In late summer, many of the valley rivers in Southwestern Vermont get low and warm. That’s when I head for the hills, by which I mean the Green Mountains. This beautiful stretch of the Appalachians is veined by tumbling freestone streams that are home to native brook trout, as well as the occasional brown that … Continue reading “Phil’s Top 10 Dry Flies for Mountain Streams”
Read Morefly-fishing for brook trout
Tips for Fishing High-Elevation Lakes for Brook Trout
My friend Jeff and I recently took our families to explore a high elevation lake and stream in the Uinta Mountains of Utah for a couple of days. The hike to the lake was only about a mile, but we had heard good things about it. When we arrived, . . .
Read MoreBook Excerpt: Brook Trout and Beaver Ponds
With the exception of small freestone streams, no type of aquatic habitat is more identified with brook trout than beaver ponds. In areas such as interior Maine, they are more important to the brook trout angler than freestone streams, which are often . . .
Read MoreVideo: Finding the “Wildness” in Your Heart
The buzz in the air was palpable. Thirty women, all fishy and many with extraordinary pursuits beyond the water, filled the room. I was humbled to be among these talented and fabulous. . .
Read MoreThe Doc, the River, and Lessons Learned
Doctor Hays casts one of his Leonard bamboo rods–left to him by his father–on Maine’s Rapid River.
Photos by Sandy Hays
Although I had been a fisherman since early childhood, I didn’t learn to fly-fish until I was in graduate school at the University of New Hampshire. My older brother, Brian, lived nearby, . . .
Read MorePodcast: Catching Big Brook Trout, with Mark Melnyk
We’ve all heard about going to remote camps in Labrador or Quebec for large brook trout, but less well known are the drive-in rivers of Ontario. Ontario has some amazing wilderness fishing for large brook trout that can be accessed without a. . .
Read MoreStory and Photos: You Never Forget Your First Love
A native Vermont brook trout caught from a stream flowing out of the Green Mountains.
Photo by Phil Monahan
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 MoreTop 5 Subsurface Flies for Big Brook Trout
Brook trout are arguably the most beautiful freshwater fish that swims, displaying levels of natural artistry, camouflage, color-within-color that are utterly astounding. But that’s just their skin. Underneath the gorgeous exterior of these magnificent. . .
Read MoreClassic Photos: A New “Exotic” European Destination?
Written by: Vito Rubino, Fly Fishing Specialist at Orvis UK
The Italian Alps offer spectacular scenery, gorgeous rivers, and a variety of target species.
Photos by Vito Rubino
I like to think that, in a couple of years, Italy will be the “new Slovenia.” Here we are talking about the Alps in in the Trentino region–in the far north of the country–where you can catch marble . . .
Read MoreStory and Photos: Learning to Love The Driftless Area
Written by: Len Harris, Jr.
The tiny spring creeks of the driftless hold some of the most colorful browns you could imagine.
Photos by Len Harris, Jr.
Many folks don’t know the meaning of the term driftless. It is an area in the Midwest–comprising parts of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin–that was not flattened by the last glacial period. . . .
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