The 16-lb. class tippet record for permit has been rescinded by the IGFA. According to Jason Schratwieser, World Record Administrator for the IGFA, there was not enough information submitted by the angler to warrant the original granting of the record. Rhode Island angler Brian Eliason submitted the record with guide Jeff Belsik of Florida's Big Pine Key after catching and releasing the fish, which measured 34 inches around and 48 inches long, on February 7, 2003. It was originally reported on ESPN and elsewhere that the fish weighed 51 pounds -- almost 10 pounds larger than the largest permit previously caught on fly, Del Brown's 41.5-pounder taken near Key West in 1986 with Captain Steve Huff. (Thanks to reader David Dalu for bringing this news to our attention.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A few NASA satellites designed to study heights of Earth's ocean surfaces are now also coming in handy for tracking water levels of inland lakes and reservoirs." This announcement is particularly interesting because it a marks a trend away from depending on local water levels reports. The data is real-time and shows how technology can reach beyond accessible regions to see what is actually happening in remote parts of the world. Go here to see the actual maps and graphs presented by the USDA.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

'Luminous' is the first word that comes to mind when you see Mr. Fujioka's watercolors and acrylics. This Japanese artist offers a vision of depth and light that is quite rare among wildlife artists. Fortunately there is an entire Web site dedicated to his work. Even better, the Web site is an excellent guide to fishing various mountain streams in Japan. This site is definitely worth a visit or two (or three).

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to Ed Harris of the Register Citizen, "the magazine was drawn to the Housatonic because of the combination of the wilderness experience of fly-fishing on the river and the adrenaline boost of driving at the Skip Barber Racing School in Lakeville."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the past 12 years, the "Slim Beauty" has become one of the most popular knots in saltwater fly fishing, due to both its simplicity and its performance. The Slim Beauty allows leader material of different diameters to be connected with minimal fuss and results in a high-strength knot with a very small profile. These qualities have led to it being adopted as a replacement to other classic tippet-to-shock and tippet-to-butt connections like the Albright and the Huffnagle. MidCurrent presents this story of the knot's origins by the guide who invented it, Captain Simon Becker.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you doubt the power of hurricanes, take a look at this panoramic view of Upper Captiva Island off of southwest Florida's coast, before and after Charley made landfall there. The trees that are pushed into Pine Island Sound, by the way, will make excellent snook habitat for years to come. (Thanks to reader Jim Langley for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you've ever wondered what the tagging and tracking devices used by scientists studying bonefish and tarpon looked like, Doug Kelly offers this excellent article on DTO.com. An excerpt: "I recently went on a tagging trip with Michael Larkin, an RSMAS research assistant under Ault. According to Larkin, the AT data revealed that one particular bonefish returned to the same flat 40 consecutive days. Even four months later, the fish was caught on the same flat, indicating what?s known as site fidelity. However, other bonefish tagged in Biscayne Bay have ended up months later 50 or more miles south in the Florida Keys. These differences indicate that bonefish site fidelity may be related to their size or the time of year, and there is a greater degree of stock mixing than previously thought."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The ClackaCraft Web site hosts this instructional article on drift boat handling. It's an excellent introduction to rowing and equipment. If you want to learn more, Neale Streeks and Rod Walinchus authored an excellent book on the subject, Drift Boat Strategies (Pruett Publishing Company, 1998).

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's an interesting history of the One Fly on the nonprofit site of the same name. If you happen to know any or all of the characters who've been involved in this contest, it's quite entertaining to read the past results. The rules: (1) Pick a single fly. (2) Catch the most fish and the biggest fish you can with your fly over the course of 2 days. (3) Don?t lose your fly. The 2004 One Fly is September 9-12.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This piece by Jason Akl on the D.H. Thompson (manufacturer of vises and fly-tying tools) site gives an excellent overview of techniques for fishing those difficult canyons that seem to offer a challenge at every pool. "To be a successful pocket water fisherman, one must master a wide range of techniques to coax the fish to bite. First of all, learning a good roll cast will make your days on the water go much more smoothly. You will be spending most of your time down in the canyons or near thick brush, so there will not be room for long back-casts."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Betsy Gaines Quammen has begun raising money to restore the Dayan Derkh Monastery in northwestern Mongolia, closed during the Chinese religious purges in 1937. One of the purposes is to provide a conservation outpost. "The monastery would also give Mongolians a place to figure out how to protect the Eg-Uur watershed. 'We wanted to engage the community in a conservation effort,' Quammen said." Joan Haines in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"'We have six primary salmon rivers,' Greiner said. 'Of the hundreds of pools available, I'd rate the top ones as White House on the York, Big Indian on the Saint Jean, Maitland on the Saint Jean, then Spruin Rock and Gourmet Camp on the York. Oh, and I'd have to put Molson Camp in there.'" That's Bill Greiner of Malbaie Lodge revealing his choices of the best spots to fly fish for Atlantic salmon in this famous Canadian fishery. To make his trip all the more "classic," Joe Doggett fishes with an H.S. "Pinky" Gillum bamboo rod, built during the early 1950s, and an Edward vom Hofe German silver and hard rubber hard rubber reel from the 1930s. In the Houston Chronicle. Map of area.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George Anderson is one of the luckiest anglers I know. He's fly fished for more than 50 years. He spent much of that time in trout streams -- and most of that on the infuriatingly difficult Paradise Valley Spring Creeks -- but he made the transition to saltwater as easily as anyone ever has. His long experience seeing and fashioning presentations to difficult trout gave him the tools. And from the get-go, he spent as much time as he possibly could learning from guides, other anglers and longer-than-long days on the water. So George catches a lot of fish -- a lot that other anglers can't catch -- and it looks to the unannointed like luck. And it is.

Continue reading "Lucky" ...

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As described in the "Lucky" piece above, those who have good luck earn it. Dave Kumlien has earned some luck, and he offers advice to the Billing's Gazette's Mart Henckel "Becoming a better fisherman is a function of spending a lot of time fishing. When you spend most of your adult life on the river, you tend to anticipate stuff. You tend to anticipate where the fish will be and what it will take to catch them."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trolling motors, urethane bladders, and puncture-proof shells are some of the features offered with the growing number of kick-boats being sold each year to trout fishermen. What was originally invented to fill gap between float tubes and drift boats has become a specialty in its own right. "A kick boat is distinguishable by its parallel set of inflatable pontoons, held together with a metal cross frame that supports a mesh or plastic seat that sits high out of the water. Usually only an anglers' lower legs will be submerged." Gene Koppy in the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Martin Joergensen fishes a Hardy Ad Swier Pike Teaser pike rod (!) out of Punta Allen north of Mexico's Ascension Bay and discovers the magic of Craig Mathews's "Bonefish Bitters" pattern. This article on GlobalFlyFishers.com shows a slightly different way of tying the Bitters, with legs swept backwards.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Larry Burton earned degrees in electrical engineering, physics and pure mathematics, then decided he'd rather earn his living outdoors. For 35 years he did, hauling his 4-by-5 camera -- one of the old boxlike cameras with a cloth to cover the photographer's head -- around the state and its two national parks, taking pictures that would grace many a Montana, Glacier and Yellowstone calendar." This tribute by Vince Devlin of the Missoula Montana Missoulian includes an example of Burton's characteristically dramatic photograpy.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Alaska's wilderness character may be largely defined by its lack of asphalt, but the state's few major highways and smattering of secondary roads nonetheless lead to some of its best angling. Whether you want prolific salmon runs a short jaunt from your hotel or trophy Arctic char beyond the middle of nowhere, you can drive to it." Dave Hurteau describes 5 rivers that don't require float planes to get to -- the Thorne, the Russian, the Gulkana, the Clearwater and the Sagavanirktok. In Field & Stream.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George Glazener of Texas, along with guide Bill "Grady" Cashin, popularized the use of EC413 (Eagle Claw) "jig hook" flies to tie patterns for stripers and many other kinds of fish and has put together this photo album that shows how inventive tiers -- including Dan Blanton, Bill Nash, Rich Murphy, Lee Haskin and Fred Rickson -- have taken the concept and run with it.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James R. Babb delivers a typically hilarious account of sponging off of his friends and being humiliated by brook trout. "In the Rocky Mountain States, fishing for brook trout is less a backcountry vision quest for a grail with scales than it is pest control with culinary compensation, a free trip to the market with 20 fish to the customer and a green-stamp bonus of environmental righteousness." In Gray's Sporting Journal.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wes Smalling makes the excellent point that outdoor writers spend too much time focusing on the "Secret Spot" and not enough time directing the masses of fishermen to the more accessible, better known areas where they are less likely to have an impact. We saw this happen to the Marquesas in the Florida Keys, to Christmas Island, to parts of the Bahamas, to a handful of other formerly idyllic saltwater fishing spots, and it happens to small but perfect trout streams every day. It's reasonable to question why there shouldn't be some secrets left; for an accomplished angler, discovery is more than half of the fun. In the Free New Mexican.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That's the question Bruce Rich, Region 3 fisheries biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks asks when he finds dead whitefish that have been given the "Montana handshake." Whitefish are, after all, a native species and don't interfere with trout populations. Nick Gevock in the Bozeman Chronicle. (Thanks to reader John DeVault for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New on MidCurrent today, Mike Lawson writes about the secrets of fishing spring creeks when there are millions of bugs on the water. This is a terrific four-page excerpt from Mike's new book Spring Creeks.

"One of the myths of spring-creek fishing is that you can't catch trout unless you know exactly what the trout are feeding on and select a fly that precisely matches the insect they're eating. I have known some very good anglers who carry only a few simple patterns that catch a lot of fish. Their theory is that if you make a perfect presentation it doesn't matter what fly you use. Art Lee makes a case for this approach in his book, Fishing Dry Flies for Trout on Rivers and Streams. Lee credits Ernest Schwiebert with popularizing the term 'matching the hatch' in 1955. Lee notes that matching the hatch requires substantial investments of both time and money as we waste countless hours changing flies every 'twenty seconds' at the 'right time' for the 'right fish.'"

Read the full article

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The upper Madison River from Ennis Lake to Hebgen Lake took over last year as the most heavily fished water in the state. More than 115,000 anglers dipped a line in that reach of the Madison between March 2003 and February 2004, according to a Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks report." That's a large amount of felt hitting river rock. Nick Gevock in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. (Thanks to reader John DeVault for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New on MidCurrent, Dr. David Ross questions an old wives' tale and one of our favorite excuses for bad (and good) fishing in saltwater with his article "The Pressure Myth."

"A rise or fall in barometric pressure, such as with an approaching cold front, usually means a shift in the weather pattern. And it is the change in the weather, not any fluctuation in barometric pressure," Dr. Ross says, "that affects both the fish and the fishing. In fact, most saltwater species probably aren?t even aware of barometric variations."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Old Florida Reels, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, has been sold to Mustad Ventures (unrelated to the O. Mustad Company of Norway), a company that has been involved with the reel manufacturer for several months.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was fishing that led Winslow Homer to the Adirondacks of New York State to record moments in American angling like that captured in "Casting, A Rise" (1889) and "Pickerel Fishing" (1892). "To paraphrase the American art critic Robert Hughes, if you want to see Thoreau's America turning into Teddy Roosevelt's, then Homer's the artist for you." An exhibition of 15 of Homer's works made while visiting Minerva and Keene Valley is on display at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, through September 6.

If you're a fan of Homer's work or American sporting art, you might want to consider Winslow Homer: Artist and Angler (2003). "Homer's fly-fishing paintings are an immensely varied and little-understood aspect of his art. They serve as a counterpoint to all his other work, especially in the decades of the 1880s and beyond when fly-fishing represented a regular and sustained activity for the artist."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jason Borger describes this deadly technique that can be used for nymphing, streamers and even dry fly fishing to entice strikes. The secret is in controlling drag. "The angler stands at the edge of a current tongue and casts up and slightly across stream with a short (usually no more than 20 feet), controlled line. After the fly settles to the water, the rod tip is raised to keep only enough line on the water to allow the fly to sink. Leaving the entire length of the cast on the water causes downstream drag to set in, undermining the effectiveness of the technique." From Fly Fish American Online.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Before setting forth for night fishing, stow your gear in your shirt, vest or pack with care. Have a special place for a light - a hat-mounted light is good because it frees your hands to change flies and release fish - knife, pliers, hook sharpener, flies, leader material and close-up glasses (if you need them) for working on leaders and flies." Nelson Bryant gives a run-down on the proper things to consider before surf casting for stripers at night in the northeast U.S. In The New York Times.

If you're serious about night striper fishing, Frank Daignault's Fly Fishing the Striper Surf is an essential read.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Christian Figenschou, a 23 year old fly fisher from Norway, keeps a bunch of really interesting photos of his various fishing trips to distant locations on his Web site. There are lots of fine photos mixed in with the standard travelogue stuff, including 95(!) shots from a recent bonefishing trip to Abaco in the Bahamas, and a section on his trip to Norway's Trysil River.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a very handy link to a nationwide survey of current drought conditions updated by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This excellent tailwater trout river between northern California's Lake Britton and Lake Shasta can be fished in a variety of ways, but be sure your wading skills are up to par. "While some of the river is accessible within casting distance of your parked car, other stretches require hikes down well-maintained paths, bushwhacking through dense brush or a steep trek down a narrow canyon." Chris Shaffer in California Game & Fish.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As any hard-core hiker, camper, or cross-country skier knows, coming across a cabin in the middle of nowhere means a glimpse into nirvana. Not surprisingly, there is a growing interest in the cabins that dot the North American wilderness. Christopher Solomon writes in The New York Times about the many places rentable cabins exist, including Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, the mountains of northern Arizona, and southwest Florida's barrier islands. And here are some convenient links to cabins and reservation services when you're looking to almost rough it:

http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/reservations/#cabins

http://www.reserveusa.com/

http://www.cabinweb.com/

http://www.naturenw.org/cabin-rentals.htm

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

'Cebolla' is Spanish for onion, and no doubt this small stream near the continental divide was named for the wild onions that grow along its banks. "As the creek travels down from the San Juan Mountains into the Gunnison Valley, it forms the northern boundary of the La Garita Wilderness. Along the way it changes character, from a pearl string of beaver ponds and tranquil, green spring creek-like stretches to a clear, purling "freestone" stream with pools stitched together by white pocket water." Ed Dentry writes about this favorite of small-stream aficionados in the Rocky Mountain News. (Map of area.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This asian fish has apparently been dumped into the Potomac and now is breeding at an alarming rate. NPR offers this audio stream of their coverage of the problems associated with this invasive species. More info can be found on the U.S. government's invasive species site. (Thanks to reader Olivia Titus for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That's the only parallel that writer Mark Littleton can think of when he thinks of a week upriver. If you haven't found yourself babbling with excitement recently, it might be time to take Mark up on his advice to take "at least three days to really unspool and shut off that little voice in your head that is constantly yammering about all the things you need to do and all of the unsolvable problems hanging over your head." In the Seattle Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"'Knowledge of the whereabouts of good hunting or fishing is a very personal form of property,' Aldo Leopold wrote. 'It is like rod, dog, or gun: a thing to be loaned or given as a personal courtesy.'" Aldo Leopold is perhaps best remembered for his A Sand County Almanac, which is widely regarded as one of the classics of nature writing. Harry L. Peterson and a friend took it upon themselves to find one of the creeks mentioned in Leopold's landmark book and report their findings in Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The best thing about this piece called "History of the Art of Fly Fishing" are the recipes from Treatsye on Fysshynge with an Angle, probably the earliest known list of selections for fly fishers, and, classicly, organized by month. On Flyfishing-Flies.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Perry Ralston makes cane fly rods and runs a store in Felton, California that sits across from All About Hair and harkens back to United Cigar, "the old-fashioned tobacco and tackle shop on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz frequented by his grandfather." Jondi Gumz in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The annual Ennis Fly Fishing Festival brings 5 days of fly fishing, conservation, art, sculpture and photography to this epicenter of Madison Valley fishing. 3M's Bruce Richards will be there, as will Brian O'Keefe, Bruce Richards, Bob Jacklin, Kelly Galloup, Scott Sanchez, Troy Letherman, Jim Klug, Greg Thomas and Bruce Chard.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)