We’d worked our way almost completely around the shoreline of the small lake, with just a couple hammer-handles to show for it, and I was starting to wonder if there were big pike beneath the dark water after all. I’d thrown all the patterns I could think . . .
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“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 . . .
Read MoreArmed to the Teeth: The Northern Pike of Wollaston Lake
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, . . .
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 . . .
Read MoreStory 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 MorePhotos 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 . . .
Read MoreRecipe 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 . . .
Read MoreClassic 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. . .
Read MoreIceland, 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 . . .
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 . . .
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