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This week’s Tying Tuesday features everything from an imitative dry fly to a ridiculously gaudy nymph, to a flashy streamer—with a buggy beetle thrown in for good measure. We kick things off with a variation on the classic Comparadun that uses synthetic fibers, rather than deer hair, for the wing. I particularly like the way that tier Brandon Moon uses the thread to help splay the tails and hold them…

 Written by: Rick Mikesell Recently, I got a first look at Patagonia’s new premium wader, the Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip-Front, and I am initially impressed with their top-of-the-line wader offering. Here are a few highlights that really caught my eye: Solid Build Quality Right out of the box, you immediately notice how well-built they are, and every detail reflects a level of attention that’s hard to find these days. Everything…

A few weeks ago, we posted about what the fly-fishing future is in the mountains of North Carolina after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Here’s an excellent video from Field & Stream that looks at how the “Forgotten Coast” of Florida was affected by the same storm. Gulf Coast fly fishing guide Evan Snow is used to dealing with hurricanes. On the evening Hurricane Helene hit, Snow moved his…

Capt. John McMurray is a renowned big-tuna and striped-bass charter captain based on Long Island, New York, and he’s been a leader with the New York arm of the Coastal Conservation Association and a long-time advocate for menhaden conservation. He’s also an oft-published outdoor writer, who currently blogs for the Marine Fish Conservation Network and has had feature articles/photography published in On The Water, Saltwater Fly Fishing, and The New…

By Rick Mikesell Fly fishing and pop culture have been intersecting more frequently of late. With Drake—the rapper—appearing on the cover of The Drake magazine, and the associated collaboration between Nike’s NOCTA brand and Abel Reels, outdoor-inspired streetwear is firmly in the spotlight. Adding a few more interesting degrees of separation, 7-Eleven’s lifestyle brand, 7Collection, recently released a line of fishing-inspired streetwear called Reel Convenience. Billed by 7-Eleven as a…

At the prick of the barb it vaulted into the air like a silvery meteor. Illustration by Robert Doares I cut my teeth fly-fishing for landlocked salmon on Maine’s Rapid River, and the species holds a special place in my heart. SDO I was excited to see that Outdoor Life has published a wonderful introduction to the species from 1953. Author Ted Janes describes how he discovered the mysteries and…

Patagonia repair specialists inflate a pair of waders to identify leaks. Photos: Rick Mikesell By: Rick Mikesell This spring, the Patagonia repair team hit the road across the West to fix leaky waders—from all brands—at no charge. With stops in Colorado, Montana, and Utah, they repaired a multitude of waders, shared care tips, and provided live patching demonstrations, so anglers can fix rips and pinholes at home. A Front-Row Look…

This week’s Tying Tuesday features an eclectic mix of patterns for trout, bass, and saltwater species. We kick things off with Barry Ord Clarke’s version of a Slow-Water Caddis, which has few materials but involves some delicate maneuvers to get the wings attached. The result is a great-looking imitation that can withstand close inspection by wary trout. Next up is an Adirondacks classic, Lee Wulff’s Ausable Wulff, demonstrated by Gary…

 Waders are one of our most expensive purchases, outside of a rod and reel, and in order to make them last longer we need to take good care of them, so they stay waterproof and comfortable. Tom Rosenbauer says he gets a lot of questions about wader care, storage, and washing instructions. Fit can also affect how long waders last and how comfortable they are. Tom’s guest this week…

This time of year, a lot of new anglers are out on the water, so questions of fish identification are likely to come up pretty regularly. Ben Sittig, a.k.a. Huge Fly Fisherman puts his fisheries-biology degree to good use in this classic video. Sitting offers the basics of trout ID, and even works in some actual taxonomy. While his opinions about various trout are his alone, the science part is…

Lower Green River Lake near Pinedale, Wyoming. Photo: Bridger Teton National Forest Sure, places like Bozeman, Jackson Hole, and Vail are great fly-fishing towns, but they’re certainly not off the beaten path. If you’re looking to make a trip out West but don’t want to do the same, old thing, where can you go? Writing in Hatch Magazine, Chris Hunt profiles four towns in Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming where you…

Life Cycle of Myxobolus cerebralis, the parasite that causes whirling disease. via mtpr.org Thirty years ago, the fly-fishing world was terrified by the discovery of whirling disease in Montana’s trout population. Would the rivers of Big Sky Country no longer live up to their legendary status? While the worst-case-scenario predictions never came true, some waters, such as the Madison, saw their rainbow populations reduce by as much as 95%. Whirling…

Traces of the poisonous chemical have been found in brook trout decades after DDT was banned. Photo: Charles Hildick-Smith The persistence of chemicals in the environment is a widespread concern among biologists, and a recent Canadian study demonstrates why consistent monitoring is so important: Residues of the insecticide DDT have been found to persist at “alarming rates” in trout even after 70 years, potentially posing a significant danger to humans…

This week’s Tying Tuesday features a big attractor dry, a deep-diving nymph, and a large saltwater baitfish imitation. We kick things off with a video from McFly Angler, who last week showed us how to tie the Madam X and now follows up with a parachute version called the PMX. This is my go-to pattern for hopper-dropper setups on the mountain streams near my home in Vermont. It floats well,…

What do fly fishing, college pride, and honoring the women in our lives have in common? The TU Costa 5 Rivers Mother’s Day Giving Challenge—a fun and meaningful way to support two incredible nonprofits: Casting for Recovery and Trout Unlimited 5 Rivers Clubs! From April 21 to May 11, TU Costa 5 Rivers College fly-fishing clubs from across the country are going head-to-head to see who can raise the most money for Casting for…

Dave Whitlock shows off a fine largemouth from a 1985 story. Photo via Fly Fisherman Forty years ago, writing in the June 1985 issue of Fly Fisherman magazine, Dave Whitlock suggested a novel approach to catching largemouth bass. At the time, streamers and topwater flies were thought to be the best way to catch bucketmouths, but Whitlock discovered that the nymphs he fished for panfish were also hooking bass. One…

The Fly Fishing Film Tour began with a small group of people looking for something fresh—something something that represented he energy, grit, and soul of fly fishing. Today, these films are part of a new wave of storytelling in fly fishing, and this week’s guest on the “Wet Fly Swing Podcast,” RA Beattie, has been there since the beginning. In this episode, RA shares his journey and highlights from his…

By Rick Mikesell Ross Reels has announced the return of the well-regarded San Miguel fly reel. Originally launched more than two decades ago, the San Miguel has been fully redesigned in Ross Reels’ Colorado factory, blending modern machining and materials with the classic elements that made the original iconic. The new San Miguel features a polished high-gloss black, platinum, gold, and special 50th Anniversary finish on a solid frame, and…

Each year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) carefully counts juvenile and adult coho salmon in North Coast rivers and streams. This work is especially important for tracking the status of endangered populations of Central California Coast (CCC) coho. Last winter, CDFW staff realized they were seeing exceptional numbers of adult salmon returning to Mendocino’s coastal streams during their spawning run. When the monitoring season was over and…

A brown drake mayfly, one of the many species not found in the upper East Branch of the Delaware, likely because the water is too cold. Photo courtesy of River Reporter In 1976, New York Gov. Hugh Carey signed legislation establishing minimum water flows for summer and winter below the dams of the Delaware River system. Angler saw the benefits of these new water regimes almost immediately, in the form…