly casting Lefty Kreh was as well-known for his contagious smile as he was for his flyfishing expertise. Chris Crisman","ss_name":"chillman","tos_name":"chillman","ss_name_formatted":"chillman","tos_name_formatted":"chillman","is_uid":742,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":false,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2018-03-15T18:02:06Z","ds_changed":"2018-03-15T18:25:20Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2018-03-15T18:25:20Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_exclude_from_cl":false,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"bs_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":false,"bs_field_x90_hide":false,"bs_field_last_updated":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
A F&S Classics interview with Lefty Kreh, one of the most legendary flyfishermen of all time…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_summary_long":"
A F&S Classics interview with Lefty Kreh, one of the most legendary flyfishermen of all time…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Fishing<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2018-03-16T08:00:03.424Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_image":["https:\/\/www.fieldandstream.com\/sites\/fieldandstream.com\/files\/styles\/325_4x3\/public\/images\/2018\/03\/lefty-kreh-flyfisherman.jpg?itok=KTdY7P9A&fc=50,50"],"bm_use_sir_trevor_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"bm_field_x90_hide":[false],"tid":[105501,106378,106516,106533,106534,105858,105775,106535,105574,106536,105010],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["fishing"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Fishing flyfishing smallmouth bass fishing for smallmouth bass saltwater flyfishing bonefish Trout flyfishing for trout Fishing Tips gear \u200b"],"spell":["How I Fish: Lefty Kreh"," One of the greatest flyfishermen of all time shares his angling wisdom, talks about his favorite fishing spots and fish to chase on the fly, and explains his four principles of fly casting Lefty Kreh was as well-known for his contagious smile as he was for his flyfishing expertise. Chris Crisman Lefty Kreh, one of the most accomplished and beloved flyfishermen of all time, died this week. He was 93 years old. Kreh was a prolific author and globe-trotting angler. Among his many accolades, Kreh was the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Sportfishing Association and a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame and Flyfishing Hall of Fame. He was also a wonderful person\u2014kind, warm, funny, and always happy to teach others. Field & Stream\u2019s legendary fishing editor John Merwin once wrote of Kreh: \u201cIf America can claim a national flyfishing treasure, Lefty is it.\u201d Here, we\u2019re reprinting an interview Kreh gave the magazine back in 2009. His stories, humor, and fishing tips are timeless\u2014just like the man himself. I\u2019ve been fishing since I was old enough to walk to the Monocacy River, near Frederick, Md. My father died when I was young, during the Depression, and my mother had to raise four children. I was the oldest, at 6. We were so poor that we had to live on welfare. I\u2019d catch catfish on bait and sell them so I could buy clothes and food to get through high school. After World War II, I started fly casting when I got back from Europe. [Lefty fought in the Battle of the Bulge in 1945.] Back then, I got a job at the Biological Warfare Center, where we grew and concentrated the bacteria that the scientists worked on. I was one of three people who got anthrax\u2014on my hand and arm. My full name is Bernard Victor Kreh, and there is now a BVK strain of anthrax. I was doing shift work, and I\u2019d hunt or fish between shifts. I started to get a reputation as a hotshot bass fisherman. Joe Brooks, the fishing writer, lived in the Baltimore suburbs, and he was writing a column in the county paper. He came down with a fly rod one day. This was in September 1947. A big hatch of flying ants was trying to fly across the river, and millions of them were falling into the water. I\u2019m using a 6-pound-test braided silk line, and Joe pulls out this fly line that looked like a piece of rope and swished it back and forth. There were rings out there\u2014he was using a Black Ghost streamer\u2014and he dropped this damn thing in a ring, and boom, he had a fish. He caught almost as many bass as I did, and you don\u2019t normally do that to a guy on his own river. The next day I drove to Baltimore in my Model A Ford and met him, and we went down to Tochterman\u2019s Sporting Goods\u2014it\u2019s still there, third generation\u2014where he picked out a South Bend fiberglass rod, a Medalist reel, and a Cortland fly line. We went out in the park, and he gave me a casting lesson. Of course, he was teaching that 9 o\u2019clock to 1 o\u2019clock stuff, like everyone was. My favorite fish to flyfish for are bonefish, absolutely. In freshwater, I like smallmouth bass and then peacock bass. The longer you swim the fly, the more fish you catch. Gradually I evolved the method that I now teach, where you bring the rod back way behind you on the cast. This accelerates the line, lets you make longer casts and, in turn, puts more line on the water. I started fishing for smallmouths on the Potomac, at Lander, which is below Harpers Ferry. The river was full of big smallmouths. It was fabulous fishing. In the 1950s, I went down to Crisfield on the bay. They had a crab-packing plant there, and at the end of the day they shoved everything they didn\u2019t put into cans off the dock. It was the biggest chum line you\u2019d ever seen. My buddy Tom Cofield and I knew about it, and the bass were all over the place. We were using bucktails with chenille, and the wing kept fouling on the hook. On the way home, I said to Tom, \u201cI\u2019m going to develop a fly that looks like a baitfish, that doesn\u2019t foul in flight, that flushes the water when it comes out into the air and is easy to cast.\u201d That\u2019s how I came up with the Deceiver. Lefty Kreh got his nickname because he used to do everything left-handed\u2014except write and cast. Chris Crisman The first magazine story I sold was to Pennsylvania Game News. I got paid $89. We thought it was a fortune! It was on hunting squirrels from a canoe. I teach four principles rather than a rote method of fly casting. The principles are not mine; they\u2019re based on physics, and you can adapt them to your build. They are: (1) You must get the end of the fly line moving before you can make a back or forward cast; (2) Once the line is moving, the only way to load the rod is to move the casting hand at an ever increasing speed and then bring it to a quick stop; (3) The line will go in the direction the rod tip speeds up and stops\u2014specifically, it goes in the direction that the rod straightens when the rod hand stops; and (4) The longer the distance that the rod travels on the back and forward casting strokes, the less effort that is required to make the cast. My most memorable flyfishing experience was in New Guinea. There\u2019s a fish there called a New Guinea bass\u2014they spell it N-I-U-G-I-N-I. They are the strongest fish I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. My three favorite flyfishing spots in the world are Maine for smallmouths, Los Roques off Venezuela for bonefish, and Louisiana for redfish. The marsh near New Orleans is over 20 miles wide and 80 miles long. There\u2019s very light fishing pressure, and it\u2019s absolutely the best redfishing anywhere. The three most important fly casts are the basic cast \u2014you have to learn to use a full stroke; a roll cast, because you use it for all kinds of things; and the double haul. You need to learn how to double haul. Up until seven, eight years ago, you couldn\u2019t get into flyfishing if you didn\u2019t have a lot of money. Now we have fabulous rods. If you buy any rod today that costs more than $100, it will probably cast better than the person who buys it. ","Fishing flyfishing smallmouth bass fishing for smallmouth bass saltwater flyfishing bonefish Trout flyfishing for trout Fishing Tips gear \u200b","Jay Cassell","
A F&S Classics interview with Lefty Kreh, one of the most legendary flyfishermen of all time…<\/div>","
A F&S Classics interview with Lefty Kreh, one of the most legendary flyfishermen of all time…<\/div>","
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