Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2025 i Fly Fisherman

The answer is obvious. It’s because we do journalism. FLY FISHERMAN isn’t just a collection of fishing yarns. “Me and Joe went fishing” stories get tiring very quickly. Since 1969 FLY FISHERMAN has been the journal of record for the sport and the business of fly fishing. We’re the same magazine that in 2009 did stories on Andrew Madoff—son of Bernie Madoff—who was part of an investment group that bought Abel Reels and at one time owned at least part of Thomas & Thomas. Yes, we were able to describe what a Ponzi scheme is just as well as how to wrap hackle on a Parachute Adams. FLY FISHERMAN has delved into the intricacies of federal permitting related to the proposed Pebble Mine, we’ve written about new businesses, mergers, and…

RIO PRODUCTS GOLD XP AND GOLD MAX The RIO Gold fly line came out in 2008, and since then has been a do-it-all trout-fishing favorite in RIO’s product line. After years of testing, tweaking, and fine-tuning, RIO (farbank.com/pages/rio) has expanded the Gold fly line for 2025 into a Gold “family.” Yes, the Gold fly line grew up and had babies. The original Gold isn’t going anywhere, but it has spawned two descendants—the Gold XP and Gold Max. These two relatives aren’t just newer, they are bigger, more powerful, and more specialized. The regular Gold adheres to published American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) standards—that means a 5-weight should weigh 140 grains, a 6-weight should weigh 160 grains, and so on. The new Gold XP is a half-size heavy, so a…

More than 470 people attended the premiere screening of Lefty: The Greatest of All Time in Lefty’s hometown of Frederick, Maryland. Many friends and acquaintances of Lefty attended the premiere—people such as Lily and Andy Renzetti, Blane Chocklett, Ed Jaworowski, Sam Talarico, and members of Lefty Kreh’s family. Many others had never met Lefty but knew of his legendary status among fly fishers and wanted to learn more about the man who shaped modern fly fishing more than anyone else. The new documentary by filmmaker Jay Nichols tells the story of Bernard “Lefty” Kreh’s life, from his humble upbringing during the Great Depression, to his service with the U.S. Army in the Battle of the Bulge, and his role as fly fishing’s greatest ambassador. Lefty’s longtime friend Flip Pallot narrates…

THE JULY MORNING WAS HOT AND ALMOST OVER WHEN I FOUND HIM. THE WATER DIDN’T LOOK LIKE MUCH, JUST SOME CONFUSED, SWIRLING CURRENTS BELOW A MINOR RIFFLE DROP. I’D PASSED THE SPOT A HUNDRED TIMES AND HAD NEVER SEEN SO MUCH AS A SINGLE FISH RISING. UNTIL TODAY. WADING PAST, I WAS INTENT ON THE NEXT FAMILIAR PIECE OF WATER, AND IT WAS JUST DUMB LUCK THAT I NOTICED OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE A TINY GEYSER OF WATER THAT DIDN’T SEEM TO BELONG. UNCONVINCED, I NONETHELESS LISTENED TO MY GUT AND STOPPED, IMPATIENTLY AGREEING WITH MYSELF TO WATCH THE WATER FOR 30 SECONDS. AT 10, I SAW IT AGAIN— A SOFT EXPLOSION THAT SEEMED TO TAKE PLACE MOSTLY BENEATH THE SURFACE, WITH JUST THE BAREST GLIMPSE OF…

PRECISION FISHING IN BEAUTIFUL PLACES, SCREAMING RUNS, BACKING PEELING AWAY FROM YOUR REEL, FLY LINE CUTTING THROUGH THE WATER WITH THE SOUND OF A NINJA SWORD—THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY BONEFISH ARE SO MUCH FUN TO TARGET WITH FLY TACKLE. MAYBE YOU’RE NEW TO IT AND JUST ENJOY DIY KAYAK FISHING. MAYBE YOU’RE A SEASONED BONEFISH ANGLER AND WANT A NEW CHALLENGE. HUNTING THE GRAY GHOST FROM A KAYAK IS A WORTHY AND SPORTY ONE. Catching my first bonefish from a kayak was as memorable to me as my first time catching one with a fly I’d tied myself. I’ll lay out the playing field in hopes of helping you land a silver trophy. Bonefish are commonly the first saltwater flats species fly anglers target, for various reasons. In the…

MY DAD GREW UP—OR, AS HE JOKES, TRIED TO—IN BEVERLY HILLS, WHERE THERE WERE MORE PALM TREES THAN TROUT, AND THE ONLY WATER HE NAVIGATED REGULARLY WERE THE WATER HAZARDS DOTTING THE FAIRWAYS OF HIS LOCAL GOLF COURSES. THIS WORLD OF CELEBRITIES AND SILK WAS FAR AWAY FROM THE WORLD OF BAMBOO RODS AND RIVER GUIDES AND YET HE WOULD COME TO CHOOSE THE LATTER. IT WAS IN THAT WORLD, DRIVEN BY A CONSTANT JOY OF DISCOVERY, THAT HE WOULD EVEN LEAVE A LASTING MARK. AS WITH MANY GOOD STORIES, IT ALL STARTED WITH A GIRL. In the 1960s my dad was dating Lynn Scholz, a woman who liked to fish. At the time, my dad was an accomplished golfer; he had played many top-tier courses around the world, and…

For decades, Del Brown was the all-time leader in the number of permit caught on the fly, but aficionado Mike Ward has somehow topped that unimaginable number of 513. In tribute to Brown, Ward caught his record-tying fish using a custom bamboo rod with a Seamaster Mark III reel. Ward caught his first permit 17 years ago at Pesca Maya Lodge on Ascension Bay in Mexico, while fishing with his wife and on his second day ever of saltwater fly fishing. “From that moment I knew I was an addict,” said Ward. “I just didn’t know at the time just how bad it set in. After that fish, I spent the rest of the trip getting humbled by permit. With over 40 shots a day, I was unable to connect…

FOR 30 YEARS, SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN WAGING A STRUGGLE TO CONTROL INVASIVE LAKE TROUT IN YELLOWSTONE LAKE, TRYING TO CURB THEIR NUMBERS BEFORE THEY COMPLETELY DESTROY WHAT WAS ONCE THE LARGEST POPULATION OF YELLOWSTONE CUTTHROAT TROUT IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. I WROTE ABOUT THIS EFFORT IN “SCIENCE IN THE THOROFARE: THE STORY OF YELLOWSTONE CUTTHROAT TROUT #4089” IN THE FEB.-MAR. 2024 ISSUE OF FLY FISHERMAN. That story recounted a trip with Yellowstone National Park biologists, including Dr. Todd Koel, Yellowstone’s lead fisheries biologist and the primary person responsible for managing the lake trout problem. We fished the headwaters of Yellowstone Lake, a roadless region known as the Thorofare where increasing numbers of Yellowstone cutthroat trout continue to spawn each spring, doing their part to save their species from lake trout…

[This is the third in a series of five articles examining the physics and mechanics that determine the outcomes of all casts, based on Ed Jaworowski’s nearly 70 years of casting, testing, experimentation, teaching, and consulting with physicists, kinesiologists, and engineers. THE EDITOR.] DURING A CONVERSATION WITH A PHYSICIST 30 YEARS AGO, IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE ROD AND THE LINE COMING FROM THE ROD TIP, AT THE MOMENT YOU START TO LOAD THE ROD, IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. IT MAY AND SHOULD VARY, DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF BEND OR LOAD YOU REQUIRE FOR EACH CAST. THIS ASSUMES, OF COURSE, THAT THERE IS NO SLACK IN THE LINE, AND IT APPLIES TO BOTH THE BACK AND FORWARD CASTS. AT THAT TIME, I HAD NOT…

I SEE A LOT OF FLIES IN MY EVERYDAY LIFE . . . AND I LOVE THEM. I HAVE RUN A FLY SHOP FOR MOST OF MY WORKING LIFE. AND IF IT’S NOT THE LATEST OFFERINGS FROM THE COMMERCIAL FLY VENDORS, IT’S CUSTOMERS SHOWING ME THEIR CREATIONS AND VARIATIONS, OR MY OWN SHOP GUYS WHO SURREPTITIOUSLY CREEP INTO MY OFFICE WITH A HIDDEN FLY CUP IN THEIR POCKET TO DISCUSS IDEAS. I LOVE EVERY BIT OF IT, BUT I HAVE TO SAY, MY DAYS OF SEEING NEW AND EXCITING THINGS ARE GETTING FEWER AND FARTHER BETWEEN. BUT THEY ARE, THANKFULLY, NOT EXTINCT. A great “for instance” is Kyle Bakko’s new Phat Azz Hopper. Kyle is a new Umpqua Feather Merchants signature tier, and his patterns came to my attention with…

Anew bonefishing tournament sponsored by the Bahamas government is kicking off in July on Grand Bahama Island, with a continuing series of events on Andros and Eleuthera, and the tournament finals in October on Exuma. Prizes valued at a total of $50,000 in cash; trips; and tackle including rods, reels, and lines are up for grabs. While there are some bragging rights involved, it’s mostly a chance to hang out with like-minded individuals and see some of the top Bahamas bonefishing destinations. According to a Bahamas Tourism press release, the tournaments “will focus on the four C’s: healthy and friendly competition, conservation, community development, and cultural immersion.” Registration costs $400 per angler, and the entry fee includes a captain’s bag filled with Bahamian gifts, as well as an anglers’ welcome…

Yellowstone National Park’s supervisory fish biologist, Dr. Todd Koel, has led the Yellowstone Native Fish Conservation Program for the past 24 years. His life’s work has been dedicated to protecting, enhancing, and restoring native fish species in Yellowstone National Park. Dr. Koel’s native fish conservation vision has impacted streams, rivers, and lakes that flow into two oceans, span three states, and provide recreational opportunities to millions of visitors. Dr. Koel has worked tirelessly to bring Yellowstone Lake’s iconic Yellowstone cutthroat trout back from the brink of extirpation, which was caused by the invasion of predatory, nonnative lake trout. Thanks to Dr. Koel’s leadership, the expansive Yellowstone Lake restoration program has reduced the biomass of adult lake trout by a staggering 94 percent. Over the past 30 years more than 4.75…

WHERE ARE YOU HEADED?” A GUY ASKED AS HE WALKED BY ME IN THE AIRPORT TERMINAL, EYING THE FLY ROD TUBE STRAPPED TO MY PACK. “LOS ANGELES,” I REPLIED. HE STOPPED, CLEARLY PUZZLED. “IN LA? LIKE, IN THE CITY?” “Yeah, actually. There’s a surprising fly-fishing scene down there. I’m meeting up with a bunch of locals who invited me, to show off their waters.” My fellow fly fisher raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever fished in the Sierras? I’ve had some great trips up in those mountains. You can’t beat it, especially for golden trout.” I shook my head. “I haven’t yet. The Sierras will have to be another trip.” “Well, that’s where you really want to go,” he said, turning away. “I’ve just never heard of anyone flying all…

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.”–Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore THERE WAS A TWISTED AND ANCIENT APPLE TREE IN A MARSHY MEADOW OF WINDBLOWN GRASSES AND SAD-FACED COWS. THE BENDING GRASSES SEEMED AT HOME HERE. THE CATTLE WERE IMMIGRANTS LIKE ME, AND THEY STARED AT US MOURNFULLY AS IF THEY HAD OVERHEARD THE GAUCHOS PLANNING AN ASADO AND WERE COMPLETELY AWARE OF THEIR JOURNEY’S ENDING. AND IT DOES END. NO AMOUNT OF MINDLESS GRAZING WILL CHANGE THAT, FOR THE COWS OR THE COWBOYS. EVENTUALLY, WE ALL BECOME BLADES OF GRASS, BENDING IN THE WIND. This journey began a few years ago when I asked my friend Bob White, “What are the homewaters of your heart?” I fully expected him to name the…