Andy Mill was the winner of the Gold Cup tarpon tournament in the Florida Keys this year. He was guided by Tim Hoover. That makes 5 Gold Cup victories for Andy. As in most other events that happened in June in the Keys this year, anglers had to battle very challenging weather conditions — lots of rain and wind — and there were relatively few fish caught. Only 7 "weight fish" were landed by 21 anglers. Here are the details (unofficial):

First Place: Mill and Hoover with 3 weight fish.
1st Runner Up: Neil Hopkins with Kenny Collete with 2 weight fish(they also landed the largest fish at 138 pounds)
2nd Runner Up: Tom Siska with guide Glen Flutie with 1 fish

(Thanks to readers Phillip Gaboney and Diana Rudolph for these details.)

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

"Apart from a remarkable isolation penetrated only by the daily summer passage of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, these canyon reaches of the Los Pinos offer a population of brown trout that extends beyond the size expectation anglers normally assign to a small stream." Charlie Meyers writes about fishing this small tributary of the San Antonio River in the Rio Grande National Forest in Colorado. In the Denver Post.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"There's no doubt that most anglers should start with a floating line. But after you've learned to cast a moderate distance, say 60 feet, and after you have taken a few fish, you'll want to scratch beneath the surface." As usual, Chico is spot on when it comes to being prepared for any eventuality. This week we get his advice on making sinking lines part of our arsenal in "Deep Thinking."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fly fishers might know him as the 1995 Individual World Champion, but the financial world knows him as the 35-year-old founder and head of Ferox Capital Management, a hedge fund specialising in convertible bond markets. Jeremy Herrmann paid himself £21 million ($38 million) last year. Let's see, that's about 53,521 Abel Super 12 reels, or 56,716 Sage Xi2 11-weights, or...

You can read a bit more about Jeremy Herrmann the fly fisher in this piece by Guy Turck on JacksonHolenet.com.

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

A Vermont conservation group plans to join in a cost-sharing agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to help improve trout habitat in the Batten Kill. "For years, scientists have puzzled over the declining numbers of trout in the river that runs through Dorset, Manchester and Arlington before entering New York state. Part of the answer may lie in providing more shelter and cover in the river habitat, [Cynthia] Browning said." Andrew McKeever in the Vermont Times Argus.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nelson Bryant has the ability to inject New Yorker magazine-style narrative into The New York Times. Here he fly fishes Little Salmon Stream Lake in Maine for white and yellow perch, bluegill, smallmouth bass and pickerel. "The late Lee Wulff, a close friend and internationally known fly fisherman, was in his early 80's when he told me of his belief that black flies, midges and mosquitoes had difficulty penetrating aging skin. This may be true with the first two species, but the mosquitoes that dined on a person of similar age at Salmon Stream gained gratification immediately after landing."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

David Westby is legendary in Belize for his skills in bonefish and permit fishing guiding. In this article by Joe Doggett, he offers several interesting and thought-provoking tips for saltwater fly fishers, among them: "Use a sidearm cast whenever possible on shallow fish under high-visibility conditions." And: "Cast as close as possible to a tailing fish. The fish is preoccupied, rooting on bottom, and a tight presentation puts the fly right there when the head comes up." In the Houston Chronicle.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 4:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VirtualFlycasting.com hosts a bunch of good content — including video — on casting, starting with this introduction called the Five Essentials. These folks are all Fly Fishing Federation certified instructors and know their stuff. (Thanks to reader Zach Mathews for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 3:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"My three previous fishing excursions of the year had also been at quasi-legendary rivers - the South Fork of the Boise River, Montana's Gallatin River and the Henry's Fork of the Snake. And each time the day's events went something like this: Arrive at river, rain starts to fall, hands begin to go numb, hangover worsens, no fish bite." Dan Boyd aims for Idaho's Silver Creek to soothe his fishless frenzy. On IdahoStateJournal.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These are the implements required for fishing for sea bass in the River Torridge estuary just outside Biddeford, England, according to this piece by Richard Donkin in the Financial Times. "There is something quite spooky about wading a river in near blackness. Above the run of the stream every noise is magnified. The constant rustling of unseen creatures about their nocturnal foraging is punctuated by the screeching of tawny owl chicks, a cow coughing, a startled pheasant and, most exciting of all, the occasional big splash."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a fine look at the life of Bob Jacklin, proprietor of Jacklin's Fly Shop in West Yellowstone and one of the pillars of trout fishing in the western U.S. "I was about eight years old as I can remember and I didn't really catch any trout until I was about 13, but I'd been interested in trout since I was old enough to walk." Ben Pierce in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. (Thanks to reader John Devault for the this link.)

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

"'It was pretty unusual for TU to get together with the enemy,' Ross, chairman of the organization's Virginia State Council, said with a slight smile. 'And we heard a little bit about that from our board.'" Ross, who is also author of Trout Unlimited's America's 100 Best Trout Streams, found a way to include Dominion Power resources in the production of a video to help explain the effects of acid rain on trout. In Virginia's Roanoke Times.

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

Why male fly fishers insist on peculiar headwear is a subject best tackled by some graduate student of psychology, but we've all been dumbfounded, at one time or another, by someone else's noisome hat choice. Bob Salemo lists many of the possibilties. "A friend of mine picked one up on a recent bonefishing trip to the Bahamas. It has a second smaller bill in the back, which from a distance makes it difficult to tell whether he’s coming or going and twice as ridiculous as the single bill variety." On Connecticutt's NewBritainHerald.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"It's a hatch unlike any other in Montana. The Pteronarcys Californica stonefly — the real name for the salmonfly — is a biggie. It can be fully as long and as big around as your little finger. And in big hatch years, it comes out in clouds." Mark Henckel in the Billings (Montana) Gazette.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Rick Pope notes in the press release, "Ed has agreed to be involved in the design of our rods and related products, to assist in developing casting schools and educational programs, and to participate in general business planning for TFO."

Read the full release in the extended entry.

Our ongoing pursuit of offering “Affordable High Performance” flyrods, has just been accelerated. Most of you know Ed Jaworowski as a writer and photographer, and some of you have had the pleasure of seeing his casting demonstrations or even been fortunate enough to take a lesson from him. Ed’s passion and skill for teaching and casting are limitless.

In addition to teaching casting and fly fishing for the past 25 years, Ed has written and contributed to 4 books – including authoring The Cast, Troubleshooting the Cast and Pop Fleyes, consultant and contributor to Complete Book of Fly Fishing (published in at least 5 countries) – plus his writings have been featured in over 200 publications and more than 20 periodicals since 1977. These skills and writings are the result of his extensive experiences with both fly and light tackle throughout Europe, North and South America.

Lefty summed it up nicely by saying: “Ed is a well rounded freshwater and saltwater fly fisherman who understands fly casting techniques and principles better than any man I have ever met. He will be a real asset to TFO.” We are delighted and honored to have him join us. Ed has agreed to be involved in the design of our rods and related products, to assist in developing casting schools and educational programs, and to participate in general business planning for TFO. Please join me in welcoming him to our team.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rob Streeter talks about strategies for fishing the massive hexagenia limbata hatches that have begun on northeastern U.S. lakes. "In terms of fishing strategy, start out with a sinking line fishing down several feet during the period when the fish are hitting the nymphs as they leave the bottom muck. As the hatch progresses, switch to a floating line and fish a nymph just underneath the surface. Finally, switch to a dry fly as they start rising." In the Albany, New York Times Union.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Yes, the crazy animal deserved to die. But must he ride beside me?"

"Si, la bestia loca mereció morirse. Pero es necesario que esté sentada junto a mi?"

This is just one of the jewels from the author's guide to linguistic flair for North Americans traveling in in Central and South America. In Outside magazine.

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

Do cheap balloons from overseas portend a strike indicator market crash? That's an idea suggested by Ed Dentry, who was turned on to the idea by Bighorn fishing guide Dave Johnson. "'Don't blow it up big, and then let it shrink to the size you want; that weakens it. You just puff a little, until it's about the size of a nickel. Then tie it off with a double overhand knot. Don't make it too big or it will be wind-resistant. If you do it right, it will last for days.'" In the Rocky Mountain News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to veteran Florida guide Frank Catino, fishing for laid up tarpon has been as good this year as he ever seen it. "For these docile shallow water tarpon, Catino uses a shrimp imitation fly pattern called the Ruoff Laid Up Tarpon Fly tied on a 2-O hook. The fly was developed by another veteran Keys fly fisherman, Rick Ruoff, a friend of Catino's." (MidCurrent Note: actually, the first fly of this type was probably developed and popularized by angler Fitz Coker.) Bill Sargeant in Florida Today.

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

John Corrigan explores the reasons why too much trout fishing can make one a poor Atlantic Salmon fisher. "Salmon are known as the king of game fish because of their muscle and fight. The same qualities apparently make the faster current more attractive. Trout will take up positions in the slower water. The same principle applies to how the species relate to underwater boulders. Salmon hang upstream from the obstructions. Trout prefer the calmer water on the downstream side." In the Concord (New Hampshire) Monitor.

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

Does pursuing a title fall into the category of permissable behavior for trout bums? Apparently if you write your application on a discarded Pabst Blue Ribbon carton it does. In the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune.

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

A headlamp and a large rust-colored spinner lead to Stephen Sautner's largest brown trout of the season. "Spinners actually represent the final egg-laying stage of an adult mayfly's brief existence. You can identify them by their clear wings, usually brightly colored body and aerial acrobatics - used to attract a mate. Newly hatched duns, on the other hand, come in more somber tones and fly with all the grace of Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose." In the New York Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The mid '70s saw the completion of Brister's masterwork. Shotgunning, the Art and Science, published in 1976, was the standard of measure, the result of years of hands-on research. During the late '70s, Brister defined steel shot and introduced sporting clays — the two most significant issues in shotgunning at the time. On the fishing front, Brister's columns and contacts were instrumental in launching the Gulf Coast Conservation Association and the 'Save the Redfish' movement that established the future of saltwater fishing in Texas." Joe Doggett memorializes one of the more important outdoor writers of our era in today's Houston Chronicle.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glen West suggests that the best way to fish a damsel fly is as a nymph, not a floating pattern. In the Billings (Montana) Gazette.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roanoke (Virginia) Times columnist Richard Formato has an interesting take on the Orvis dynasty, which he describes as mostly the result of smart retailing moves. "Like it or not, Orvis is an institution in the fly-fishing industry. They are a well-capitalized retailer with fly shops in the best real estate locations all over the United States and Orvis was smart to realize that a broad assortment in sporting apparel and home furnishings was good for earnings."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Merwin describes the three most common mistakes anglers make when fishing surface poppers for bass: a poorly placed rod tip, a weak leader, and an incorrect retrieve. In Field & Stream.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These week Toney Sisk throws a big, hairy deer-hair chugger of an article about fly fishing for bass our way. As he notes in "Bass On a Fly," "if you are going to catch a bass, act like a bass. This doesn't mean you have to eat frogs and harass cute little baby ducks. But you need to think like a bass."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association's EFTTEW show starts tomorrow in Warsaw, Poland. According to the EFTTA's Web site, "EFTTEX regularly attracts visitors from over 40 countries including Japan, Argentina, Russia and Australia in addition to those visitors from Europe."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just in case you're still looking for a father's day gift, here's a new collection of stories on fishing with fathers by Nelson Bryant, Tom McGuane, Howell Raines, William Tapply and other notable authors. Fishing With My Father: A Literary Companion (Chamberlain Bros., April 2005, 256 pages) is edited by Peter Kaminsky, a freelance outdoors writer for the New York Times and New York and other magazines.

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

"At a time when women are slowly finding their way toward America's secluded rivers and streams, fly-fishing gear in tow, Pentoney's refusal to take offense and willingness to lend her expertise have made her an invaluable asset to Team USA's cause. She has won casting tournaments, stunned male teammates with her proficiency and helped dismiss the stereotype that fishing is a sport dominated by men." David Hammel in the California North County Times.

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

Penguin re-released Mark Kingwell's novel Catch and Release: Trout Fishing and the Meaning of Life (Penguin, April 2005, 256 pages). As the Boston Globe reviewer wrote, the book "illustrates deep thoughts on truth, beauty and thinking itself with laugh-out-loud yarns of male bonding."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eric Sharp offers a bit of biology and reports that the big annual Hex hatch is on the verge of happening in northern Michigan. "There are about 15 Hexagenia species across the continent, four of them found in Michigan. Most important to anglers is the biggest, Hexagenia limbata, a creature that spends 99.999 % of its two-year life cycle in a U-shaped burrow in the mud of a lake or river. Then it emerges to mate, reproduce and die in a single day between the second week of June and the first week in July." In the Detroit Free Press.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"An 8-weight fly rod rigged with floating line and a 12-foot-long leader with 10-pound-test Maxima tippet was perfect for reds at Cottonwood Hole. A No. 6 Sockeye Orange -- a silver-bodied, sparsely-tied salmon fly with orange hackle and a wisp of black calf tail for a wing -- with a single 3/0 split shot crimped 18 inches above took a limit of salmon within 45 minutes." Ken Marsh notes that the huge run of Russian River-bound red salmon has prompted wildlife officials to open the season one month early on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. In the Anchorage Daily News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As boat ramps get more crowded, motors that can be clamped onto transoms to give anglers power to travel long distances will get only more popular. "These portable kickers are commonplace on tidal rivers of the Georgia coast, the winding creeks and blackwater rivers of Pamlico and Albemarle and Currituck sounds, the bays and cuts of the upper Everglades, Matagorda Bay and Laguna Madre along the Texas coast. A causeway or a bridge approach plus a place to park is all you need." Frank Sargeant in Shallow Water Angler magazine.

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

We wonder what might have happened had the pilot not left these fly-in anglers a rifle. "'I loaded the gun,' he said, 'put the safety on, put it on a top bunk, and told everyone where it was.' Still, he never really thought he would have to use it." Doug Moe in the Madison, Wisconsin Capital Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Veteran guide and renowned fly tier Chuck Stranahan has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to managing runoff situations. You can read his advice in the new MidCurrent article "Taking High Water Trout."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Lyons Press has just released a first novel by Jeff Hull entitled Pale Morning Dun (The Lyons Press, June 2005, 352 pages). Sybil Downing tells the storyline — ex-guide in conflict with his neighbors over ranch development — in the Denver Post.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nat Worden completes a pilgrimage to eastern Idaho's Henry's Fork and enjoys the annual salmonfly spectacle. "The cattails lining the bank behind us crawled with salmonflies, averaging two inches long and named for their pinkish-orange thoraxes. The bugs had crawled out of the water the night before for the first time in their lives, having spent years as nymphs squirming along the river bottom. Here, in their final spring, the instinct to procreate had driven them above the water's surface, where they split out of their casings by the light of a full moon, displayed their new wings, mated, laid eggs and died in a blaze of glory." In The New York Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dave Hurteau lists 6 recent can't-do-without products for anglers venturing beyond the reach of civilization. Ignore the spinning gear but check out the Petzl TacTikka Plus Headlamp currently used by many U.S. soldiers in Iraq. In Field & Stream.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When the Mike Horse Dam was partially breached in 1975, it heavily polluted the upper Blackfoot and started a multi-million dollar clean-up effort. Recent heavy Montana rains have sparked renewed interest in having the unstable dam removed. "'The dam should be taken out,' said Becky Garland, a small-business owner in Lincoln who has been active in Blackfoot protection issues. 'We don't want to see undone all the work that's gone into the Blackfoot over the last 15 years.'" Michael Moore in Montana's Missoulian.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"When folks head to Rangeley to cast into rivers and streams, they often think of the Kennebago and Rangeley rivers, and for good reason. Brook trout and landlocked salmon move into these waters in June, and folks with light fly rods can tangle with some old brutes." Ken Allen talks about the bounty awaiting anglers in the Augusta-Waterville, Maine area. On MaineToday.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Patagonia recently upgraded their Marlwalker line to make it lighter, more durable and supportive, and faster drying.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

John Higley describes the munch-fest that occurs on California's famous steelhead river every late May or early June. "That's when the upper Klamath comes alive with the annual hatch of salmonflies (Pteronarcys californica), giant members of the stonefly family. Stoneflies make up nearly 400 species spread throughout North America. Wherever they are found, stoneflies become food for trout." In California Game & Fish Magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Experience has led many northeastern U.S. anglers to go to smaller and smaller flies for striped bass and bluefish. In this new piece on MidCurrent, Henry Cowen shows you some of the better patterns for tying tiny baitfish imitations that follow the trend.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several sportfishing, fly fishing conservation and environmental groups are suing to prevent activities by a Pacific Gas and Electric facility from causing another massive fish kill on Butte Creek. "'Enormous efforts were made to bring the spring-run chinook back from the brink of extinction, including the removal of several dams on lower Butte Creek,' said Allen Harthorn of Friends of Butte Creek. 'It's time for FERC to consult formally with the NOAA-Fisheries to reassess the impacts of the DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project.'" Dan Bacher on Tidepool.org.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We all wish "notoriously boastful and irritable" fly fishers were the only targets, but the fact is that fishing near farm animals involves odd risks for everyone, including having your fly rod eaten. Here's a hilarious piece by Brian Clarke of the London Times which includes this advice from H. T. Sheringham on dealing with bulls: “Other methods of managing a bull are: (1) beating him with an iron bar until he repents of his sins; (2) taking him by the horns and wrestling with him until you have him at your mercy; (3) twisting his tail until he is calm.”

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the Economist: "On June 1st, after fierce lobbying by a local group called Noodlers Anonymous, Missouri will open its first season of legal hand-fishing. But it will only be a six-week experiment. And of the three authorised rivers, only one is well suited to noodling." So far only 21 have signed up to be evaluated by fellow human beings for bravery and intelligence.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you didn't already know, these are the four categories into which entomologists group mayfly nymphs. This quick introduction to mayflies and other species is worth reading if you're new to fly fishing entomology. On FlyFishingConnection.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Glenn West offers this advice along with his chironomid pupa recipe: "Chironomids will ride in the surface film of the water for quite some time, and fish that are feeding as though they are taking dry flies will actually be taking these. When no activity results from dry-fly presentations, it's time to give these a try." In the Billings Gazette.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The Deschutes demands that you drop a fly into a small target, while fly fishing the Sea of Cortez calls for long, booming casts. It felt so good to crouch at the bank and cast a light, four-weight trout rod. The light leaders felt like spider web silk after a week of wrestling with heavy monofilament and streamer flies as long as my hand." Even after the excitement of big fish in saltwater, Chester Allen finds that it's hard to beat the pleasures of fishing one's home waters, in this case Washington's Deschutes. In the Washington state Olympian.