“Gone Fishin’” by William G. Tapply

We usually rumble across the iron bridge, turn off the road, follow the bumpy ruts beside the field, and park Dad’s station wagon at the water’s edge to offload the canoe. But on this gray afternoon . . .

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Armed to the Teeth: The Northern Pike of Wollaston Lake

Orvis’s Tom Evenson prepares to release a 43-inch northern pike, which hit a topwatere slider pattern.
Photo by Joel Ruby

“Can we please change this fly?” Guide Dan Lembke–all six-foot-eight, two-hundred and ninety
pounds of him–was sitting in the center of the boat, rebuilding my wire leader
and considering what fly to tie on, . . .

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Classic Story: The Trout Stream That No One Else Wanted

With a sparsely attended Catholic church at one end and a Taco Bell at the other, Benmont Avenue is representative of the hard times that have befallen many American mill towns. This is not the scenic Vermont of postcards, but instead a hardscrabble . . .

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Photos and Story: Big Dreams, Big Fish

Muskellunge are the fish of legends—top-tier predators that are notoriously challenging to catch on even conventional tackle. Back in the mid ’90s, when I first started chasing muskies with a fly, people thought I was nuts. Now, these toothy monsters . . .

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Recipe for Adventure: Baled-Out in Chilean Patagonia

My Recipe for Adventure has all the classic elements that compose a memorable adventure: an exotic locale, mystery, and a bit of dumb luck. Have you ever been in a familiar situation, and then all the sudden see something so out of . . .

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Classic Story: “Taking Your Chances” with Brown Trout


This is the picture I should have been posting, but alas I didn’t “take my chance” when it
presented itself. So I must be content with this imaginary brown trout.
Photo-illustration by James Daley

In this country, the phrase “to take your chances” usually means to try something that may end up being a disaster—as in “You’re taking your chances driving on those bald tires.” But across. . .

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Iceland, Day Two: Cold Lava

What a difference a day makes. The second morning of Orvis Week in Iceland with Fish Partner brought colder temperatures, driving rain, and howling wind. Every fly-fisher’s dream, am I right? But with the successes of the previous day still fresh in . . .

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Discovering 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 . . .

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