There’s a period this summer when all of our kids will be out of town. The Mrs. asked me if I would teach her to fly fish. We will head to the “Trophy Stretch” up in Pittsburg, NH. I’ve booked a room at Tall Timber for a long weekend. It will be her first stay
At the Vise: Soft-Hackle Streamers
As a complete fly-fishing rookie, I fished the Trophy Stretch in Pittsburg, NH, and landed a huge broodstock brook trout. Talk about beginner’s luck! The fly? A Jack Gartside-style soft-hackle streamer bought at a fly shop. Recently, I read Dave Hughes’ excellent book Wet Flies, about which Joe Drake had written and one which I
At the Vise: Top Secret Midge and Red Brassie
I’ve been organizing my fly boxes and re-ordering my line-ups (how I organize my “starters,” “back ups” and “in reserve” flies here). I’ve demoted a bunch of flies to “off the team.” There were probably a few dozen of them, experimental flies that just never worked. I’ve stripped them down to bare metal and will
The Marathon Day
Oy. 34 °F water, shelf ice, and not a fish to be found. Saturday was one of those marathon days. I had been fishing for seven hours straight, with no break and no lunch. No fish, not even a single take. I was thinking of throwing in the towel. With the incipient snow storm,