Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2023 i Fly Fisherman

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED A FEW FAMILIAR NAMES ON THE COVER OF THIS MAGAZINE: GEORGE DANIEL, HILARY HUTCHESON, AND BLANE CHOCKLETT. THESE WELL-KNOWN NAMES AND OTHERS, INCLUDING LANDON MAYER, PAT DORSEY, CHARLIE CRAVEN, JOE MAHLER, AND STEVE RAMIREZ, ARE WHO I LIKE TO THINK OF AS THE FLY FISHERMAN FAMILY. THEY ARE TRUSTED, NOT JUST DUE TO THEIR FISHING RESUMES AND HIGHLY DEVELOPED SKILLS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE HEAR FROM THEM OFTEN ENOUGH THAT THEY BECOME PART OF OUR LIVEs. Through their writings we not only learn of big fish, but we get to know and appreciate them personally. We’ve read about Hilary’s daughters going through high school and heading off to college. We’ve seen George and his wife Amidea raise a puppy—their kids have even demonstrated for us how…

IT’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT TO SAY WESTERN WISCONSIN’S KINNICKINNIC RIVER IS CHERISHED FOR ITS UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS AND ITS HEALTHY POPULATION OF TROUT. LYING NEAR THE BORDER OF WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA—AND WITHIN A SHORT DRIVE OF ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS—THE RIVER IS VIEWED BY TROUT ANGLERS, HIKERS, NATURE LOVERS, AND KAYAKERS AS ONE OF THE REGION’S MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL RESOURCES. THE KINNI FLOWS THROUGH RIVER FALLS, WHOSE RESIDENTS PRIZE IT AS PERHAPS THEIR COMMUNITY’S GREATEST ATTRIBUTE. The river, referred to by nearly everyone as the Kinni, is actually two rivers from a hydrologic standpoint. The upper river, which flows approximately 20 miles, has all the characteristics of a small spring creek. The lower river, a classic freestone stream, flows roughly seven miles through deep, craggy canyons of limestone until it meets the…

Airflo, owned by Mayfly Outdoors in Montrose, Colorado, has partnered with New Jersey-based TerraCycle to offer fly line recycling to the public nationwide. Starting in early 2023, consumers can drop off any brand of plastic-based fly lines, monofilament fishing lines, and plastic spools at any Airflo retailer for free recycling. Airflo lines are made from inert polyurethane, but the recycling offer extends to any type of fly line including polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fly lines made by competitors. The free recycling program is available to individuals, schools, offices, and community organizations. “Airflo and Mayfly Outdoors are committed to providing the best fly lines, leaders, and tippet while protecting our natural environment through more sustainable solutions and reducing waste,” said Jeff Wagner, president of Mayfly Outdoors and Airflo fly lines. “This presents…

GETTING DUPED BY PEA-BRAINED LOS PECES IS THE MADDENING, HUMBLING, NECESSARY, AND INEVITABLE PART OF FLY FISHING THAT ALWAYS CRACKS ME UP. EXCEPT THAT, ON ONE PARTICULAR DAY IN MEXICO, I WASN’T LAUGHING. FAR FROM IT. WITH STEAM COMING OUT OF MY EARS ON THE BOW OF A PANGA, I SET THE HOOK FIRMLY AND, AFTER THE FIRST TWO STRIPS, KNEW I’D BEEN HAD. AGAIN. A SCHOOL OF RIP-OFF ARTISTS SCHOOLED ME OVER AND OVER. THESE BONEFISH COULD HAVE WON AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR THE NUMBER OF TIMES I MISTOOK THEM FOR PERMIT. THE TRUTH IS, A LARGE SCHOOL OF SMALL PERMIT HAD BEEN STICKING TO ONE SHALLOW BACKCOUNTRY BAY FOR QUITE SOME TIME, SWIMMING SLOWLY AND FEEDING DELIBERATELY. I HAD AMPLE SHOTS, BUT EVERY TIME I HOOKED UP, I…

Downriver from the Highway 28 bridge access, there is seasonally excellent trout fishing, but the trout populations start to dwindle. Warm summer temperatures, combined with low water in some years, sometimes have a negative effect on these trout, which lack the thermal refuges available to the trout in the upper river. From the Highway 28 bridge south to the Highway 76 bridge, there are numerous access points, starting with the Highway 28 boat launch, the Low Water Bridge (the bridge is underwater), and Earl’s Ford. Whitewater rafting and kayaking start to get heavy from Earl’s Ford heading south, as there are Class IV and V rapids, and several rafting companies take advantage of them. Bass and panfish thrive in the lower tier of the river, and are always eager to…

A plan to more than double the size of a National Guard training center near Grayling, Michigan, has drawn condemnation from the group Anglers of the Au Sable. The proposed expansion to Camp Grayling would add 253 square miles of land to the current size of 231 square miles, swallowing state land that has until now been publicly accessible and managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The state lands include the fragile watersheds of the Manistee and Au Sable rivers, two of the most iconic trout rivers east of the Mississippi. According to a letter sent from Joe Hemming, president of Anglers of the Au Sable, to the director of the DNR and to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and others, the DNR has no precedent or authority to…

I BELIEVE THE REAL ESTATE SLOGAN “LOCATION, LOCATION, AND LOCATION” ALSO APPLIES FOR NYMPHING PRESENTATIONS. TROUT WILL NOT BUY INTO YOUR FLY IF YOU DON’T OFFER IT IN THE RIGHT LOCATION. THE RIGHT LOCATION (AKA POSITION IN THE WATER COLUMN) IS WHAT NYMPH FISHERS ALWAYS STRIVE FOR, AND THE DROP-SHOT APPROACH CAN POSITION YOUR NYMPHS IN PRIME REAL ESTATE. For nymph fishers, the goal is to present your flies within the strike zone. You can’t be a one-trick pony when nymphing a dynamic range of water types and depths. Trout spend an overwhelming majority of their lives feeding near the stream bottom. In many cases, the use of a dense, European-style beadhead nymph is all the weight you need to achieve the correct depth. These sleek flies coupled with a…

WHEN I WAS AROUND 15 YEARS OLD, I GOT MY MOM TO DRIVE ME UP TO THE JACKSON RIVER. THEN (AND NOW) IT WAS A TAILWATER FISHERY FULL OF WILD BROWNS AND RAINBOWS. IT WAS A TROUT-FISHING PARADISE RIGHT IN MY HOME STATE OF VIRGINIA. ON THAT TRIP I MET TWO GUYS WHO WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE FOREVER: HARRISON STEEVES AND STEVE HINER. Steeves you may know from his revolutionary fly design, and his book Terrestrials: A Modern Approach to Fishing and Tying with Synthetic and Natural Materials. Steve Hiner, at the time, was an entomologist specialist at Virginia Tech. Both guys shaped my early thoughts on fly design and fish behavior. They taught me the hard way—not just by giving me the information they had already learned, but by…

’VE BEEN PONDERING THE IDEA OF “HOME.” I’VE LIVED IN SO MANY PLACES DURING MY SIX DECADES OF BREATHING, AND THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES AND PLACES WHEN AND WHERE I MAY HAVE FELT “AT HOME,” BUT IT NEVER LASTED. THINGS CHANGE. EVEN THOSE TIMES AND THOSE PLACES PROVED TO BE TRANSITORY, TEMPORARY, AND TRANSITIONAL. Humanity and its environs are consistent in their inconsistency. Your beloved home waters begin to dry, and warm, and empty. The fish you once caught in abundance become ever more scarce, and in time, you no longer recognize the river you once loved. So, you travel to new waters, landscapes, and communities that are far removed from the place you once called “home.” And if you’re fortunate, you find new waters that feel like home, not…

THE ARTWORK OF ALLAN HASSALL FIRST APPEARED IN FLY FISHERMAN IN THE MARCH 1980 ISSUE. THOSE WERE IN THE DAYS WHEN ONLY SOME MAGAZINE SIGNATURES WERE COLOR, AND MOST WERE BLACK AND WHITE. THERE WAS A NEED FOR BLACK-AND-WHITE ARTWORK, AND HASSALL’S INK DRAWINGS OF AQUATIC INSECTS, FLY PATTERNS, AND FISH WEREN’T JUST BEAUTIFUL, THEY WERE EDUCATIONAL. THIS WAS BEFORE THE DAYS OF THE INTERNET, DIGITAL CAMERAS, LED LIGHT TENTS, AND AUTOFOCUS MACRO LENSES. A GOOD PHOTO OF A MAYFLY OR A PARACHUTE ADAMS WAS HARD TO COME BY, AND HARDER TO REPRODUCE, BUT HASSALL’S CAREFUL PEN-AND-INK RENDERINGS BROUGHT ALL THE TINY PARTS OF OUR FLY-FISHING WORLD INTO CLOSE FOCUS. WITH HIS SPOT ART WE COULD STUDY INSECTS THAT WE GLIMPSED ONLY FLEETINGLY ONSTREAM, OR WE COULD SEE EXACTLY HOW…

Costa Sunglasses announced in November that it is donating $50,000 to the conservation nonprofit Captains For Clean Water (CCW), in support of Hurricane Ian relief efforts. The funds will specifically go to CCW’s Emergency Disaster Relief Fund. The Category 4 storm made landfall in late September, causing billions of dollars in damages, and an estimated 130 people were killed. It was Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935. “Being in Florida for the past 40 years, Costa is no stranger to hurricanes and the effects they have on our communities,” Justin Cupps, senior vice president at Costa said. “As soon as we learned the magnitude of this storm, we were in close communication with our friends at Captains For Clean Water, based in Fort Myers. It’s been incredible to see their response,…

The fly-fishing travel company Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures in November finalized the acquisition of the fly shop Fins & Feathers in Four Corners, eight miles west of Bozeman. The purchase comes 11 months after Simms Fishing Products bought The River’s Edge, with storefronts both in Bozeman and in nearby Four Corners. Simms is also located in Four Corners. Founded in 2000, Yellow Dog annually books fly fishers in more than 240 destinations in 36 countries. Yellow Dog founder and CEO Jim Klug says the decision to diversify into retail sales was largely driven by a desire to better serve and prepare traveling clients. Klug also said that the expansion and diversification will also protect the business from uncontrollable travel disruptions like those during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fins & Feathers was…

A WARM AFTERNOON BREEZE WAS BLOWING FROM THE SOUTH, AND WE WERE CONCERNED THAT THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST EVENING TO FIND HATCHING SULPHURS. STILL, WE FORGED AHEAD THROUGH AN AREA THAT SEES LITTLE FOOT TRAFFIC, AND FOUND OUR WAY TO THE RIVER AFTER 30 MINUTES OF HIKING. We chose a long, beautiful riffle that rolled into a long glide and back eddy on the far side of the river. It was absolutely perfect for hatching insects, and for trout waiting in ambush. We sat streamside waiting for the sun to settle behind the trees, and talked about our strategy for the evening. We planned to swing nymphs and soft-hackle emergers in tandem prior to the hatch, and then make long casts with dry flies to rising fish. It…

ANTONIO RODRIGUES IS A DECADE-LONG VETERAN OF THE PORTUGUESE FLY-FISHING TEAM, AND SERVED AS THE COACH OF THEIR YOUTH TEAM AS WELL. HIS JOURNEY INTO COMPETITIVE FISHING CAME ALMOST BY ACCIDENT WHEN HE MISTAKENLY SIGNED UP FOR A FLY-CASTING CLASS AS A KID, AND HIS PROFICIENCY LED TO AN INVITATION TO JOIN THE TEAM. Fly-fishing competitions brought him to the U.S. in 2015, and brought him into the fly-fishing industry as well through the friendships he made along the way. Antonio is an easygoing, almost soothing guy to talk to, without a trace of ego. My interactions with him have always left me saying, “I really like that guy,” which is something to be said, coming from someone with a reputation as a sourpuss. My impressions of Rodrigues’s fly patterns…