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The final eight: how to tie some great trout flies
Eight flies, one tournament. May the best fly win
The TU-Loon Outdoors Spring Fly Showdown is in its final week, and the tournament is down to its final eight flies. Not surprisingly, given that most of us learn to fly fish for trout before we branch off and try to tackle other species, like bass and pike, or saltwater critters like bonefish and tarpon,…
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The spey cast, part three
How to avoid the collision loop
We've learned about the "point" and how to avoid the "bloody L" as we learn to spey cast from RIO Products' Simon Gawesworth. Now, the casting artist has his sights set on angles, targets and how to avoid the dreaded "collision loop." https://vimeo.com/382097693 As Simon notes, any fly cast—not just a spey cast—has a distinct…
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The spey cast, part two
On the whole, the spey cast looks a lot harder than it really is. But there is an art to it, and RIO's Simon Gawesworth has mastered that art. For a good spey cast to occur, a lot of little things have to come together, and if you've never spey casted before, it likely looks…
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The spey cast, part one
For some of us long-time trout anglers, the idea of spey casting on trout water used to seem kind of pointless. Who needs to throw that much line, for crying out loud? Well, honestly, you do. And so do I. So, if we don't know how to spey cast, it's time we learn, right? The…
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Casting a sink-tip line
Sinking and sink-tip lines are great for getting flies down deep in the water column where the big trout eat, but they can be a pain to cast and then recast. First, these lines are heavy—hundreds of grains, for the most part. Second, they don't really allow for nimble fly casting. These lines are made…
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For the love of the Animas
By Ty Churchwell No one in Durango nor Silverton, Colo., will ever forget Aug. 5, 2015 — the day of the Gold King mine spill that sent 3 million gallons of ugly, toxic mine water down the Animas River in southwest part of the state. To say the accident was highly visible is an understatement. In today’s digital world, photos of the orange…
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Skating big dries for big trout
Nicco stood next to me along the middle reaches of Patagonia's Malleo River in the fading Argentine light. Willows shrouded the creek, and I could only see the silhouette of the big Fat Albert as it drifted in the heavy water just across river. Nicco, my guide for the day, chose the hefty, foam monstrosity…
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