If you happen to have lived in the past half-century and fly fished in salt water, you've benefited from the experience of a few folks who struck out in small boats and went and did things that others probably thought were ridiculous. One of these was Cecil Keith, who began guiding in the Florida Keys in 1947 at the age of sixteen. As Sandy Moret said in a recent note about Keith's death, "Cecil was one of the true pioneers of both inshore and offshore sport fishing as we know it today. He had the opportunity to fish the Keys when they were virtually untouched and I loved Cecil’s stories of 'the old day' with Ted Williams, Jimmy Albright, Jack Brothers and so many more of my angling heroes."

I remember being speechless after Bob Montgomery introduced me to Cecil Keith and Jimmie Albright at my induction into the Florida Keys Guides' Association in 1987. I often wish I could rewind the clock to that moment and ask the two the hundreds of questions that came with more years on poling platform. As a "protege" of Jimmie Albright, Keith really was one of the first guides who learned the trade from older, more experienced guides, beginning a tradition that still exists today. (By the way, Albright himself had learned to bonefish from Bill and Bonnie Smith and had been guiding the flats for only four years when Keith caught the bug.) Fly fishing for sailfish was also very popular in those days, and Keith helped refine many of those earliest techniques. I'm sure they didn't know it at the time, but Keith and Albright enabled the dreams of almost every guide in their wakes.

Cecil Keith died on his birthday at the age of 76 last Wednesday. A memorial service will be held on February 17 at 3:00 PM at Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada. You can be sure to hear many veteran guide stories and plenty of Keys flats lore. Like so many great guides, Keith's unlikely to get due credit for many of his contributions to the sport, but you'll get some sense of his importance from the size of the crowd in attendance. You'll always see Cecil Keith's name engraved on the Gold Cup Tournament trophy, but his legacy lives most strongly in the tradition of flats guiding.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

In a setback for the exclusive Spring Ridge Club, a county judge ruled Monday that the club cannot continue to bar access to the 1.3 miles of stream located on its property. Using the test of navigability first established in 1794, and ruling on a lawsuit filed by the state departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources, the fish commission, and Allan Bright, owner of Spruce Creek Outfitters, the judge noted that the Club was wrong to stop non-members from fishing on what is fact public property. "'Essentially my response was private waters are private and public waters are public. I just didn't feel it was right,' [Bright] said. 'It belongs to the people, not some guy who wants to capitalize.'" From an article by Dan Nephin of the Associated Press.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The 27th European Fishing Tackle Trade Expo will be in Rome this year, running June 13-15. "EFTTEX, the long established European trade show with a proven track record and a distinct international flavour will be held at the recently opened Fiera di Roma located only 5 minutes from Rome’s Fiumicino international airport and just 20 minutes from the city centre." You can find more information on the EFTTEX Web site.

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

"'The miracle meal after the Sermon on the Mount was both loaves and fishes,' says author and storyteller David James Duncan. 'Not one or the other. Both.'" Participating in a rather startling and artistic series of photographs for Save Our Wild Salmon, Duncan makes clear his stance on saving wild salmon via dam removal. An article in Grist magazine sports several of the images, where drift boats on wheat fields focus attention on the diversion of wild fish water for irrigation purposes. (First reported on MoldyChum.com.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Is it the exanded product lines or just the fact that folks are waking up to the great fishing on the upper Arkansas River in Colorado. Or maybe it's the personalized photo mugs available as soon as you step out of the river. In any case, revenue generated by outfitters in the area shows only growth since 2001, belying any notion that fly fishing is not a growing industry. "Total outfitter clientele also increased, although not to the record level of 2001, when 252,213 people booked river trips. Last summer, 237,160 people booked trips, an increase of four percent over 2005 and the greatest total since the 2002 drought." Jason Starr in the Salida, Colorado Mountain Trail.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Worried about a possible breach, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is planning to lower the level of water behind the Wolf Creek Dam, which creates a popular tailwater on the Cumberland River in Tennessee. The effect would be to almost halve the amount of water above the lower intakes, likely raising the temperature of water coming from the base of the dam. If that happens, the Wolf Creek Hatchery, which provides many of the trout that are stocked in North Carolina and northern Georgia, could be adversely affected, and the very popular tailwater could see a big drop in fish numbers. "The Corps of Engineers' drawdown of Lake Cumberland to 680 feet above sea level almost certainly will have an adverse effect on the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery and the 1 million rainbow and brown trout it produces annually." Gary Garth in the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"'You can always tell a Smoky Mountain angler because they habitually cast side-armed,' guide Ian Rutter says. A trout fishing guide in Tennessee for more than 12 years, Rutter guides anglers into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and knows how to hook the native fish." Ian Rutter describes the technique required for fishing wild trout in small streams, where 15-foot casts are the norm, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Article by Eric Bruce.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Guide extraordinaire Steve Huff spoke to a standing-room-only audience at the IGFA in Dania Beach, Florida yesterday, sharing some tremendous insights gathered during more than four decades of fishing south Florida. About snook -- a fish he likes catching more than any other -- he said, "Unlike permit, they play fair. If you put the fly in front of them and you do everything right, they'll sometimes eat the fly, as long as they are not in super-clear water and they haven't noticed you yet. I like the low incoming tide above all. It seems to be the time when they'll eat just about anything."

Some other Huff snook tips:

-- Don't use anything less than a 50# shock tippet, and it doesn't need to be Fluorocarbon (Steve doesn't use Fluorocarbon because it makes the flies sink to fast and he hasn't noticed a difference in the number of hookups).
-- "Fishing for snook is the only time I recommend throwing the fly beyond the fish: 12-15 inches beyond and in front seems to work best."
-- Always use a loop knot to tie on the fly -- it makes the fly move more naturally.

By the way, Steve, who still runs 4 miles a day, often after getting up at 5:00 AM to go fishing, stopped reading fishing magazines and watching fishing on television years ago. "I don't know what it has to do with fishing," he says.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

"For now, east-coast salmon-fishing in Scotland appears to be enjoying a renaissance, although the days of landing 64lb monsters (Miss Georgina Ballantyne's remarkable 1922 catch on the Tay's Glendelvine Pool still stands as the British record today) are long gone." Jeremy Watson talks at length about the new season on Scotland's Tay, where in contrast to most wild Atlantic Salmon fishing, the public has free access to some of the best salmon fishing in the country, and where the Dewar's flows freely at 9AM. In The Scotsman.

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

MoldyChum.com recently uncovered this carbon fly box, which certainly stands apart from every other aluminum and wood and plastic box we've used. Either production is not fully ramped up or the demand is so high that the manufacturer can't keep pace: to buy one you need to get on "the list."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"I'm holding in the current with other trout, watching bugs float by. One is drifting right at my head. I turn for a closer look and am foul hooked. I swim to the surface and spit the regulator out of my mouth. 'Dang it, Bruce, you snagged me again.'" Kirk Deter grabs a mask and tank and goes deep with the trout at the Bridge Hole at Boxwood Gulch Ranch in Shawnee, Colorado, learning plenty of stuff that can't be gleaned from above the surface. Among the less obvious lessons:

-- Tippet size doesn't seem to make that much difference; if in doubt, go big.
-- Even the best anglers miss more than 50 percent of takes when nymph fishing; if you think a trout has eaten your nymph, it probably has.
-- Trout are most likely to eat nymphs that approach them at nose level; with nymphs, weight can be as important as pattern.

Tons of other good insight here on trout behavior and tips on adjusting your fishing style. In Field & Stream. (First picked up by TroutUnderground.com.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All-American author and eater indeed. Jim Harrison is profiled in The New York Times by Charles McGrath, who notes that the author, who writes in a rustic shack rented from his Arizona neighbor, is more prolific than ever. "'My mind can’t stop running fictively,' he said, explaining that he was turning out books these days faster than his publisher could cope with them.''But that’s O.K. Maybe I’ll just write some novels and leave them to my daughters, so they’ll have something when I cack.'” A wonderful interview with insight into one of the U.S.'s most underappreciated authors. Harrison's latest novel is Returning to Earth (Grove Press, November 2006, 272 pages). (Thanks to reader Chris Miller for this link.)

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

Depending on whom you believe, the just-released movie "Catch and Release" is either one of the worst movies ever made or, as New York Times reviewer Steven Holden suggests, a pleasant chick flick: "There is great fly-fishing nearby (the title refers to that sport), and the scenery is to die for. The movie is so conscious of being on a Rocky Mountain high that one character remarks suspiciously that people in Boulder seem 'unnaturally' happy." Joe Louis of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is less mincing with his metaphors: "As every fisherman knows, when there's a jerk at the end of your line, you're about to reel in something that stinks."

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

"'I've known two people in my life who have this astonishing gift for language that makes all the rest of us feel like duds at times - Jack Lacy is one. The other was my neighbor, Eudora Welty.'" So says former U.S. Attorney Brad Pigott of fellow attorney Lacy, who is a member of the team picked to prosecute James Seale for the 42-year-old Mississippi murders that were among a string of civil rights-era killings. Billy Watkins in Mississippi's Clarion Ledger.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Considered a genius by many -- he wrote all the lyrics and some of the music for Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," which has sold more than 35 million copies -- Roger Waters started fly fishing not long after the release of that famous album. His favorite things to do other than write music: fly fish, play golf, and read Cormac McCarthy. "The first words Waters barks down the line from Manhattan, where he is slightly red-faced but fresh from a victorious game of tennis, are: 'Are those New Zealand trout nervous? When I'm in New Zealand I hope to go fishing for trout.'" Vicki Anderson on New Zealand's Stuff.co.nz.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abel Reels once again landed in the number one position for reels used in setting fly fishing records last year. Rio set the pace for the tippet most often used in catching records, and Sage ranked first for fly rods. You can read the Abel press release in the extended entry.

January 23, 2007

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE USE

56 WORLD RECORDS FOR ABEL REELS
DURING FISCAL 2006 ANNOUNCES IGFA

CAMARILLO, Calif. – Abel Reels produced 56 International Gamefish Association (IGFA) Fly-Fishing World Records during 2006 – Number One in the industry – announced the record-keeping organization. It was the most World Records for any fly reel manufacturer.
Abel – along with the runners-up – will be honored at a banquet at the IGFA’s Florida museum in April.
The Abel record catches were made in men’s and women’s categories on both fresh and saltwater species in a variety of tippet classes.
“We are highly gratified that some of the world’s greatest fly-fishers have chosen Abel Reels in the successful pursuit of their dream catches,” said Don R. Swanson, general manager. Founded in 1987, Abel is in their 20th year of producing precision machined fly reels.

-end-

NOTE: For information about specific catches or records on Abel Reels, contact the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) at (954) 924-4246; or Don Swanson at Abel Quality Products, (866) 511-7444.

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

"Using a detailed topographical map, he spotted a slot canyon (with rumored impassable interior waterfalls) below the trackless gorge, making it essentially isolated. For a committed fly-fisherman, this was like waving a red flag in front of a bull." Armed only with a topo map and intrepid spirits, Jonathan Lee Wright and his brother take on the upper reaches of Big Thompson river in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park in search of wild greenback cutthroats. In the Denver Post.

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

"Highly allergic to the bites, yet determined to get the fish, he waded in long enough to land his prize, then succumbed to anaphylactic shock. 'I nearly died,' Ames said by phone from his home outside Helena, Mont. 'I was able to get to a nurse, who gave me an epinephrine shot. They told me the adrenaline from fighting this huge fish saved my life.'" Dave Ames describes a life-threatening fire ant attack that occurred as he fought a big golden Dorado in northern Argentina. From an article about this week's ISE show in Denver, Colorado by Charlie Meyers in the Denver Post.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whenever the subject of writing a book on fly fishing for permit comes up -- and it comes up fairly often in my conversations with friends who know about that fish's magic -- my mind races. There are so many ways to look at the challenges permit present as a fly fishing quarry. And then there are those great unutterables: the experience it takes to learn the fish's timing when it takes a fly, the skill of knowing which fish will eat and which won't, and the willingness -- even desire -- to take on the challenges of strong wind and current. It's not beyond imagination to guess that writing such a book would take a very, very long time.

But as with most types of fly fishing, becoming reasonably good at permit fishing -- at least good enough to build a passion for it -- is not nearly as hard as advertised. This week I share ten tips that might help you rid yourself of the notion that permit are extremely hard to catch. The reality is that in many cases they are easier to fool than bonefish, and oftentimes simply being prepared for what happens makes all the difference. Even if you've never saltwater fly fished before, "Hunting Permit" should give you a good introduction to the fish that beckons so many fly fishers to make them a lifelong goal. New on MidCurrent.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In what could be seen as a counterpoint to a recent article on saving money by tying your own, Larry Myhre lends some cogent advice on the realities of fly tying. Plenty of humor here: "Obtain all the catalogs possible from vendors of fly tying equipment and materials. This will give you a good idea of what is out there. Unfortunately, the longer you look at the offerings, the more imperative it will be that you possess them. You will learn that the worst possible reason to begin to tie your own flies is to save money." In the Sioux City Journal.

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

Andrew Kumler recently discovered that coyote fur is dense with guard hairs and makes a mean streamer for Metiolus River bull trout and rainbows. His new pattern: the coyote ugly. "'Those bull trout on the Metolius are smart,' said Kumler, a 33-year-old Army veteran who lives in Springfield. He works in the maintenance department at The Register-Guard in Eugene and grew up fishing most of Oregon's waters. 'Guys up there are using articulated leeches made from rabbit fur, but the fish are wising up. I have to go bigger.'" Bill Monroe in The Oregonian.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Scott Stone, fishing Maine's Androscoggin at a time of the year when most have just begun wondering where there waders are, becomes the focus of the MaineToday.com video crew. The result is a pleasant little photomontage of January fishing on one of Maine's most famous rivers.

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

With most secret fishing spots, the only time you'll ever hear about them is in groans of anglers who are suddenly precluded from fishing there. Such is the case with the flats at the mouth of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where fly fishers have enjoyed years of access to large bonefish in an unlikely setting. Now the U.S. government is pulling the plug. "A bonefish weighing 10 pounds is a 'trophy fish' anywhere in the world, but anglers at Hickam Flats regularly hook bonefish that weigh at least that much, DeNolfo said. Hooking one is like catching a torpedo." Mike Gordon in the Honolulu Advertiser.

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

Brian O'Keefe won the distance casting competition at this week's International Sportsmen's Exposition in Sacramento, California. But lo and behold 17-year-old Dusty Revel, who came in second by only a few feet in his first competition ever. "Neophytes might perceive fly- fishing as a highbrow activity, too sophisticated for the kind of raw competition that gets drag racers and weightlifters excited. They would be wrong." Matt Weiser in The Sacramento Bee.

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

"There once was a wise, fat, red-golden brown trout that lived for many years in the River Test where it runs through the village of Whitchurch, in Hampshire. The trout’s name was Auld Red, and he was the most famous fish in the village." Kevin Searock tells the story of fulfilling dreams on the River Test and applying his wits to the pursuit of a wise old trout in the churchyard run. In this month's Gray's Sporting Journal.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Say, did you happen to notice that the "good luck fish" that the Boo Boys hung on their new Sweetgrass Rods shop wall was a permit? (It was one of the first permit caught on fly in the Florida Keys, in the early 1960s.) Tells you something about the saltwater/freshwater Yin and Yang.

If you haven't yet considered saltwater fly fishing, or if you just need to round out your skillset, Sandy Moret has one of the best schools going, with some of top teachers in the country. Bill Sargeant writes about it in Florida Today. "Moret operates the school from his Florida Keys Outfitters fly shop in Islamorada, and the school is staged at the famed Cheeca Lodge. The $985 fee includes two receptions, use of casting and training aids, lunches and all instruction."

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This looks like a heck of a lot of fun. For $50 you can hop on board two 1950s-era Pullman cars that move up and down an 8-mile stretch of Oregon's Wallowa River, disembarking and reboarding all day long if you like, and fish for wild steelhead. "Every Saturday, in February and March, the truncated train will make back-and-forth runs along the 8-mile stretch of the wild and scenic Wallowa River in northeast Oregon, starting and ending at the eight-room Minam Motel." Henry Miller in the Salem, Oregon Statesman-Journal.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Arrogance or no, it was all properly rationalized within the realm of good fellowship. As it has been for a decade: When it comes to fly fishing I am the mentor, Bob is the student. It is understood that I fish well on wild trout water, that Bob would not." David Foster "mentors" a less apt friend on an easy delayed-harvest stream, only to find his own harvest more delayed than he would like. In Gray's Sporting Journal.

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

Vermont will not stock the Batten Kill after all. "The final management plan, approved by Commissioner Wayne Laroche, has been amended and focuses attention squarely on restoring habitat required by the river's wild trout populations with the goal of rebuilding the trout fishery to its former notability. There are no plans to stock trout into the river within the term of the 6-year plan, 2007-2012." Turns out public opinion was overwhelmingly against a proposed plan to stock the famed river with sterile rainbow trout -- something Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Department had been considering for several months before conservation groups, Orvis, and most anglers raised an outcry (see "Orvis, Conservation Partners Protest Batten Kill Stocking Plan"). (Thanks to reader James Hathaway for this link.)

You can read more about Thursday's decision in the Brattleboro Reformer.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Federation of Fly Fishers is presenting a special event at the IGFA headquarters in Dania Beach, Florida, next Saturday, January 27, from 10AM to 5PM. They've gathered some impressive names to talk about topics as varied as casting solutions to wind problems and the casting certification program, as well as enlisted several prominent fly tiers to demonstrate their craft. If you're in south Florida next weekend and have even a passing interest in fly fishing, don't miss this one. For more information, contact Pete Greenan at (941) 232-2960 or (941) 923-6095 or e-mail him at captpete@floridaflyfishing.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

State legislator Lane Larson of Billings, Montana, like many other Montanans who are used to enjoying the state's stream access rules, which allow entry from any public land, including bridge entrances, is fed up with ranch owners bucking the law and fencing out anglers. The details are still being negotiated, but Larson's new bill would guarantee an arbitration process in access disputes, something long overdue. And of course already some ranchers are threatening litigation. Still, you won't find many anglers or hunters in Montana feeling sympathetic to private landowners who don't want to give outdoors enthusiasts their due. "Jack D. Jones of Bozeman told members of the Senate Fish and Game Committee that the days of handshake agreements between ranchers and anglers for access to streams are long gone. 'The influx of wealthy, out-of-state, part-time Montanans arriving with the idea that our wildlife belongs to them" has changed that, he said.'" Gwen Florio in The Great Falls Tribune.

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

Jerry Kustich was kind enough to provide us with details on the showings of Barrett Productions' "Return of the Booboys," which first appears on TV's Versus channel this Friday at 10:30 PM EST. Here are the show times:

1/19/07 10:30-11:00 PM
1/20/07 2:30-3:00 AM
1/20/07 1:00-1:30 PM
1/22/07 11:30-12:00 PM

As Versus says about the show: "Known far and wide in the cane world as The Booboys, Glenn Brackett, Jerry Kustich, Jeff Walker and Wayne Maca served for years as designers and builders of the highly coveted R.L. Winston bamboo rods. Now they've started a bamboo venture of their own, but one thing hasn't changed: they still make time to hit the water around their hometown of Twin Bridges, Montana."

If you want to check for future dates and times, you can find them on the Versus schedule page.

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

Is it a sign of the times or high time for periodicals to stop trying to make outdoor sports terminally hip? Men's Vogue, which began publication with their January/February issue, marries, in a very non-hook-and-bullet fashion, helicopter snowboarding and shopping for shoes. (Funny, when I was assistant publisher of Polo magazine, we wouldn't have thought of articles on how to test a pair of bench-made shoes.) Henry Miller gives a pretty hilarious take on the whole thing in the Salem, Oregon Statesman-Journal: "Sports properly break down into two categories, outdoor and indoor, with three major activities in each. Outdoor sports consist of fishing and hunting. And hiking -- when absolutely necessary -- to get to the fishing and hunting."

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

Word is that Glenn Brackett, Jerry Kustich and the rest of the Boo Boys who left R.L. Winston last February and started their own bamboo rod shop in Twin Bridges will be featured on Versus (formerly OLN) on Friday, January 19. This would be the first media coverage of the new shop that we know of, and if you care a wisp about bamboo rods you won't want to miss it. We will publish more details as they become available.

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

A proposal for a coal mine in southeastern B.C. near the Canada-U.S. border is raising the hackles of Montana residents, anglers and guides, who say it threatens the Flathead River. As one person who attended a recent public hearing noted, "'The North Fork of the Flathead is our Sistine Chapel, and its frescoes of intact water, abundant wildlife and intact ecosystems should never be sacrificed for any amount of coal-stained dollars.'" From the CBC News.

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

"Conventional wisdom holds that midwinter is the time for midges, the smaller the better. Felt had other ideas. A three-nymph rig did include the standard election of tiny midges, but his blue-plate special was much bigger and bolder. To an angler accustomed to winter minutiae, the size 16 epoxy-back golden stone seemed like a battleship among rowboats." As Charlie Meyers reports about the recent opportunities between winter storms on the Arkansas and other Colorado rivers, successful cold-weather fly fishing is not always about micro-flies. In the Denver Post.

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

"From Ron Ahlers' Yellow Breeches Orange to Kathy Weigl's Herb's Zebra Shrimp, the 53 patterns were born of experience on some of trout fishing's most challenging and revered waters, such as Letort Spring Run, the Yellow Breeches, Big Spring Creek, Falling Springs and other midstate spring creeks and freestone streams." Marcus Schneck reports on PennLive.com that the Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) Chapter of Trout Unlimited has published a new 86-page, spiral-bound book of new and classic favorite member patterns. If you have thoughts of fishing central Pennsylvania's classic waters, CVTU's Favorite Flies - Fifty-three Productive Fly Patterns from Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited is worth a look. The book is available for purchase via the CVTU Web site.

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

Funny things happen while fly fishing in Mongolia. Mrs. Gates, director of the Seattle Art Musueum, found time there to lament the absence of public space for art with Martha Wyckoff, a board member of the Trust for Public Land in Seattle. Their common interest led to the purchase of "a former fuel storage and transfer site for Union Oil of California, was in the final stages of an environmental cleanup and was sliced by a major street artery and an active railroad." Next week the Olympic Sculpture Park opens on the Seattle waterfront. In the case the name doesn't ring a bell: Mimi Gardner Gates is wife of Bill Gates Sr. Hilarie M. Sheets in the International Herald Tribune.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Terry Tomalin and friends begin a two-and-a-half-day kayak tour of the Florida's Indian River Lagoon, which contains 70 miles of some of the best redfishing in the U.S. Not much fishing (yet), but the video accompanying the series gives a spectacular view of the waterway, including Mosquito Lagoon and a bit of the Banana River. "Covering about one third of Florida’s East Coast, the Indian River Lagoon straddles the border of the temperate and subtropical zones, making it the most biologically diverse estuary in the United States. "Covering about one third of Florida’s East Coast, the Indian River Lagoon straddles the border of the temperate and subtropical zones, making it the most biologically diverse estuary in the United States." The series starts today in the St. Petersburg Times and runs through Thursday.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Probably best known for his many mysteries about Boston lawyer Brady Coyne, William Tapply is also one of the most prolific fly fishing authors alive. Although he specializes in mystery fiction (he wrote the well-regarded handbook The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing a Modern Whodunit), Tapply has also written close to a thousand articles for Field & Stream, American Angler, and a host of other periodicals. So we were very happy to hear that the protagonist of his new series, Stoney Calhoun, is a Maine fly-fishing guide -- at least when he is not beset with glimpses of an enigmatic personal past that was zapped from his brain by a bolt of lightning.

This week we're happy to share the first chapter of Tapply's new book, Gray Ghost, which will arrive on store shelves on March 6. Any fly fisher who doesn't already read mysteries will want to give this one a spin. We read an advance copy of the book recently and couldn't put it down.

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

Among blather about Jessica Simpson, soap opera stars and the French Ambassador, the Dallas Morning News reports that "fly fishing buddies" Chuck Yeager and Gary Loomis recently zoomed in to eat at one of the city's trendier chophouses.

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

A newly descovered sinkhole is sucking water from the one of the most famous of U.S. trout streams, prompting the local Trout Unlimited chapter to hire a backhoe to reveal the extent of the threat. Charlie Fox, Vince Marinaro and Ernie Schwiebert developed many modern flies and techniques using the LeTort as their labratory. "Signs of the problem can be seen along the stream bank, where water appears to flow straight into the bank or down into a 6-inch-wide hole in the streambed. At two points nearby, the ground has sunk in. At the bottom of both pits, water can be seen trickling away from the stream." David Blymire in the Carlisle, Pennsylvania Sentinel.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former world champion triathlete Bevan Docherty tries not to let fly fishing get in the way of his superhuman workouts, but it's a challenge when you spend half the year in Boulder, Colorado and the other half in Taupo, New Zealand.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lefty Kreh, Rick Ruoff and Charity and Ian Rutter are a few of the presenters at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Festival, which starts next week. "The 11th annual exposition of fly-fishing gear, seminars and presentations will be Jan. 20-21 at the Gwinnett Center. About 100 exhibitors will be pitching reels, boats, tours and apparel." In the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In what some are suggesting may be a precursor to a shutdown, Gudebrod Inc., known among fly fishers as a chief source of fly-tying and rod-winding thread, is laying off at least 33 percent of its employees and says a plant closing could follow. The stated reason: the loss of a major customer. "Gudebrod’s roots date back to mid-1800s, according to the company Web site. It began as a company called Belding Brothers Silk Co., established in Middletown, Conn." Michelle Karas in the Pottstown, Pennsylvania Mercury.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The town of Rockland, upstream of Roscoe, New York, is considering the purchase of an inflatable dam to help prevent the kind of flooding that caused severe damage to Trout Town last year. In our minds, it may be unsightly, but it's a far better notion than dredging the bed of the Willowemoc.

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

A couple of new entrants in the category of kayaks for anglers have caught our eye recently. One is the Legacy Paddlesports Native fishing kayak, designed by the former owner of Wilderness Systems and Jimbo Meador. We've played around with plenty of kayaks but have never seen a design so well-thought out, with some really clever features like a seat that slides forward on rails for easy forward hatch access, an outside-the-gunwale rail attachment system that allows for the addition or removal of multiple accessories (like pole holders), and a hull configuration that places the Native somewhere between the "sit-in" and "sit-on" style of modern kayaks. You can the the Native -- shown as the Ultimate 12 -- on pages 28-29 of Orvis's new Fly Fishing 2007 catalogue, where it lists for $1,600.00, or on their Web site.

The second yak that has some rather inventive features is Dave Cameron's Freedom Hawk, which Eric Sharp reports on in today's Detroit Free Press. As Sharp notes, "The secret is in the rear four feet, which splits apart into a Y-shape, creating a pair of stabilizing pontoons that serve the same purpose as the outriggers on a trimaran sailboat."

Both these yaks provide pretty cool solutions to the problem of having a kayak that is both fast and comfortable and capable of providing a casting platform so that fly fishers can deliver the fly from a standing position.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The January/February 2006 issue of Fly Fishing in Saltwaters gives fly fishing phenom Diana Rudolph plenty of ink, with a six-page article that chronicles Rudolph's beginnings in the sport and follows the sources of her passion for fishing. Additionally, the lists 10 tips from Rudolph on how to "up your game in salt water." Here are our few of our favorites from that list:

"Water Loading -- Often when the wind is up, or I have a funky angle, or I'm casting heavy or bulky flies, I will flip the fly behind me and use the wate to help me load the rod. This lets you get the fly where it needs to go with as few false casts as possible."

"Know Your Fly -- Take a few minutes to see what your fly looks like and how it behaves in the water. After I tie on a pattern, I watch it to see how fast the fly sinks and moves in the current. Then I'll try a couple of different strips to see what it takes to make the fly move and how that movement translates to the fly."

"Set the Hook -- I don't really set the hook hard. I slow strip then come up with the rod tip just enough to come tight and stay connected. That's all you really have to do. That's why I have a lot of success with lighter tippets. If you try to Bassmaster or rip the fish's lips, you'll end up breaking a lot of them off on the hookup. Just come tight and stay connected."

(If you want to read more on Diana Rudolph, check out our interview on MidCurrent.)

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hard to believe the Temple Fork Outfitters has been making rods for ten years already, but indeed they have helped redefine the "affordable" niche in fly rod manufacturing. Their latest: two rods that celebrate their anniversary with a little bit of eye candy, both for $299.95. "To celebrate these last 10 years, we have taken two of our most popular rods and decked them out. The 4 piece 10th Anniversary Special Editions will be offered in an 8’9” 5 weight and a 9’ 8 weight. The rich translucent olive blank on the 589 is highlighted with beautiful nickel silver hardware, burled maple spacer and Flor grade cork. The distinctive blue blank on the 890 will be topped off with a polished gun metal blue reel seat with a composite cork fighting butt cap and Flor grade cork. Both rods will come in a TFO logo rod sock and a most unique Special Edition carbon fiber rod tube." Read the extended entry for the full press release.

Press Release:

January 8, 2007

TFO’s 10th Anniversary Special Edition Rods

Ten years ago an idea spawned; to offer high-performance fly rods at affordable prices that would encourage more to enjoy the fly fishing experience. Starting with two-piece 5, 6 and 8 weight rods and a marketing plan to simply ask rod owners to tell their friends about us, Temple Fork Outfitters eventually hatched. With requests for additional rod lengths and weights, TFO began to grow. We added multi-piece rods, our Western and Saltwater Series for traveling anglers. In February, 2003 Lefty Kreh agreed to be involved in the design of all our rods with a common goal: To increase participation in and awareness of fly fishing by offering the best possible combination of price and performance in rods. After casting and analyzing our current production rods, he immediately started working on new designs; the TiCr followed by the TiCrX and Finesse Series.

To celebrate these last 10 years, we have taken two of our most popular rods and decked them out. The 4 piece 10th Anniversary Special Editions will be offered in an 8’9” 5 weight and a 9’ 8 weight. The rich translucent olive blank on the 589 is highlighted with beautiful nickel silver hardware, burled maple spacer and Flor grade cork. The distinctive blue blank on the 890 will be topped off with a polished gun metal blue reel seat with a composite cork fighting butt cap and Flor grade cork. Both rods will come in a TFO logo rod sock and a most unique Special Edition carbon fiber rod tube.

10th Anniversary Special Edition rods will be available in limited numbers, with a MSRP of $299.95. All TFO rods feature our lifetime unconditional warranty. Simply return the damaged rod with $25 for shipping and handling, and we will repair or replace your rod.

Please ask your local dealer about TFO or visit our website www.templeforkflyrods.com for more information

Contact:
Jim Shulin
Temple Fork Outfitters
8115 Sovereign Row
Dallas, TX 75247
(800) 638-9052 Ph
(214) 638-8143 Fax
jim@templeforkflyrods.com
www.templeforkflyrods.com

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As we mentioned back in December ("Angling Exploration Group Back with New Film Tour") the team who produced "Trout Bum Diaries: Vol. 1" is launching a Fly Fishing Film Tour that starts at the Patagonia world headquarters in Ventura, California on Friday (January 12). One thing these guys are not is boring, so if you are near any of the 25 cities where the tour lands and need an adrenaline boost, check out their screenings of some of the best new fly fishing cinematography going.

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

Morris Magazines announced yesterday that Steve Walburn, editor of Saltwater Fly Fishing magazine, has been named general manager of its Sporting Group, which also includes Gray’s Sporting Journal, American Angler, and Fly Tyer. "In the 1990s Walburn worked as a contributing editor at Atlanta Magazine and later at Game & Fish Publications, where he edited four southeastern-states sporting titles. In 1998 he served as the founding editor of Emmis Communications’ Wildlife Journal, a nationally distributed quarterly magazine of wildlife management and conservation. Since 2003, he has been the editor of Saltwater Fly Fishing, a role he will continue to fill while managing the four titles in the Sporting Group. " Read the full press release in the extended entry.

STEVE WALBURN NAMED GENERAL MANAGER OF MORRIS SPORTING TITLES

Augusta, Ga. (January 9, 2007)—MCC Magazines, LLC today announced the promotion of Steve Walburn to General Manager of its Sporting Group, which includes Gray’s Sporting Journal, American Angler, Fly Tyer, and Saltwater Fly Fishing magazines. Walburn will assume his new role immediately and will be based in Augusta, Ga.

An award-winning journalist and editor, Walburn brings to the position more than 20 years’ experience in publishing, with 10 years working in the sporting media. His feature writing has earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the City and Regional Magazine Association, and the Magazine Association of the Southeast, as well as a citation in the Houghton Mifflin series Best American Sports Writing 1998. His work has appeared in Men’s Journal, Travel and Leisure, Town and Country, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Indianapolis Monthly, Montana Magazine, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and many other publications

In the 1990s Walburn worked as a contributing editor at Atlanta Magazine and later at Game & Fish Publications, where he edited four southeastern-states sporting titles. In 1998 he served as the founding editor of Emmis Communications’ Wildlife Journal, a nationally distributed quarterly magazine of wildlife management and conservation. Since 2003, he has been the editor of Saltwater Fly Fishing, a role he will continue to fill while managing the four titles in the Sporting Group.

“Steve has an exceptional background that makes him an ideal candidate for this position,” said Carl W. Mullins, director of MCC Magazines, LLC. “He has fly fished far and wide, is an avid hunter, and he has the commitment to quality journalism that is required to help us set these titles apart from those of our competitors.”

The Morris Sporting Group publishes four of the finest magazines covering hunting, fly fishing, and sporting travel, including Gray’s Sporting Journal, American Angler, Fly Tyer, and Saltwater Fly Fishing.

“I’m honored to have an expanded role with such well-respected titles,” said Walburn. ”We have some of the best editors in the outdoor media on our team, and I look forward to building upon our print efforts, particularly in the areas of Web site development and co-branded books.”

American Angler editor Phil Monahan will continue to serve as editorial director for the three fly-fishing magazines and will be based in Bennington, Vt., while Gray’s Sporting Journal editor Jim Babb takes the editorial lead at Gray’s. Babb succeeds David Foster, who recently retired as Gray’s editor-in-chief to serve as Strategic Advisor to the Morris National Magazine Group.

MCC Magazines, LLC is a division of Morris Communications Co., LLC. Morris Communications Company, LLC is a privately held media company with diversified holdings that include newspaper publishing, visitor guide publishing, outdoor advertising, magazine publishing, radio broadcasting, book publishing and distribution and online services. For more information, visit morris.com.

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

If you don't know what an elbow-caster or a side-caster is, don't worry -- you're not alone. We weren't quite sure either, until master casting instructor Macauley Lord explained the difference.

This week Lord, whose revised edition of the L.L. Bean Fly-Casting Handbook comes out March 1, shares several insights into how elbow position influences our casts, and points out that breaking out of our muscle-memorized stroke can make all of us better casters. If you're like us, "The Elements of Style" will have you starting off the new year by setting up your video camera for a bit of self-assessment in the backyard. New on MidCurrent.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"My photography style is revolutionary French; I tend to cut off the heads off of my subjects. In the world of serious outdoor photography I would be known as a snapshotist." Randal Sumner offers an elegant answer to any photographic challenge: the poser. In the Seattle Times.

If you happen to disagree with Sumner's disdain for the role of cameras in fishing, check out Zach Matthews's list of tips for improving your fly fishing photography.

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

Thinking a small pad on the River Itchen might make a nice second home? You're not alone. Most well-heeled British anglers -- including Eric Clapton -- are staking claim on properties bordering famous rivers and streams, which are finally showing the benefits of a decades-long effort to return them to their former glory. "Clapton, 61, is believed to be looking for a riverside house with a spot of fly-fishing, but even he, despite a fortune estimated at £135m by The Sunday Times Rich List, will face stiff competition from serious anglers and well-heeled 'tackle tarts', as well as buyers who simply dream of owning a garden with a river running through it." In the London Times.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can see it now: 4 top engineers at Nissan huddle around the 3D modeling screen, and one astute scientist/designer notices an opportunity to satisfy the unquenchable need among fly fishers for remote access to their homes' utility networks. "'The concept behind Bevel's information center is again adding a dimension of real world utility,' said Campbell. 'For example, if you are on your way home from a day of fly fishing, wouldn't it be great to be able to turn on or adjust the lights and heat in your house just before you get there?'" AutoBlog reports on the new Nissan Bevel concept car at the annual Detroit Auto Show.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Venerable reel and fly fishing equipment manufacturer Hardy and Grey's has made some pretty significant changes in business strategy in the past year, including thinking of themselves as more of a packager than a manufacturer and going after the coarse fishing market. "Hardy's managing director Richard Sanderson said: 'Three years ago, 66% of our staff were employed in manufacturing our products. Now that figure is less than 20% [about 20 people], with a far greater emphasis placed on sales and marketing and research and development.'" James Barton on ICNewcastle.co.uk.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Tyler started casting with a pint-sized rod from the front porch of his home in Montrose when he was 18 months old. He would wow the neighbors by arcing the line, over and over again, all the way into their yards. 'I didn't even know there was anything unusual about that until other people told me so,' said his mother, Lisa Befus." Nancy Lofholm writes about 9-year-old author and fly fisher Tyler Befus in the Denver Post.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"'You'll notice there isn't a single freshwater fly in this entire store,' he said, picking a couple feathered streamers out of one of the compartments. 'We are saltwater through and through here.'" Sandy Moret is moving his well-known Islamorada fly shop once again, this time to a more permament, more visible location in what was the old Green Turtle Inn, which was never reopened after Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. The Green Turtle restaurant will be brought back to life in the new building, and the Redbone Gallery, which sells fishing art to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, will also have its new home there. Bill Sargeant on FloridaToday.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 6:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wendell Ozefovich, who has spent several years now photographing the underwater behavior of trout, shared some surprising insight at this week's Fly Fishing Show in Denver. "'This notion of a blind spot behind is very specious,' says Ozefovich, who has positioned himself to know. 'All they have to do is turn a little bit and they can see everything.'" Among his more significant bits of advice: don't use bushy hackle (trout need to see a distinct profile) and never grease a trico's body (trout expect them to protrude through the surface). Charlie Meyers writes about Ozefovich's presentation in the Denver Post. Ozefovich's videos can be purchased on his Web site, UnderWaterOz.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Greg Davenport, a survival expert who will be speaking at the International Sportsmen's Exposition running Thursday through next Sunday at the San Mateo County Event Center in California (ISE San Mateo), offers tips that are useful for any outdoorsperson, in virtually any climate. His three critical rules: 1. Stop and Stay Put, 2. Identify Your Survival Needs, and 3. Improvise. "A car has a ton of improvising equipment. For instance, a mirror can be ripped off as a signaling device. Seats cushions can be cut up for insulation. A spare tire can be burned as a smoke signal, but only if you know the search-and-rescue teams are close." Tom Stienstra in the San Francisco Chronicle.

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

Andy Simon and Mike Davidchik offer up some of their experience in dead-drifting nymphs for steelhead on WashingtonFlyFishing.com. Among the tidbits: "Anadromous fish do not use the same lies as fluvial (stream and river resident) fish. Fluvial fish will select lies than allow them to feed easily, and are willing to fight a little more current and expose themselves a little more than anadromous fish to accomplish that. Anadromous fish, on the other hand, will commonly lie where the current is soft...." It is interesting to note that the authors repeat the importance of getting flies to the bottom -- somewhat at odds with Dec Hogan's advice in his recent book A Passion for Steelhead. Of course it is entirely possible that they all agree, and the difference is only in what their definition of "bottom" is.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Many around the world are beginning to doubt whether the controls in place for fish farming -- and especially the farming of salmon -- are sufficient to protect wild fish. In Norway, for example, 39 of 75 fish farms inspected by fisheries regulators recently did not meet current standards, and the result may be catastrophic for the anadromous wild populations that come into contact with the hundreds of thousands of escapees. "The fish that escape the farms, located in fjords and rivers along Norway's west coast, infect young wild salmon before they head off to the open sea, threatening their immune systems which are not yet fully developed." From a story by Agence-France Press on Yahoo.com.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After the U.S. Congress loosened controls on oil and gas drilling on public lands in 2005, the price of oil encouraged the Forest Service to open more national forests to exploration -- meaning more roads and test wells in areas previously considered unsuitable for drilling. "The U.S. Forest Service is drafting a plan to lease areas of the Caribou National Forest and Curlew National Grassland along Idaho's southeastern border for oil and gas exploration." Jesse Harlan Alderman of the Associated Press.

Posted by Marshall Cutchin at 4:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Using ladders to fly-fish wasn't invented in Nevada -- I first saw them used in the Keys in the 1980s to help anglers get better visual angles on bonefish -- but they do find an unusual use there: enabling fly fisherman to cast in deeper water where the larger cutthroats are. "'Initially, they would take a milk crate and stand on that to get a little higher, but over the years, that has changed to an a-frame painting ladder with nice steps and a shelf on the top that