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Desert carp
We had a great winter here in Idaho. Lots of high snow. And then spring arrived with buckets of rain in the valleys and more snow up high. We're closing in on the first day of summer, and our backcountry trout streams are still surging with runoff. High water is a blessing and a curse…
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Choosing deer hair for comparadun flies
Tying comparadun mayfly imitations is my least-favorite endeavor at the vise. Generally, I leave this method to the pros, like Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions. But Tim is convincing me to give it another shot. For me, working with deer hair is a real pain—maybe it's big fingers or the simple lack of fine dexterity…
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How to double-haul
I was reminded this week of the importance of being a good caster and not getting too dialed into your more frequent fly-fishing targets. I live in eastern Idaho. Trout country. A long cast on a small backcountry trout stream might be 30 feet, and that's rare. But Idaho boasts more than trout, and this…
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How to Drift a Soft-hackle
Last week, RIO Product's Simon Gawesworth showed us a great way to swing soft-hackle flies for big-river trout. This week, Simon shows us how to drift a soft-hackle for working trout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTvbWsBLY_U There are some notable differences, obviously. First is the technique. When swinging a soft-hackle, you're interested in line tension and the action of…
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The problem solver
My buddy Dennis is a nuclear engineer. He travels the globe through his job and works with disparate foreign governments who are turning to nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels. One of Dennis' many jobs is to help those governments test various nuclear fuels for efficiency and power production, and to help them…
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The Sulphur Comparadun
With the sulphur hatch in full swing in the East, sometimes matching the hatch can be impossible. Instead, offering something just a little different to picky trout can be exactly what the doctor ordered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp4rV1PYPHM Above, Tim Flagler ties his Sulphur Comparadun, which could be that "something different" when hundreds (or thousands) of mayflies are…
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The Rise of the River Herring
If you ever have doubts that ocean-going fish like shad, herring and salmon can recover with just a little help, take a quick look at the video below, produced by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. https://vimeo.com/216513412 In Maine's Damariscotta River, in the community of Damariscotta Mills, the restoration of a 200-year-old fish ladder has…
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