Tag: spring 2017

Kidneys of the Rivers

Freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are of extreme importance to an aquatic ecosystem’s function and health. Probably the most well-known ecosystem service that mussels provide is ‘cleaning up the water.’ They are filter feeders; meaning they get their nutrients from straining small organisms and particles out of the water. Some species are even being reintroduced to areas of poor water quality, in hopes of decreasing the sediment and pollution load. One adult mussel can filter approximately 20 gallo

5/1/2018•Megan Hess

Reading Between the Saltwater Line

We’ve all experienced it.  You put a new line on your favorite fly rod and, just like that, your cast falls apart.  It’s not you, necessarily.  It’s the line.  Pairing the right line to the setup is key.  Pairing the right line to the conditions – also key.  Let’s talk saltwater fly lines. It might seem like a no-brainer, but the fly line is arguably the most important part of the system. Without the line, it’s just not fly fishing (sorry, Nome).  Recently, fly line manufacturers have inundated

4/28/2018•Dun Magazine

Bessie Bucholz

How long have you been in the industry? I started fly fishing at a young-ish age, but didn’t officially get into the industry until 2011 when I joined the guide staff at the Old Baldy Club in Saratoga, Wyoming immediately after graduating from the University of Virginia. If ever there was a pivotal moment in my life, it was when I decided to resist the pull towards a life and career in the city and move back out west to try my hand at guiding. As an Art History major with no interest in working

3/21/2018•Dun Magazine

Still Water

Americans are busier than ever in their daily lives with work, family, errands, and so many other endeavors that keep us on the move. The value of a pastime that brings a quiet and still space into our minds is truly priceless. I have fished my entire life, and I began fly fishing at age 17. Fishing has always brought me inner peace and mental clarity like nothing else can. Whether you are an aspiring angler, a beginner, or have a lifetime of fishing experience - I know that you, too, find peace

11/15/2017•Lila Warren

Clare Carter-King

For inshore, you can’t go far wrong with a variety of Clousers, some brushes and NYAPS (not your average poppers - designed by James Christmas). These work for all of our Trevally species, the Bluefish, Large Spot Pompano, Omani Bream and Queenfish. We are also lucky enough to have two species of permit here, the Trachinotus Africanus and the Trachinotus Blochii (Indo Pacific).  For both of these, we use crab and shrimp patterns.  I make sure to keep a selection of varying weights and colour co

6/30/2017•Dun Magazine

Fish Slime

Every time I land a fish, my mind and body go through a wave of emotions: SHOCK - “Wow, do I really have a fish on? Is it just a snag or can I begin the battle to the net?” EXCITEMENT - “I wonder what kind it is? How big it is?” FEAR - “I hope I am not hurting it. How can I catch and release this fish as quickly and safely as possible?” I have always been told that my mind over-analyzes my actions, however in this case, I think it serves as a great reminder.  A reminder to every angler that

6/30/2017•Alisha Saley

A Little River of My Own

I was named Brooke after the trickling brook that quietly cascades through my bucolic childhood home in Vermont. My Mom is Margot Page, esteemed author of the fly fishing memoir Little Rivers: Tales of a Woman Angler and a founding member of Casting for Recovery. Through my Mom’s bloodline, I am the great-granddaughter of Alfred Waterbury Miller, known as Deac to his family, but to the rest of the world as Sparse Grey Hackle, the legendary writer, editor and author of Fishless Days, Angling Nigh

6/30/2017•Brooke Rosenbauer

Oman

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

6/30/2017•Clare Carter King

Time Well Spent

Being a Mom can be hard.  Like, really hard. There is this overwhelming reality that you have been given this life to influence and to bring up someone who adds to society and ultimately leaves the world a better place.  There is the hope that they will have a greater, positive impact than you did. Some days, it takes everything you have to hold it together, to keep everybody happy, to wake everyone up, get them off to school, go to work, come home, make dinner, get everyone to bed, and get eve

6/30/2017•Courtney Despos

Rolling With the Punches

When you board your first leg of a big trip, your fishing expectations are the highest they will ever be and they remain so as you imagine all the possible things you will see and experience on the water while en route.  Even though I’d consider myself a veteran angler who knows fishing is unpredictable at its best, I still love to daydream.  Fishing with great distances in between point A and point B can put a lot of stress on whether or not the trip was worth it.  I’m here to remind you to kee

6/30/2017•Nome Buckman

Not Your Typical Stag and Hen Escape

I live in the Lake District of England. I am a qualified casting instructor with the Game Angling Instructors Association and have fished my entire life.  In February, my husband and I went to the British Fly Fair in England and met a Czech fishing guide named Petre Axamit, who showed a film of the fabulous fishing for wild trout and grayling in the mountainous region of the Czech Republic.  He appeared very honest and spoke excellent English, so we asked him for the best time of year to visit h

6/30/2017•Vera Carlson

Opening Day In Iceland

I was offered the opportunity to join a fishing party opening day on the Laxá in Dölum River in Iceland, in June 2016. Salmon river openings are always fun. Although the catches are few, there are always big salmon caught and you are lucky if you are the one catching! The opening party landed 42 salmon in 2-1/2 days of fishing. We were three couples and decided to divide the river into three beats and fish with three shared rods. Great company, beautiful river, good food and the chance of catc

6/30/2017•Harpa Olin Thordardottir