New Buccaneers & Bones Trailer

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust has released a trailer for the new season of “Buccaneers & Bones,” in which famous anglers such as Tom Brokaw, Thomas McGuane, and Michael Keaton travel to Belize to catch fish and talk about the conservation challenges facing the fishery. (Last season, the show was called “Pirates of the Flats.”) Episode 1 airs on the Outdoor Channel on December 26, and will air three times that week. Episodes 2 through 7 will air in the following weeks.

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How to Buy a Fly reel

Reels IMG_6456
Choosing from among all the available reel models and sizes can be intimidating.
Photo Tim Bronson

A fly reel is a thing of beauty. Put one on a table in front of an angler and they will invariably pick it up, feel it, turn it, listen to the click, adjust the drag, and in essence fondle it. The longer they handle it, the better they like it. You can literally test the perceived quality of reels by the length of time anglers hold them. Reels are the jewels of the sport, and a great fly reel is something. . .

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The UV Ice Dub Baetis Nymph

Here’s a good video from the guys at the Oregon Fly Fishing Blog that demonstrates how to tie a simple yet enticing Baetis nymph. This should be a good pattern for winter fishing in small sizes.

What patterns are you tying this winter?

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The End of Fall

Nate battles a steelhead against a backdrop of fall leaves
Battling a Great Lakes steelhead against a backdrop of autumn leaves.
photo by Jim Lampros

Now that the snow is flying here in Vermont, as well as in many other parts of the country, even the chilly days of fall seem like the Good Ol’ Days. Jim Lampros, the fishing manager of the Orvis Cleveland store, sent us this musing on the first frost of the year: . . .

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Late Fall on the Little Red

Dana Walker Brown_1
Dana Walker shows off a chunky brown from the Little Red River in Arkansas.
photo by Toby Swank

I just wrapped up a whirlwind tour of the Little Red River in northern Arkansas. November and December is typically the time of year when the brown trout move into the shallow shoals to spawn. We planned this trip so that we could both sight fish and streamer fish to some trophy-classfish. Well, as with just about every fishing trip, Mother Nature and the Army Corps of Engineers. . .

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The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast: The Go East – Go West Podcast

Tom covers a lot of material in this podcast. In the “Fly Box” section, he compares and contrasts vests vs chest packs vs waist packs vs sling packs, he covers how best to keep your flies floating (and reveals his secret) and then answers a question about realistic vs impressionistic flies.

The main topic of this podcast, though is what easterners can expect when taking a fishing trip west and what westerners can expect when making a trip east. What are the differences? How can you best prepare?

Click the play button below to listen to this episode. Go to orvis.com/podcast to subscribe to future episodes

If you cannot see the podcast player, please click this link to listen.

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The Tom Rosenbauer Trivia Challenge – Android App Edition

We have a special edition of my quiz this week to celebrate the release of the Orvis Fly Fishing App for Android devices, also available for iPhone.
All the questions were taken from the app. We have a couple of knot videos in this quiz. A lot of fun.

Click the banner below to take the quiz and then come back and tell me how you did!

Take the Tom Rosenbauer Fly Fishing Trivia Challenge

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In the Loop 12.02.10

I recently ran across this marvelous piece of archival film from the International Game Fish Association, which shows casting champion Bill True and guide Jim Brewer chasing tarpon in the Florida Keys. It’s a great piece of history, and it will give you a sense of how much easier. . .

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