Just in time to rescue many of us from Snowpocalypse-induced cabin fever, the Fly Fishing Film Tour is hitting the road again. Now in its fourth year, the FFFT (or F3T, if you’re cool) will visit more than 80 cities in 2011, hopefully one near you. Watching videos on the Web is fun, but it’s no substitute for seeing great fly-fishing action on the big screen, as several hundred of your fellow anglers hoot and howl. Check out the FFFT schedule and plan accordingly.
The state of Maryland—home to such fantastic trout waters as the Gunpowder, Youghiogheny, and Savage rivers—will institute a ban on felt-sole waders effective March 21, 2011—just seven weeks from today. The Maryland DNR has identified seasonal infestations of didymo on the Gunpowder and the Savage, and the hope is that making anglers change to rubber soles will slow the spread of the aquatic invader. You can still comment on the proposed ban by emailing fisheriespubliccomment@dnr.state.md.us.
Over on the Field & Stream Fly Talk blog, Kirk Deeter wonders if it’s time to ditch the strike indicator. I suspect this one will generate quite an argument in the comments section.
Fly tiers in the Northeast, mark your calendars for the 4th annual Fly Fest at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum on February 12. Both professional and amateur tiers from all over the region will be on hand to share their latest patterns, swap stories, and tie flies for the upcoming season. Visitors are welcome to attend and pick up pointers from the tiers on hand.
Aaron Adams, a scientist with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, recently posted this great lesson on how to evaluate a mangrove flat for bonefish habitat. Watching this could save you many fruitless hours of wading.
