Articles in the Category Stories

Whiskey One

Aiden caught his first Whiskey the other day. Watching my sons enjoy what I love so much is perhaps the most rewarding thing I’ve experienced as a Dad. Early on, my goal was to give them enough time by the rivers that they were comfortable. I imagined that the sounds and the scents of moving trout water might imprint on their souls enough that they’d be called back through every stage of life to the river, as a refuge and a place for wonder.

The plan seems to have worked . . .

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Saltbitten: Thoughts and Lessons from the Summer Surf

I’ve lost good friends in the last year whom I know had plans that remain eternally unfilled. I used to think time was the enemy. I was wrong. The end is the enemy. And time is all I have to work with.

. . . I love the details of saltwater fishing. I love the sunrise and the sunset. I love the never-ending wash of good waves. I love having my bare feet in the ocean for hours at a time with nothing in front of me but the endless ocean until it meets the soft line of the horizon. I love the walk back, watching beachgoers enjoy their own moments, seeing their friendships and laughter. I love being by myself, and I love sharing the sand with my boys . . .

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Fishing Tempo

Much like a musician might play the same song Largo or Allegro, an angler can fish methodically, even and calm, or he can fish the same meandering series of undercuts with earnest intensity, cutting through water at twice the pace and delivering the fly with acute precision.

Both have their beauty. Elegance is found in either approach, if an angler is on their mark.

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Shirt Pocket Fishing

Get the cast perfect the first time, or the trout will pull themselves out of position to check your fly, then turn as it drags away. In these conditions you never get a second chance.

It’s technical, but fair. It’s unforgiving, but fun. It’s a new lesson at every undercut, and the whole thing’s over by 10:30 a.m

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Saltbitten: Thoughts and Lessons from the Summer Surf

Saltbitten: Thoughts and Lessons from the Summer Surf

Jul 28, 2026 | , ,

I’ve lost good friends in the last year whom I know had plans that remain eternally unfilled. I used to think time was the enemy. I was wrong. The end is the enemy. And time is all I have to work with.

. . . I love the details of saltwater fishing. I love the sunrise and the sunset. I love the never-ending wash of good waves. I love having my bare feet in the ocean for hours at a time with nothing in front of me but the endless ocean until it meets the soft line of the horizon. I love the walk back, watching beachgoers enjoy their own moments, seeing their friendships and laughter. I love being by myself, and I love sharing the sand with my boys . . .

Fishing Tempo

Fishing Tempo

Aug 19, 2025 | , ,

Much like a musician might play the same song Largo or Allegro, an angler can fish methodically, even and calm, or he can fish the same meandering series of undercuts with earnest intensity, cutting through water at twice the pace and delivering the fly with acute precision.

Both have their beauty. Elegance is found in either approach, if an angler is on their mark.

Shirt Pocket Fishing

Shirt Pocket Fishing

Jul 16, 2025 |

Get the cast perfect the first time, or the trout will pull themselves out of position to check your fly, then turn as it drags away. In these conditions you never get a second chance.

It’s technical, but fair. It’s unforgiving, but fun. It’s a new lesson at every undercut, and the whole thing’s over by 10:30 a.m

Can You Create Your Own Hatch?

Can You Create Your Own Hatch?

Jul 13, 2025 | ,

The truth is, I do not think you can create a hatch. But I’ve had enough fun through the years, testing the concept in key spots at specific times, that I keep doing it. Because every once in a while, those extra drifts have seemed to make a difference.

. . .But creating an ant hatch makes me feel like Brad Pitt (maybe like a dollar-store version). And it seems to spark the curiosity of a trout once in a while, just as it satisfies some odd curiosity in me. o.

What’s the Most Fun Thing About Fishing?

What’s the Most Fun Thing About Fishing?

Jul 10, 2025 | ,

Our objective while fishing is to catch a fish. That’s the point. And as catch-and-release anglers, we don’t fish to put food on the table. We fish . . . because it’s fun.

We can all list a hundred other reasons why we enjoy fishing. It’s the environments where trout live, the problem solving, the daily mystery, the beauty of the woods and the water, the therapy of being immersed in a river and a chance to interact with one of nature’s swimming creations.

But none of that means much without a win once in a while. Catching fish is the motivation. And without that reward, without the feedback that we’re doing something right and improving, all those other intangibles fade away fast.

Fish the Edges?

Fish the Edges?

Jul 6, 2025 | , , | 2 Comments

More water means more food and more opportunity for a trout to use the whole river, from bank to bank, for feeding in the drift and for ambushing bigger food forms.

. . . So, fish the edges when big flows are recent. Fish the edges too when water clarity is at its worst, because slow seams near the bank often have the best chance to clear up, as sediment falls out of the current.

. . . However, given high water with decent clarity, I do not fish the edges any more than normal. And during the last few months here, I’ve caught more trout in the main flow than in the bank water.

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On Your Own Terms

On Your Own Terms

Jul 2, 2025 | | 6 Comments

So many factors figure into trout habits, and I feel like it’s my job to keep up, matching flies and presentations to the trout’s terms. And then sometimes I don’t want to . . .

. . . A few of those apex fish are still out there hunting cicadas. Still swimming. Still searching. Maybe they’re doing it on their own terms too.

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Woody And The Fly Shop

Woody And The Fly Shop

Jan 24, 2025 | , | 6 Comments

You can tell a lot about a fly angler from a quick look at their leader. If there was an educational course for working at a fly shop, that’s something the teacher would share early on. And I’ve seen this trick pulled countless times in shops, when the answer-to-question ratio was getting pretty thin . . .

“Hey, go grab your reel, and let’s see how you have things set up.”

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Fishing Marginal Water — Thoughts and Strategies

Fishing Marginal Water — Thoughts and Strategies

Jan 22, 2025 | , , | 10 Comments

There’s nobody around for miles, you have every braid and river bend all to yourself, and there’s a real possibility of the biggest fish of your life to the net. The prospects of marginal water are tantalizing. But you have to be willing to cover miles of river, wade the rough stuff and accept a slim fish count, all for the low percentage chance of a couple trout where they aren’t supposed to be. You have to fish hard.

. . . Success on marginal water takes some time and patience to get it right.

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Writings and Rhythms

Writings and Rhythms

Jan 15, 2025 | | 21 Comments

I’ve replaced fishing hours with writing hours. In truth, I could be back out there wading, casting and catching again, but I’ve fallen into a daily cycle of coffee at the keyboard all morning. Sure, family stuff and other commitments have broken the spell on occasion, but I’m working fast on the book project that I’ve been looking toward for so many years. And once I start a big project, I don’t like to stop.

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Fishing With A Fever

Fishing With A Fever

Dec 29, 2024 | , | 8 Comments

I was there to target some of the deeper parts that offered trout adequate protection against predators, like . . . me.

The sickness kept my motions slow. My stubbornness kept the process methodical. Stay behind the fish. Target the A water. Keep moving, but do it slowly. And stay off the bottom . . .

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