Rusty Flybox: Manchester

This week I’ll be spending a few days in southern Vermont. This region isn’t as well known as the more northernly section; the part with all the cheese, skiing, and Bernie Sanders. But there are plenty of reasons to poke around Manchester, Vermont.

Along with fly fishing itself, there are two significant fly fishing “attractions.” The American Museum of Fly Fishing and the Orvis flagship store (including their Rod Shop) sit a long cast’s length away from each other. This month, the  former is holding an open house and fundraiser in conjunction with the opening of a new exhibit.

All that to say, I’m looking forward to spending time in a beautiful and interesting part of New England. Below are three posts from the Casting Across archives that pertain to this region. I’m sharing an article, a podcast, and a video that each touch on some of what you will expect to find if you take a few days to fish and poke around Manchester.

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Podcast Ep. 413: Fly Fishing Changes For Fall

Flannels, pumpkin spice, and… slowly swung streamers?

Just like the changing colors of the leaves, there are some inevitable alterations we make every fall in our fly fishing. Dropping temperatures and shorter days cause cold-blooded creatures to act differently. If we want to see them in our nets, we need to respond accordingly.

Today I share three changes I make in my fly fishing as the season transitions from late summer to early fall. I touch on presentation, approach, and equipment modifications that have been helpful and productive over the years.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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VIDEO: 2027 Looks Good, Trout Unlimited

Our watches tell us the day and our phones keep all of our monthly obligations in order for us. So who needs a printed calendar for their wall any more?

Fly fishers. That’s who.

For decades, Trout Unlimited has published a calendar for their members and as part of their fall fundraising efforts. I still have over 25 years’ worth of them laying around my office. Some have been better than others, but they’ve all been fixtures in my life. This year features some excellent photography and is a perfect example of what a little bonus like this can and should be.

Watch what else I have to say about this year’s calendar, and find links  to where you can secure your own, below.

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Anyone Can Teach Fly Casting

picture from amff.org

In one way or another, I’ve been teaching fly casting for over 20 years. I’ve taught it on river with clients I’ve guided. I’ve taught it with classes of 20 students. I’ve taught it with friends and family. I’ve taught my own boys. I’ve personally taken classes, read books on the subject, and watched plenty of YouTube videos. With great confidence, I can say there are good ways and bad ways to teach fly casting.

But don’t let not being the best keep you from showing someone how to enjoy fly fishing.

With that in mind, I’ve put together the seven steps I use when I’m first introducing someone to fly casting. The goal here isn’t to produce a competition caster. It isn’t to provide an outline for a formally certified class, either. My intention is to equip you: the dad, the friend, the volunteer with  a few ideas and with some confidence as you put a rod in someone’s hand for the first time.

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Podcast Ep. 412: So You Have to Show Someone How to Cast

You might not fancy yourself a teacher. But if you’re going to be a “fly fishing guy” there is a good chance you’re going to need to pass along some essential knowledge to a friend, coworker, or brother-in-law. And casting is about as capital-E essential as there is in fly fishing.

Today I walk you through what I focus on in my first 45 minutes of any fly casting lesson. The basics are basic, but we all to often fly past them in order to get on the water or into a hula hoop. Hopefully my process will be helpful to you as you prepare to help someone else get out on the water with a fly rod in hand.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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VIDEO: Fly Fishing Illustrated

There are few books out there that appeal to anglers of any age, at any skill level. But I’m confident that The Fly Fishing Book by Steven Weinberg happens to be one such book.

Between the endearing artwork and the humorous take on the pursuit we all love, this is a title that experts and those with only the slightest interest in fly fishing will enjoy. Beyond that, it truly gives the reader everything he needs to know to get out on the water and have success.

This is a book that anyone teaching fly fishing should own. This is a book that anyone who fly fishes and has kids should own. Honestly, this is a book that you should own.

Watch what else I have to say about the book and find out where you can pick up your own copy below:

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Fly Fishing Small Streams… & You!

If I had more time, energy, and effort, I’m sure that I could make the thousands of posts on Casting Across more accessible and attractive. There are tweaks that I could make to the website and optimization tools I could utilize. But that is not how I want to fill my hours. All that said, there are a few things that I do want to make easy to find for those clicking around on the site or Googling away on the internet.

For over ten years, small stream fly fishing has been one of the primary aspects of fly fishing I’ve written about and one of the major reasons why people find their way to Casting Across. Recently I put together a page with some of the most read articles and watched videos that pertain to fly fishing on small streams. Instead of using the in-site search bar, links to all the best are all right there on one screen.

In the last few days I’ve expanded the Small Stream Fly Fishing page significantly. I’ve added some beginner materials, put up a few more podcast episodes, and rearranged things to make it a bit easier to navigate.

I do hope that this will be helpful to  beginners or to those who are trying to hone their skills on tiny spring creeks or on high-gradient streams up in the mountains. Check out the link below, and then don’t hesitate to let me know what other kind of small stream fly fishing content you’re looking for.

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Podcast Ep. 411: A Few More Thoughts on Old Fly Rods

So you want to buy and fish with an old fly rod. Not a collector’s item or a rare antique: just a regular, old old fly rod.

Great. I’m a fan. And this week, I’ve been writing and talking about that very thing.

After putting together an article and video about fly fishing with old rods on small streams, I figured I’d keep a good thing going and explain a few things about the enterprise. In particular, in this episode I discuss finding a fishable rod and pairing it with the right modern fly line. There is much more to it, of course… but that will get you out on the water at least.

Listen to the episode below, or on your favorite podcast app.

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VIDEO: Small Streams & Old Fly Rods

I’ve reviewed countless new, shiny 3-weights. The vast majority of them are well-designed, feature-packed, and a lot of fun to fish. I’ve added a handful to my arsenal and have encouraged you to do so as well.

Today, that is not what I’ll be doing.

The fact of the matter is that you might already have a great small stream fly rod in your closet. Or, you could be a few clicks on an e-marketplace away from acquiring such a piece of gear at a reasonable price. Because even old fly rods work really well when fly fishing on small streams.

In this video I show you three rods that came into my possession through three different means. They are three very different fly rods. They are from three different decades. But each is a lot of fun to fish on small streams.

Check out the video below:

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Old Fly Rods & Small Streams

With all the high-tech, high-priced modern fly rods out there, no fly fisher is immune from the allure of the upgrade. However, the small stream fly fisher might just be the most resistant to the contagion. An old fly rod will do just fine on a small stream.

After all,  in that description the “fly rod” is much more essential to the angling equation than the “old.” A fly rod is what is needed to get the job done. The manufacturer, to a certain degree the design, and the length of time the tackle has been in a closet are much less important. As is often quipped: the fish don’t care.

There are two primary reasons why we use and love old fly rods on small streams: They are practical and they are beautiful. (I’ll explain what I mean by beautiful later in the post.) But it is sufficient to say that these categories are each reason enough to fish your old fly rod. It must also be said that they are certainly not mutually exclusive.

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