Picking The Best Belly Boat and How to Do It
Belly boats (or float tubes) offer the perfect way to quietly fish lakes and ponds (duck hunters are discovering them, too). They’re also perfect for those who want to pack in to fish more remote waters and don’t want to hassle portaging a canoe or kayak.
Visions of an Angling Artist
A few years ago, we featured the artwork of Sarah Lauridsen, a Vermonter who is both an avid fly-fisher and artist. Today, out of the blue, she emailed me the brook-trout painting above, which blew me away. This time of year, the brookies are decked out in their spawning finery, and Sarah’s painting nails the colors. As you can see from the paintings below, she’s a master of colors and texture.
How to Buy a New Fly Rod on Any Budget
Walk into any fly shop from the Rockies to the Catskills and you’ll see a wall or two full of trout rods. Most shops carry a half-dozen brands at least, and the prices range from the bare-bones value of rods like the ECHO Base, all the way to the pricey G. Loomis Asquith. I’ve spent my entire life chasing trout in the American West, and I’d like to think I know a thing or two about “good” trout rods.
The Perfect Family Vacation for Any Outdoorsman
Round up the family, pack the bags we're are going to Estes Park, Colorado.
If you are reading this article, it’s likely because the title caught your attention. If it did, there’s a great chance you’re just like me—you love the outdoors. Hunting, fishing, camping and adventures all get you excited. If so, I have the perfect vacation for you!
Get Ready for Falls Best Trout and Salmon Fishing
Fly Fishing the Yellow Conehead Woolly Bugger whistles by my ear and plunks in the river on the far side of a white plume. At the end of the swing, it glides into the slack water around my feet. A crimson blur flashes toward it—a brook trout trying to chase an intruder from the eddy.
How Do You Define Success on the Water?
What makes for a successful day fly fishing? A friend of mine shared some sage wisdom: a successful day on the river can be defined by how much fun the angler had. Sometimes I need to check my own expectations when I am out enjoying day on the water.
Summer's Song
The heats been building all afternoon, flooding up on a soft, warm wind from the South. Above their black silhouettes, falling ice crystals form fair-weather cirrus clouds into letters of intricate calligraphy.
A few Thoughts on Beer
I’ve had a running debate about which tastes better: an ice-cold Kalik after a day of fly fishing forbonefishing in the Bahamas or an ice-cold Labatt’s Blue after an evening of bugging for smallmouth in Ontario.