
Chad Brown continues to make a difference in the lives of inner city kids and veterans.
Photo via Adventure Journal
[Editor’s Note: “First Casts” is an occasional feature that highlights great fly-fishing content from around the Web—from how-to articles, to photo essays, to interesting reads.]
- Are you champing at the bit to get out on the water and chase trout? (Our Opening Day in Vermont is less than three weeks away!) Writing at Midcurrent.com, Dave Karczynski offers plenty of good advice for making the most of those first days afield in an article called “Gearing Up for the Early Season.”
- If you’ve been paying attention, you know that some of Florida’s saltwater fisheries are in trouble, from culprits as diverse as freshwater flushing from Lake Okeechobee to wastewater problems on Indian Lagoon. Writing in Hatch Magazine, my friend Capt. Mike Connor gives an overview of the situation in an article called “Failing Florida’s Fisheries and Fishing Industries.” It’s an important, if sobering, read, but I like that there’s a “Remedies” section that offers hope.
- We posted last week about what a great year Chad Brown had in 2015–from receiving the inaugural Orvis Breaking Barriers Award to helping dozens of inner-city kids and veterans discover fly fishing. The Adventure Journal has posted an excellent Q&A with Chad that gets to the heart of what he does on a daily basis.

Bryan Gregson enjoys the perks of his job.
Photo via Venturing Angler
- On the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership blog, Kristyn Brady marks today’s international observance of World Water Day by writing about the White House Water Summit, where 150 diverse stakeholders highlighted a shared commitment to building a sustainable water future.
- Well-known photographer and former Trout Bum of the Week Bryan Gregson is the subject of an excellent profile on the Venturing Angler site. In the interview, Gregson talks about fly-fishing travel, the challenges of outdoor photography, and the magic of Bob Marley.
- A hilarious post on michiganfly.com announces the launch of a new app called FishBrah. According to the post, “This killer app is stacked with everything a brah needs to max their stream creds.” The list of features is impressive!
- Traveling to remote destinations in Canada to fly-fish offers some unique challenges, and writing in the Grand Forks Herald, Brad Dokken offers tips for how you can prepare for just such an adventure.