Articles in the Category Commentary

It’s Not Luck

The willingness to meet luck wherever it stands, to accept what comes and fish regardless, is the fundamental attribute of die hard anglers, regardless of their region or the species they chase. We fish because we can, because we’re alive, willing and able, and because we mean to beat bad luck just as we did the last time it showed up.

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What Fishing Does to Your Brain

Fishing captivates us because it provides two of the three things we need to be happy — something to work on and something to look forward to. What’s the third key to happiness? Someone to love. And for the angler, we’d be wise to choose someone who loves us back, enough to care about and listen to our fishing stories.

I’m thankful for all of this . . .

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Don’t Force It — Just Fish It

Trout eat the fly or they don’t. Remember, it’s tough to convince a trout that has already said no. Don’t force it. Just fish it.

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A Good Fishing Pace

A good fishing pace need not be fast, but it should flow and be efficient. And it might be the most important thing out there.

It comes from intention, from having a plan and following through. Surely, adjusting our plan along the way is part of the fun, but pace remains an element that every angler can set, every day . . .

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What to Trust

What to Trust

Dec 27, 2017 | , , ,

Of the good fishermen I know, one thing I see in all of them is how easily they can reach conclusions about fish habits. They have a knack for knowing what to trust and when to trust it.

The damned thing about a river is that it changes every day, and the habits of trout follow. If you’re observant enough to see the dynamics of a river, you can predict how the fish will respond, just by correlating their behavior patterns with the changes in water level, clarity, food availability, etc. Often, though, that’s a big leap to take. And it requires trusting in your observations enough to act decisively on them . . .

Vote The Little Juniata River as DCNR’s River of the Year

Vote The Little Juniata River as DCNR’s River of the Year

Dec 7, 2017 |

How often do you get the chance to positively impact the health of your favorite river? Most of us want to help, but conservation takes time. Sure, we pick up trash, release most of our trout and take care of the stream. Many of us also donate time and money, hoping...

Voices from the River: Troutbitten

Voices from the River: Troutbitten

Nov 3, 2017 |

  I'm honored that Troutbitten is being featured by Trout Unlimited today. I did a short Q&A interview with Rob Shane and Mark Taylor of Trout Unlimited, as part of their "Voices from the River" series. We talked a little about history, conservation and...

Respect the spots, man! | A fisherman’s thoughts on friendship and spot burning

Respect the spots, man! | A fisherman’s thoughts on friendship and spot burning

Sep 26, 2017 | ,

There are two ways to tell the experience of an angler: how he holds a fish and how he keeps his secrets. The latter is probably more important.

My secrets aren’t your secrets. The places and dreams that I find sacred and worthy of protection are likely much different than your own. Among good friends, though, the respect for another’s treasure is given. It’s hard to find a good fishing partner who yields to this tenet — to find a friend who will protect your secrets like his own — because secrets are a burden to carry, and most choose to shed that weight and give up a prize that isn’t theirs.

So we come to accept that holding secrets is a lonely affair, and that’s okay for me and the other introverts — of which I think the majority of the fishermen’s gene pool is comprised. It’s the damned extroverts that you have to be wary of. It’s the gregarious guy whose off-hand remarks about a river can sink the best of spots.

As most of us quickly realize, good fishing friends are hard to come by . . .

Thirty-Inch Liars

Thirty-Inch Liars

Jun 13, 2016 | , , | 6 Comments

My story, Thirty-Inch Liars, is over at Hatch Magazine today. Here are a few excerpts..... -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ... I once read through a publication that printed, "Thirty-inch wild trout are common in this stretch of water." Now, I don't care what river in...

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Trophy Hunting: Meet Jercules

Trophy Hunting: Meet Jercules

Jan 27, 2016 | , | 16 Comments

. . .I’ve gone through a couple phases of trophy hunting, but I’m always careful to return to my roots before the obsession overtakes me. I don’t want to lose my enjoyment for the simple things on the water: the friendships, the forests, the mountains, the mysteries and the way thick, cool moss on limestone feels like a sofa cushion for a mid-stream lunch. Those are the good things that are available every time I put on my waders, even though the big fish usually aren’t.

While going in and out of these phases of trophy hunting for wild browns, I’ve learned that I was looking for big trout in the wrong places. I had to seek out new rivers. And sometimes, I simply had to find new places on my old rivers. Point is, I learned that trophy hunters need a target. It’s not enough to go to the same places and fish the same ways as you always have. You have to learn where the big fish are, go there, and put on your patience pants — because Whiskeys don’t come easily . . .

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What to Trust

What to Trust

Jan 21, 2016 | , , | 3 Comments

The tall man crossed the old railroad bridge above me. He paused at the midpoint, lingered and watched me cast for a moment, then he bellowed downstream to me with a voice full of triumph. “I caught a bunch! They’re taking Zebra Midges just under the surface.” “Not...

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Last Call For Comment On DHALO Regs Change

Last Call For Comment On DHALO Regs Change

Mar 15, 2015 | | 4 Comments

The sixty-day period allotted by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for comments on the proposed changes to specially regulated waters designated Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO) is coming to an end. I'm not going to go into a diatribe here listing...

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