For fly fishers who prefer — or want to try — a more "traditional" rod action, Lefty Kreh, Ed Jaworowski and Gary & Wanda Taylor have helped Temple Fork design a new series of slower action rods. As Ed Jaworowski notes in the press release (read the extended entry below): “These are the ideal rods for casting smaller dries, terrestrials, and nymphs on meadow streams, limestone creeks, and spring creeks. TFO tailored these rods for smooth, accurate, and delicate presentations, and they roll cast like a dream.” For more info visit Temple Fork Outfitters' Web site.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. Aaron Adams of Mote Marine Laboratory and Dr. Jerry Ault of the Rosensteil School of Marine at Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami will update Florida Keys anglers on the latest results of research. Reservations required for this next Bonefish & Tarpon Unlimited seminar at 5 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Islamorada Fishing Club. In the Florida Keys Keynoter. (Thanks to reader David Dalu for this link.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to the efforts of conservationists, Black Earth Creek north of Madison, Wisconsin remains a pristine fly fishing spot. "When you fly fish at night, you know that it can be boom or bust. And there are plenty of good nights to make up for the bad ones. [Brett] Hulsey has caught trophy fish using large parachute hex flies that imitate the hatch on Black Earth Creek. 'I’ll use the world’s largest dry flies,' he joked. 'Those are the ones these big browns can see at night.'" Brett Frazee in the Kansas City Star.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This third annual Ennis, Montana event brings Ted Leeson, Dick Greene, Ken Morish, Scott Sanchez, Kelly Galloup, Greg Thomas and Bob and Cezanne Alexander to the Madison river for 4 days of presentations and instruction starting September 1. See the offical Web site at www.ennisflyfishing.com for more info.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a follow-up to last week's story about three fly fishers being struck by lighting in Montana's Paradise Valley, Scott McMillion interviews Chip Rizutto, who took the direct hit. "When the cloud appeared overhead, a bolt of lightning struck a ridge a quarter mile away, Himes said. The men started for their vehicle and made it about 300 yards when lightning struck Rizzotto, the tallest of the three at 5'10"." In the Bozeman Chronicle.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Prices, which is near Lake Cushman, is a clear, shallow, weedy bug factory, which is my favorite kind of trout lake. The fish get big and beautiful, and you can see them -- even if you can't catch them." Chester Allen thinks Prices Lake is too tempting a lure for trout poachers. In the Washington state Olympian.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Richard Formato notes that the approach of fall seems to heighten the activity of all terrestrials, especially beetles. "Beetles works best when dead drifted, with a mended line off the bank. One of my many weaknesses is moving my fly too much. If you have a great drift, leave it alone. A 'dead' beetle will soon be a 'fed' trout." In the Roanoke (Virginia) Times.

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

Jim Chapralis may not be a household name, especially if your fly fishing started in the last 20 years. But he was a pioneer in destination fly fishing, founding PanAngling and being among the very first to explore exotic angling opportunities around the world. So we think his take on Stu Apte — also undeniably a pioneer in fly fishing — carries considerable weight. Read Jim's profile of Stu Apte, an excerpt from his recent book Fishing Passion.

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

"Texas has just the place for you — the Lighthouse Lake Trails, located in Redfish Bay near Port Aransas on the middle Texas coast. It’s a kayak fishing dream world encompassing nearly 20 navigable miles of water averaging 8 inches to 2 feet deep." Robert Sloan in Shallow Water Angler magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Team France was the clear winner in the 25th Annual FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships which wrapped up in Lycksele, Sweden yesterday. The competition saw 21 teams competing on the Juktan, Logde and Rodingtrask rivers. Frenchman Bertrand Jacquemin also won the individual championship. The top three finishers for the U.S.: Pete Erickson (34th), Ryan Barnes (64th), and Jim Hickey (71st). You can find all of the team and individual results on the French International Federation of Sport Fly Fishing Web site (click on "News").

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

Al Raychard gives a great synopsis of trout fishing opportunities in the northeast U.S. this fall and notes how improved water quality and resource management has made a real difference, especially in Maine and Connecticut. "One of the more exciting study programs to get underway in recent years is the reintroduction of rainbow trout to Maine waters. Rainbows were first introduced here in the 1930s, then again in the 1960s, but those attempts weren’t successful. In 2001, about a dozen waters in the southern part of the state were stocked with 10,000 rainbows as part of a five- to six-year study to determine how they will fare compared to brook and brown trout in Maine waters." In New England Game & Fish magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Puget Sound's sea-run cutthroat fishing just gets better and better, even for those who've been fishing there for decades. "'Cutthroat prowl South Sound beaches almost year-round -- they do shoot up the little creeks to spawn and eat salmon eggs during the winter and early spring -- and they all are wild fish,' [Les] Johnson said. 'We're really starting to see the fruit of the 1997 no-kill decision,' said Johnson, who has fished for Puget Sound cutthroat for 60 of his 72 years. 'We're seeing more fish and more big fish.'" Chester Allen in the Olympia, Washington Olympian.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A renowned fly casting instructor and Loop Tackle Design consultant, England's Eoin Fairgrieve wants to distract the iPod generation with novel recreation: fly fishing. Jenny Shields in the London News Telegraph.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This maker of hiking and mountaineering apparel is introducing a new line of apparel and accessories for fly fishers. "Cloudveil, the Jackson Hole, Wyoming-based producers of technical apparel, announced the launch of an entirely new line of angling products, set for debut at the Fly Fishing Retailer Show in Denver September 8 ­-10, 2005."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iowans and Trout Unlimited are working to return portions of the state to their pre-agricultural glory. "John van Vliet and I fished in one of the most ambitious restoration areas, the 98-acre Prairie Song Farm. Mike Osterholm, with help from federal and state agencies, Trout Unlimited and other groups, is seeking to restore the area to the prairie grass and oak savannah vegetation that greeted the first settlers in the 1830's." Adam Clymer in The New York Times.

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

"'This is what I paid my money for,' he muttered, clinging to the butt of a severely bent, 10-weight fly rod while a 42-inch northern pike leaped at the end of the line. 'To catch fish so big that they make my wrists ache.'" Eric Sharp in the Knight Ridder Newspapers.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tom Stienstra and Ed Rice came up with this list of the ten greatest adventures for those who enjoy the sporting life. On the list: Fishing the Valley of the Geysers in Russia's Kamchatka interior for the most "original" strain of rainbow trout. In the San Francisco Chronicle.

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

"Historically, the late run of reds to the Russian peaks in late July with the run then starting a precipitous slide. Salmon returns have been decidedly different this year." Craig Medred in the Anchorage Daily News.

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

Three anglers on Mill Creek in Paradise Valley were struck by lightning Wednesday as they tried to escape an oncoming storm. Scott McMillion in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. (Thanks to reader Phillip Gaboney for sending this story.)

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

Scientists think the 5 years since the removal of a major dam at the river's head of tide is enough time to allow for the restoration to show its effects. "Alewives have returned in untold millions, shad once again spawn in the free-flowing reaches near Waterville, and striped bass provide a sport fishing opportunity that hasn't existed in central Maine for more than 150 years." Dave Sherwood in the Portland Press Herald. (Thanks to reader Matt Boutet for this link.)

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

Frank Sargeant gives some excellent advice on the best positioning for wading fly fishers in today's Tampa Bay Online. "The waters behind the outside bar separating the flats from the open water of the bay often have a number of deeper holes -- in this case 'deep' might be only 24 inches -- where fish gather on low water. The runouts through the bar, which are the only exit as the water drops, become ambush points for gamefish, too. The runouts clearly can be seen because of the rippling, rushing water flowing through them."

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

If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Bend, Oregon's High Desert Museum this coming week you'll have a chance to see an exhibition of photos and images by Charles Lindsay, photographer for Upstream : Fly-Fishing in the American West. And if you're a trout fisher and don't know about the book, which was co-authored by Thomas McGuane and published by Aperture in May 2000, you're missing an angling epicurean's delight. It has our highest recommendation.

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

The Hellroaring Plateau 10,000 feet up in Montana's Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is one of the most breathtaking (literally) destinations in the U.S. — even without fish and weather that changes by the minute. Brett French in the Billings Gazette.

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

While preparing for his FFF Conclave talk, Bob Krumm has a "classic" experience on Montana's Depuy's Spring Creek.

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

Here's a great intro to angling opportunities in Belize written by Alex Suescun for Shallow Water Angler. "Blessed with some of the world’s most fertile reefs, numerous coastal rivers and extensive flats, this Caribbean getaway offers terrific angling from Rocky Point just below the Mexican border, south to Punta Gorda near Guatemala."

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

Craig Springer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service talks about subspecies of cutthroat and the various attempts to save them. "The subspecies are unique, scientists say, because they have been isolated from each other for thousands of years. Essentially, each cutthroat subspecies is in itself an expression of the different environments it inhabits." In Rocky Mountain Game & Fish.

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

Roger Wheaton writes about the pig trough created by the flushing of mysis shrimp into this famous Colorado tailwater. "The deep-dwelling shrimp multiplied rapidly, and vast numbers of them were being swept out of the dam's bottom-release tube into the river below. Passage through the tumultuous release tube left the high nutrient value shrimp dead or stunned, thus easy prey for trout." In Rocky Mountain Game & Fish.

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

Chris Hunt, the communications director for Trout Unlimited's Public Lands Initiative, talks about fishing these famous eastern U.S. streams for browns, rainbows and brookies. "If I hadn't known, I never would have guessed this fish, a native to California and the West Coast of the United States, had nailed the Woolly Bugger in central Connecticut's Farmington River, a stone's throw from the historic Hitchcock Chair Company and not too far from our country's revolutionary breadbasket." In the Pocatello, Idaho State Journal.

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

The canals and lakes around Palm Beach, Florida are chock full of aggressive peacock bass, imports from Amazon drainages of South America, and many guides and anglers have focused attention on them in recent years. "The record-setting team of Capt. Alan Zaremba and Marty Arostegui swear by flies that imitate small peacocks and other cichlids. Juvenile cichlids will forage on peacock eggs more fearlessly than native species. So, they both maintain that bed-guarding peacocks will attack such imitations even more aggressively than they’ll attack a leach pattern." Terry Gibson in Florida Sportsman.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Most anglers adopt what's called a 'chuck and duck' philosophy, preferring to sling, rather than deftly cast, this bug. It's an exercise in self-preservation." Glenn West adds a word of warning while noting that this big fly catches a lot of fish. In the Billings Gazette.

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

Jim Cannon, owner of the Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, Colorado, suggests making some noise when dropping hoppers into holding water. "Try picking out a suspected area that holds trout. This could be a deeper riffle or hole. Then slam your hopper down on the water as hard as you can, imitating a hopper that has just been blown onto the water. Sometimes this will trigger an explosive strike that will shock you." On CanyonCourier.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stories like this one remind me of how fly fishing rewards those who dedicate themselves to a locale: spend enough time exploring, and eventually you uncover its closely held secrets. "Bowerman said he's been hiking the east side of the Sierra for more than 15 years. He always hikes and takes his fly rod with a load of dry flies. He didn't want to reveal his secret spot where he had the incredible fishing, saying only that 'it's around 11,000 feet and not more than five miles as the crow flies from Mount Whitney.'" In the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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

This new film, written and narrated by author David James Duncan, will screen at the FFF conclave this week in Livingston. "The film illustrates the evolution of a bamboo fly rod, from the bamboo groves of southern China, to construction of the rods at Winston Rods in Twin Bridges, to the hands of writer/sportsman Thomas McGuane." Scott McMillion in the Bozeman (Montana) Daily Chronicle.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As follow-up to our mention of "blue-lining", we thought it best to share this article by ersatz misanthrope Jim Casada, who prefers a tumbling North Carolina stream with no anglers to any other. "Occasionally my wife, usually when irritated, will say, 'When you die, your epitaph should read "Jim Casada hated people."' That isn’t actually the case, but when trout fishing, I do prefer people in mighty small doses." In North Carolina Game & Fish.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 4:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every once in a while the gentlemen over on Dan Blanton's bulletin board get so wound up in a knotty topic that the complexity of thought gets almost Gordian. But there's an awful lot of information to be gleaned from these rambling threads, like this one on tying Biminis in Gel Spun.

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

Searing summer heat means that many higher streams, like those in eastern California, are just coming into shape. "If you've never been up to the Carson, you should give it a shot sometime in the not-so-distant future. It's a very scenic and enjoyable stream to fish and it harbors plenty of 12- to 14-inch rainbows (with 16+ inchers not entirely uncommon), a few truly jumbo brown trout and the rare cutthroat. Oh yeah, and did I mention it's not 105 degrees up there?" J.D. Richey in the Auburn (California) Journal.

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

Randy Wayne White notes similarities between western trout guides and other societal misfits as he considers an invitation to a fly fishing Ironman contest that includes an "upriver distance run, through Vail, dressed only in underwear." In Outside magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Titusville, Florida, the most commonly sold fishing kayak is the 13-foot-4-inch Prowler by Ocean Kayak. But if you're going to fish longer stretches of water — like the Banana River or Mosquito Lagoon — go longer. Bill Sargeant writes about kayak features for the descriminating angler on FloridaToday.com.

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

"The mechanics of the system vary, but certain rules are involute: Tie the most heavily weighted fly to the end of the rig; attach the droppers about a foot apart; make the dropper lines no more than 4 inches long to avoid tangling. A stiff dropper tippet, say 2X, helps make the fly stand out straight from the main stem of the leader." Charlie Meyers shares his thoughts on the wherebys of swinging wet flies in the Denver Post.

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

"For more solitude and alpine atmosphere, there is the Rio Grande as a tiny meadow stream that begins high on the Continental Divide in the Weminuche Wilderness. For a lot more solitude, tumultuous water and big trout - if you are nimble and the river isn't too high - you might slip down into the rugged canyon known as The Box, 4 miles below Rio Grande Reservoir." Ed Dentry writes about the magic of fly fishing the upper Rio Grande in the Rocky Mountain News.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sounds like another obtuse colloquialism until you get the connection between tiny blue lines on a map and fly fishing small streams, where favorite spots can have names like "Nekkid Girl Pool." George Grant and Clarence Moody fish some tiny water in western North Carolina. "On our way we passed the Davidson River and every pullover parking space was filled, ample motivation for Bluelining. 'You know they like to call the Davidson "technical water?"' Moody said. 'I think that’s just a polite way to say over-fished.'" On TriCities.com.

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

Bill Hansford-Steele recently authored a new book on fly patterns for South African salt. Perhaps if we are lucky this one will pop up on Amazon.com soon. "The mini-manual begins with general definitions regarding the regions of the South African coastline, relevant water temperature and the habitats, as well as which local fish occur where. Most of the text is devoted to the relationship between possible food forms which are likely to feed fish in their habitats and the best ammunition to employ in deceiving them." Greig Ironside on IAfrica.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though man-made and stocked, Black Hills lakes like Sheridan, Pactola and Deerfield offer plenty of good trout fishing for fly fishers, thanks to improved stocking policies. "Deerfield has long been home to a respectable brook trout population. The brookies spawn upstream in Castle and Ditch creeks, and the baby fish make their way to Deerfield, where they have plenty of room to grow. Your chances of catching a big brookie in are better at Deerfield than just about anywhere else in the Black Hills." Dick Willis in Great Plains Game & Fish magazine.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a fine interview with a lot of inside info on bamboo rod building by one of modern masters: Tom Morgan. "Almost all of the modern graphite rod designs are a tip over butt ferrule. The butt, that is smaller in diameter and thick walled, fits inside a tip, that is bigger in diameter and thin walled. It's not impossible to design a smooth casting rod with this configuration but it's nearly so because of the inherent difference in weight and flex." On RodBuildingForum.com. (Thanks to reader John DeVault for this link.)

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

Jennings Culley recalls his own tutelage under Joe Brooks and the many contributions Brooks made to the sport of fly fishing. "The superstars of the sports world worshipped him. Ted Williams was a neighbor and fishing pupil of Brooks in the Florida Keys. Jack Nicklaus said he read every book the guy wrote. Sam Snead admired his deftness with a fly rod. But it was the average angler who marveled at his technique on TV shows and clung to his every tip. A kind, gentle soul, he would stoop to help anyone." In the Richmond, Virginia Times-Dispatch.

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

From this page on the Federation of Fly Fishers site you can get all the details about this year's conclave, which runs from August 10 to 13 in Livingston, Montana. According to the site, "The focus on two handed casting and spey casting will continue this year. Those presenting casting workshops include Mel Krieger, Bruce Richards, Tom White, Maggie Merriman, McCauley Lord, and Joan Wulff and Floyd Franke. The very popular double haul for dummies with Rhea Topping is also back."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It takes only a couple of gallons of ammonia to kill thousands and thousands of fish, as yet another incident on Vermont's Winooski River shows. "The Cabot spill, like many on the Winooski and elsewhere, began when human beings failed to exercise enough care with potential pollutants. Creamery executives are the first to acknowledge the company's responsibility. 'We shoulda known better,' said Marcel Gravel. Gravel manages the plant in Cabot village where the Vermont company makes 800,000 pounds a day of its specialty cheeses as well as yogurt, sour cream and butter."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)