As fast as they’re shuttering newspapers we’re getting more goodies to line the coffee table. The Flyfish Journal’s debut is scheduled for August 2009, featuring glossy paper, quality photographs, and the completely useless articles by a bevy of saints, sinners, and the newly converted. We seek images that speak to the soulful eccentricities of fly [...]

All of us have a pet gear peeve, hoping someday that space science, nanotechnology, or pixie dust will fix that silly component that’s plagued us for years. For me it’s the venerable fly box, and despite metal springs, gimbaled doors, foam, clips, slots, fleece lined, or adjustable compartments, none of the boxes will hold what [...]

“Media Day” featured an irresistible seminar on angling photojournalism and I couldn’t resist, as feeble photography and halting punctuation are two of many growth areas for me. I’m scrubbed and coifed, sitting in the front row listening attentively to some eye-opening subject matter; which pastels clash best with bankside foliage, pink is the new green, [...]

You’ll remember my pitiful bleat about “but Joe, it might … s-sn-snow!” – and how my iron will trodding through cow crap, farm chemicals, and scorching desert melted after the weatherman claimed it might pizzle snowflakes, with temperatures ”near freezing” – or at least 85. … I begged off claiming I was overdue for a pedicure, while [...]

The first fellow was towing a lure that looked like a plucked Olive chicken carcass – minus saran wrap and foam plate. I says, “what’s your buddy throwing – a pizza?” He laughs, “there’s a lot of Bass in here but they ain’t biting today.” He ears back to fling that seaweed colored rooster, and [...]

Obama’s got nothing on trout season, and while everyone was giddy at the millions watching his coronation, the trout season inaugural dwarfs even the President – many times over. Weather predictions are all over the map, snow forecast and blue skies dominate, leaving us Milquetoast types alone and vengeful. Most of the foul weather blew [...]

Are future generations of fishermen being subtly pre-programmed to prefer the fast action rod? Singlebarbed’s penchant for “conspiracy” is well documented; we’ve always preferred word-of-mouth to facts – and if it’s carved into a bathroom stall or penned sloppily near a pay phone we know it’s gospel. We’ve seen OPEC and endured OGRE, the Organization [...]

Commercial tying is a hellish occupation, once your orders breach the 100 dozen of a single fly single size  – it’s becomes a ghastly test of endurance where perspiration and desperation perch on opposite shoulders, you discover nerves in your backside you never knew existed, and all the careful planning has been frittered away by [...]

Fly tying success is akin to fishing success, you’re happy to bore tears out of your fishing buddies, describing the instant of clarity when goat nostril was the perfect tailing fiber for your pre-menopausal emergent mayfly adult. So long as you’re buying the beer they’ll feign interest… What’s never described is the 750 refusals you [...]

Pop would see the gear lined up by the back door and hear us revert to ”sporting speak”, clipped sentences punctuated by, “you bringing the …” and “did you remember…” and he’d gaze out the window, gauging the rainfall and comment to no one in particular, ” .. another goddamn fishless fishing trip.” Naturally we were [...]