Fly Fishing

Even on a river as popular as the Madison, you can find solitude if you’re willing to walk far from the parking area. photo by Philip Monahan

At the end of April, I and several hundred other Orvis-endorsed fishing guides headed to Casper, Wyoming, for a week’s worth of fishing and camaraderie. As I made my steady descent out of the high country of the Colorado Rockies into the bustling metropolis of Denver, I stared in amazement at the sheer abundance of urban sprawl. I make the drive all the time, and I always find myself wondering where all these people came from and how many more are coming. For most of us in the lower 48, the last couple of decades have been a sobering realization that the good ol’ days of uncrowded. . .

In a recent poll of fly-fishing professionals asking them to identify their favorite searching nymphs, the Prince Nymph was one of the most popular choices. Although some argue that this style of nymph originated with Don and Dick Olson of Bemidji, minnesota, it is named for Doug Prince, a California tier of the 1940s. This pattern works great as a caddisfly nymph, a small. . .

Check out this week’s episode of TU’s “On the Rise” (trailer above) which takes place on the Battenkill and at the Orvis fly rod shop in Manchester, Vermont. Over the past several years, Orvis has raised more than $100,000 to help TU and the state of Vermont restore key in-stream cover to the famous Battenkill. The result is a success story, with restored stretches seeing fish returning in. . .

When runoff causes the rivers of southwestern Montana to swell, Toby Swank heads to the tailwater of the Missouri River below Holter Dam. photo by Toby Swank

Tis the season for high water here in southwest Montana now that our spring melt is finally under way. Unless you’re fishing stillwaters, tailwaters, or a spring creek, chances are that you’re going to be looking at some very dirty water. It looks like the high water will be here for a while, as most of the mountain ranges in the region are well above their long-term averages in both snowpack and moisture levels. That said, there is still some great fishing to be found; it just requires a little different thought process and some variations of standard techniques.

Last week, Orvis held its semi-annual Kids Fishing Derby at the ponds beside the flagship retail store in Manchester, Vermont. It’s an opportunity to introduce kids to the joys of fly fishing, as well as a way for the folks at the store to remove some of the larger fish from the population to ensure the health of all. This year’s deby was quite a success, although those big ol’ trout are awfully wily and more difficult to catch than you’d image a semi-“tame” fish to be. All the kids had a wonderful time, as evidenced by the big smiles in the pictures below.