Recently some well-intentioned fishermen have published their strongly-worded opinion that mature trout do not have vision in the ultraviolet wavelengths. They base their assertions upon the on-going debate between some Canadian fishery biologists regarding whether trout lose all the UV-specific cones in the retina upon entering the smolt stage, and then whether the trout regenerateRead More
The December 2012 issue of California Fly Fisher included this review by Ralph Cutter of www.flyline.com of "The New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision". The New Scientific Angling: Trout and Ultraviolet Vision By Reed Curry Published by Buckram Publishing, 2009; $27.95 softbound. I bought this book within weeks of its publication back in 2009.Read More
AMERICAN SALMON The race is neither to the swift nor the battle to the strong; but time and chance cometh to all I HAVE lived! The American Continent may now sink under the sea, for I have taken the best that it yields, and the best was neither dollars, love, nor real estate. Hear now,Read More
The colors we find in fly tying literature are baffling to us today. Where, for example, did they come up with the term "blue dun" or "golden dun"? Examining the dictionary definition of "dun" gives us a starting point. "of a horse : having a grayish-yellow coat with black mane and tail" (Merriam-Webster Online) TheRead More
Recently I submitted a petition for a rule change to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. This change, should it be implemented, will radically alter the fishing – both in terms of technique and impact upon the fisheries – of a number of fine streams currently designated as "Fly Fishing Only" in this State.Read More
Until 1992, the “Fly Fishing Only” rivers and streams in Maine and New Hampshire had a conservation purpose that no other angling type presented. In 1980, Maine defined a fly as “a single-pointed hook dressed with feathers, hair, thread, tinsel, or any similar material to which no additional weights, hook, spinner, spoon or similar device isRead More
My fishing vest must weigh thirty pounds. It contains enough aircraft-aluminum fly boxes that, in need, I could flatten them and assemble a Boeing 747, with enough left over for a Cessna or two. Add to that my Oxygen tank and you understand my ads in the Pennysaver for three on-call Gillies or one Sherpa-lite.Read More
I wish to state now – well in advance – that I am not to blame for the "Great Blackouts of 2012!" I am simply offering insights which could transform a possible future of sitting quietly in your basement, enjoying a can of cold beans in the dark — into some of the superb fishingRead More
A friend, and superb fly-tier, was lamenting to me today that whenever he used duck quills he could always find plenty of usable quills on the left wing, but fewer on the right. Immediately I understood the complete global implications of this information — ducks don’t actually migrate, but their stronger left wing causes themRead More
Not a rise… If a friend hadn’t assured me that this pool was the home of "some decent trout" I would have thought the water barren. Decent trout, indeed! But with that word "decent" came an epiphany – all my flies had been appealing to the trouts’ sense of sight… but what about their senseRead More
I don’t have close friends – not, at least, when I am fly fishing. There was one fellow I was attached to for quite some time, but we were finally able to extract the hook. He has since kept his distance…
For those who are unfamiliar with the Pisscalator concept, the purpose of the invention is to allow a gentleman angler to continue fishing when the water in which he was standing is deep, and the fluid in his bladder is registering “FULL”. No longer will it be necessary for the devoted fisherman to wade backRead More
Some people are at their best when they’re not breathing. Now, I don’t wish any harm to them – just a cessation of the respiratory process. Especially when they sleep. Most especially when they sleep in a cabin … in the woods … with me … during a bitter northern winter…
While wandering the aisles of my local fly shop in search of a half-price sale on Blue Chatterer – or Condor Quills three-for-a-dollar – I encountered a rack of chest-high fishing waders ornamented with a waterproof zipper in the front. Imagine, I thought, being able to stand up to your waist in fast water, thirtyRead More
Eric Reaves is an avid fly fisherman – that should be recommendation enough – yet he also has twenty years of cartooning experience, having spent the last thirteen years drawing the comic strip, “GARFIELD”, for Jim Davis. In the industry Eric is termed a “ghost” – an essential part of a creative team of inkersRead More
I am faster than a six-year old at burrowing through wrapping and foam peanuts to get at a present. Imagine then my childlike delight when I drew from the depths of an oversize box one of my favorite examples of photographic art, tastefully framed and matted in a shadowbox treatment by Nathan Kennedy of TVAngler.com.Read More
Is it possible that a fly as well-known, much-loved, and universally effective as the "Royal Wulff" could have a questionable past? Yes, not only possible, but probable. Many anglers believe that this paragon of dries was born, not from the imagination of Lee Wulff, as he claimed in later life, but through the work ofRead More
I never wish to cause needless suffering to others – this is not an apology to my grade school teachers or my childhood compadre Wayne (I didn’t get him stuck, and the pipe looked big enough – certainly the two fire-truck response was excessive) – but as I wander about this planet I will causeRead More
I have had the great pleasure to enjoy two creations that are near perfect for the purposes for which they were born – two angling journals that, through a combination of art and information, are a continual delight. The first is a fly fishing magazine from Italy, unlike any bi-monthly fly fishing journal you mayRead More
"And about time, too", I thought. Just two days ago Eve had broken the tip of my favorite 9′ 5wt. rod, a masterpiece in split cane, while trying to knock some fruit out of a tree. As if there wasn’t plenty of low-hanging fruit; but the fruit salad surprise she made for us that eveningRead More
