Fly Tying? You want me to tie a fly? No way. I can’t even darn socks. I knew I had enrolled in a fly fishing school, but I never thought about the fly tying aspect that would accompany my studies. School started and there I was, my instructor persuading me to give it a try. Reluctantly I went to the tying area. With a heavy heart, I tried my hand at tying my first fly, and managed to make a large and splendid bug. That disheveled fly went on to startle many fish, but one showed interest; all was
Oman … the name alone conjures up images of the desert, sand dunes and camels. This is the place that I now call home and where my husband and I have started our fishing business: Arabian Fly Sport Fishing. Most people’s first reactions are “Oh yeah, I saw the movie Fly Fishing in Yemen. Is it like that?” Well we haven’t built our own river and stocked it with wild salmon, that’s for sure. Our business is saltwater fishing. Oman has over 2000 kilometers of coastline - from rugged, unforgiving cl
Laurentian Great Lakes steelhead are a complex stock of fish. The population is a mixture of hatchery-released and wild, naturally reproduced fish originating from many different streams. Knowing the natal streams of the fish is important to best managing this species, as it allows for targeted conservation and management to the areas that are the major contributors to the total lake population. Fortunately, we may be able to determine the natal stream of a fish by looking at its otolith. Otoli
A cloud of fine dust billowed up behind my Subie, leaving a hazy trail behind me as I bounced down the dirt road leading to Tom’s house. From his neighbor’s yard, a longhorn steer threw me a half-interested glance as I pulled up the drive. It was a bright morning in May, and I was on my way to build a landing net with the Shasta Trinity Fly Fishers, my local fly fishing club. I was a little nervous; partly because the club is comprised mostly of retirement-age men (and I’m a 30-something woma
Growing up as a kid, I have fond memories of catching fish using a twig pole, a piece of monofilament line and a worm. Playing on the shoreline and watching the wiggle of a fish, got me excited and kept me going back to rivers as a kid. Years later, I was living in Alaska and one day at a garage sale in Anchorage I found a Shakespeare single-hand fly rod with a Fenwick reel for $50.00. What a steal! There was a lot to learn about a fly-rod; the difference in lines, how to cast, how to tie on
Growing up in the United Kingdom, I first started fly fishing when I was about 10 years old. Having been taught the basics by my Grandads and my Dad, I was absolutely mad keen to go fly fishing. Some of my fondest memories of fly fishing, especially whilst learning, come from staying with my Grandparents in Lockerbie, Scotland. My passion for fly fishing grew each year during our annual three week visits. Fishing on a variety of local lakes, rivers and streams: I just fell in love with the spor
There’s just something special about standing knee deep in a river in the early morning hours; suited up in waders, boots, pack on your hip, net on your back and fly rod in your hand, watching the mist slowly come off the river as the early morning sun filters through the trees overhead. Catching fish isn’t the only reason I love fly fishing. I am also drawn to the amazing, wise and inspiring people that you meet along the way; whether that person is a legendary angler, an eager, excited child
Things I learned while visiting a women's fly fishing clinic in new york. Every fly fishing clinic should start out with food and wine.
Whether you’ve realized it or not, fly fishing is definitely an athletic sport. No, it’s not a bruising contact sport, (unless you’re fighting sharks, tarpon or bill fish) but we all need to accept that it is not necessarily 100% A River Runs Through It or completely safe from injuries. In fact, statistics show that fly fishing is 100 times more dangerous than golf, and equally as dangerous as mountain climbing or hunting. The adventure factor of our sport is one of the tantalizing things th
Gin clear, slow moving, spring creek water. Birds singing in the background. I am casting, squatted down far from the bank so as not to scare the spooky fish. I can barely see the spot where I know there’s gotta be a fish. False cast a few times to get enough line out to hit my target. My #10 black leech lands spot on. I am mixing it up - slow retrieve, long pause, fast retrieve, pause – a subtle pull back, I set the hook. Darn, missed the fish! Cast again – hit my target - mix up the re
From the time I was a little girl, I was always different. While other parents were successfully dressing their daughters for school in adorable ruffles and smocked dresses, my parents were wrestling me out of Dad’s fishing waders and rubber boots just long enough to go to school. I was a girl acting in a uniquely creative, vehemently independent, and bracingly inquisitive manner. I regularly challenged my parents as I wandered the creeks behind our home in search of exciting adventures and n
There are countless reasons of why I love fly fishing. It allows you to meet amazing people, and go to amazing places to see Mother Nature do her finest work. It’s a hobby that opens so many doors for those who are truly passionate about it. Just through posting fishing pictures on social media, I have made new connections to people who share my love of the sport. Some of these people I can meet with in person, and some live on the other side of the country. Some are now my closest friends who
When I left France to come to America after the second World War, my friends from school predicted that I would marry “The King of Chewing Gum.” The man I married many years later wanted to work at a service station that had a sign “Gone Fishing” and that’s how I found fly fishing and a whole new life. Our circle of friends were all men; avid fly fishers with just a couple women who went along with their husbands and enjoyed this new sport. A friend and I decided to start a “Women Fly Fishing”
As I get closer to the river I start to hear her breathe. The birds keep a busy lead as the water thrums a heavy rhythm. Each step, I try to hold a steady tempo. The ballad ebbs as I remember why I am here. This is a new section of river for me and I’ve heard there are brook trout, the only native trout to this region, which grow to the size of sweet potatoes. Brookies have become my passion, for I can’t seem to get their resplendent colors from my thoughts. My connection to the brook trout h
The Bad Hair Day is one of my go to minnow flies. This fly darts and dives and moves unlike any fly before. This fly landed some of the largest Tarpon we hooked in Tabasco. Hook: Favorite Streamer Hook Tail: Craft Fur, Flash Body: Reverse Tied Craft Fur Keys to tying this fly: Make sure you leave a little of the under fur in the Craft Fur, it provides a little bulk giving this fly a little larger profile. Have fun with colors on this fly, don’t be afraid to try something unusual. DUN Magazi
