Jen Ripple

Articles from Jen Ripple.

28 posts

Jen's Must-Haves Volume 7

Some of Jen's favorite things this season Gondolas in Tahoe Tortoise By Sunski MSRP - $9.99 photo courtesy of - sunski Because creative and funky polarized sunglasses are in and so is protecting your eyes. By Now Retro Pile Fleece Hoody By Patagonia INC MSRP - $149.00 photo courtesy of - Patagonia When I need a little warm hug on the river, I reach in my bag for this hoody. By Now W G3 Guide Z Waders By Simms Fishing MSRP - $649.95 photo courtesy of - Simms Products In one wo

1/24/2026Jen Ripple

April Vokey's The World Through Your Eyes is the Outdoors Story We Need Right Now

April Vokey’s debut children’s book, The World Through Your Eyes, follows Addie outdoors—reminding us how wonder, curiosity, and nature begin.

1/3/2026Jen Ripple

The Simms Guide Classic Wader and Jacket

I’m a bit of a gear junkie. I love good gear and I love good technology. I can also tend to be a brand snob. When I got into fly fishing back in the day, I wore Simms boy’s waders, casted a Sage 9’ 5-wt Light Line and had a Ross Gunnison reel. Everything about the setup was classic and beautiful, and it worked like a charm to get me literally hooked on this sport, except the waders. While the Simms waders were well-made and never leaked even though I put them through the ringer, I have to say th

2/25/2021Jen Ripple

Survival of the Fittest - Or Most Prepared

This is the current view from my office window…in Tennessee. I moved here from Chicago four years ago because I wanted to be somewhere warm, without that white stuff, and without the single-digit temperatures. To say I feel like I was sold a bill of goods this morning when I woke up to 3 degree temperatures is an understatement. I currently heat my house with a wood burning stove, and while I live in the middle of a forest and am surrounded by "fuel" for said stove, currently that "fuel" resemb

2/16/2021Jen Ripple

The Fly Fishing Holiday Guide 2020

Ho-Ho-Ho Happy Holidays! Now that the turkey has been consumed, you've done all the shopping you care to (or should) in person, it's time to finish up that shopping list. Look no further! The ultimat fly fishing holiday gift guide has arrived! No doubt if you have a fly angler on your list you've thought about what the perfect gift would be to feed their obsession. We've taken away the guesswork in this year's guide and have provided you with a lot of options regardless of your budget. These

11/30/2020Jen Ripple

Scientific Anglers Takes Packaging to the Next Level

I love it when a company that makes great products already comes up with a totally out of the box (or in this case INSIDE the box) idea. It’s no secret that I’m a big conservationist. I’ve been shouting it from the riverbank for as long as I have been fishing. To me, fishing and conservation go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. That’s exactly why it’s important to me when a fly-fishing company pushes the bar upward with a product that has the potential to change the way we’ve

9/16/2020Jen Ripple

Mahi and More in Panama City Beach

Fishing saltwater can be challenging but not in PCB.

8/28/2020Jen Ripple

RIO SlickCast Lines

Full confession. I’m terrible when it comes to my fly lines. I have boxes of lines in my office and even one of those line winders so I can easily change out lines … but I never do. I have lines on different reels and that's where they stay. It’s not really because I’m lazy, it’s because I’m particular. When I find something I like, I use it – and abuse it – until it’s no longer usable. Case in point, this poor fly line. Every time I pull out my rod and cast this line I wonder if today’s the d

6/22/2020Jen Ripple

Asian Carp - Not just a local issue

I live in the tiny little town of Dover, Tennessee. It’s not uncommon for those who live in Tennessee to ask where that is - it’s that small. Aside from embarrassingly being known as the #6 speed trap in the US, Dover is known as the place at the base of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. History buffs will recognize it as the home of Ft. Donelson understanding it as the place that changed the course of the Civil War. The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a 1

5/18/2020Jen Ripple

Just When We Thought the Flats Pro Series Was Perfect

When I first laid eyes on RIO’s DirectCore Flats Pro fly lines the first thing I noticed was how beautiful they were. The color is what sets this line apart to begin with. But, what good is color if it doesn’t work? Then, I tried the Flats Pro and it has been my hands-down favorite saltwater line since. It is, in fact, the line I use when I’m fishing for saltwater species and (shhhhh) for big bass here in the dead heat of summer. These lines became so popular with anglers that RIO has expanded

5/8/2020Jen Ripple

5 Things You Should Know Before You Try Fly Fishing

I fell into fly fishing by accident when I randomly signed up for a fly tying class one really cold day while I was living in Ann Arbor, MI. To be completely honest, I signed up for the class because it sounded like something different, and it was really cheap — like $65 for eight classes, and I didn’t need any equipment. I figured I had nothing better to do, and it was time to stop hibernating and get out into society again. I had no idea what fly tying even was. But from the moment I walked in

1/3/2020Jen Ripple

Why I'm Considering Going to Guide School (even though I don't want to be a guide)

When I got into fly fishing, I rarely saw another woman on the river. I heard rumblings that there was a woman who came into the fly shop and fished, but I never saw her on the river. The times, they say, are a-changing, and it’s about high time. Today, the angling community is robust with young and old alike, female and male, and growing in ethnic diversity. That’s a great sign. The only way our sport will continue to grow is if we break out of that old male-dominated box and progress along wit

12/26/2019Jen Ripple

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