Although I grew up in New Hampshire, I really learned how to fly-fish on the brook trout and landlocked salmon rivers of Maine. Twice a year, in spring and fall, I’d head north with my friends Fred and Sandy Hays–a.k.a.. . .
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Story and Photos: You Never Forget Your First Love
The first brook trout I ever saw was about three inches long, little bigger than a baitfish really. But the memory of that vision—of that glittering flash of color and light—remains sharply etched in my . . .
Read MorePro Tips: 5 Common Fly-Fishing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Over the course of my years providing fly-casting and on-the-water fly-fishing instruction for trout, I have noticed a common set of mistakes that seem to trip up anglers of all levels. These mistakes can be a source of great . . .
Read MorePro Tips: The Keys to Learning the Bonefish Game
Written by: Greg Vincent, H2O Bonefishing
Catching a bonefish is an accomplishment for any angler, novice or expert.
Photo courtesy H20 Bonefishing
Every year, hundreds of new anglers join the migration to the tropics in search of what many consider to be one of the world’s finest light-tackle game fish: bonefish. Here in The Bahamas, we are fortunate to have hundreds of . . .
Read MorePro Tips: An On-the-Water Checklist to Improve Your Chances of Success
Fly-fishing is such a process-oriented sport that it’s easy to become fixated on the specific task at hand—whether it’s drifting a dry fly along a fallen long or high-sticking a nymph rig through a riffle. But there are lots of other things an angler needs to pay . . .
Read MorePro Tips: 5 Keys to Stealthy Fly Fishing
Watch a heron stalk its prey in the shallows of a pond or a river, and you can clearly see why stealth is so important to anglers of all kinds. Yet many fly fishermen still act as if the fish were deaf, blind, and stupid, . . .
Read MoreClassic Tips: “Skitch” Your Way to Better Hopper Fishing
Written by: Tim Linehan, Linehan Outfitting Co.
Sometimes a little motion is what the trout are looking for in a hopper.
Photo by Sandy Hays
A couple years ago, while floating the Kootenai River in northwestern Montana, Bostonians––and fellow Red Sox fans––Tom and Sue Ukena had a great morning sniping trout with long leaders and size 16 Pale Morning Dun spinners. During lunch, . . .
Read MorePro Tips: Keep Terrestrials Riding Low
One of the reasons that fly fishers love casting terrestrials is that these patterns are usually really easy to see on the water–compared to, say, a size 20 Blue-winged Olive. And one of the . . .
Read MoreDiscovering the Magic of Striped Bass on the Fly
A big striper on the fly will make you forget about trout streams for a while.
Photo by Sandy Hays
The small New Hampshire town where I grew up is within an hour’s drive of some of northeastern New England’s best striper fishing. Yet, instead of exploring the waters of Plum Island, Cape . . .
Read MorePro Tips: Understanding the Risks of Cold Water Can Save Your Life
By early spring, most fly anglers are champing at the bit to get on the water, and with good reason. The air and water are warming up, and visions of big fish–hungry after their winter slumber—fill our daydreams. But as exciting as . . .
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