Fly Fishing

One of the favorite websites is run by Chris Stewart, aka the Tenkara Bum. Chris’s website is a huge compendium of fly fishing knowledge and I always come away with a couple of new things to try when I tie flies or I’m out fishing. I almost always carry a …

The trout fishing season is almost over in New Hampshire and this year been a watershed in my development as a fly fisherman. Despite the insufferable summer heat, the fishing was unexpectedly great, and I spent many a late afternoon or early evening by a riverside or stream with a …

Orvis’ Ultralight Wading Boots are rubber-soled wading boots that I wear with stocking foot waders when I fly fish rivers with a rod and reel. On wider streams and rivers, a rod and reel, waders, and wading boots give you the extra mobility, reach, and precision to place a fly …

The DragonTail Hydra zx390 is an adjustable-length zoom Tenkara Fly Fishing Rod which can be fished at two different lengths: 13 ft and 11.5 ft. Zoom rods have become popular because they give you two rods for the price of one: a longer rod for landing bigger fish and a …

Small stream fly fishing is not a glamorous sport and it’s difficult to brag about the bite-size 6″ trout that you catch at the company picnic. But the satisfaction that comes from fishing an undiscovered virgin trout stream that’s never been fished before is hard to describe. The Orvis Guide to …

Tenkara fly fishing is a minimalist style of fly fishing used for stream fishing. With an emphasis on simple lightweight gear, this form of fishing is perfect for backpackers who want a richer wilderness experience in the backcountry. There’s nothing like hiking into an isolated pool drop on a remote …

When I fly fish larger rivers with a rod and reel or a Tenkara rod, I often need to wade from the shore to get closer to the best trout habitat. But I’ve found that traditional bib waders are overkill for my needs and often too warm to wear. I …

My buddy Ken and I took a three day bikepacking and bikefishing trip into a conservation area called the Second College Grant in Northern New Hampshire, about 65 miles north of the White Mountain National Forest. It has two excellent trout rivers in it full of native brook trout, the …

I like to keep the line rigged on my Tenkara Rod when I go fly fishing, so I wrap it around a pair of EZ Keepers that are attached to the outermost segment of the telescoping rod shaft. I wind the line in a figure eight pattern between the two …

Chris Stewart’s Killer Bug is an effective nymph pattern that’s easy to tie and I’ve had good luck with it on Tenkara Rods and a traditional fly rod on New England streams and rivers. Many fisherman cite the Killer Bug as their most successful fly, so it’s a good addition for …

If you’re interested in trying Tenkara Fly Fishing and have never fished before, I recommend that you get a Tenkara Package like the Tenkara Rod Company Sawtooth Kit (rod, line, flies, and accessories) which includes all of the basic components you need to get started and is backed up with some …

“Do you wear sun protection?” That was the first question my doctor asked me when I told her I’d taken up fly fishing. Indeed I do. I wear a floppy hat, fishing gloves, a neck buff, long shirt, and long pants when I fish because I don’t want to experience the …

A tippet ring is a very small metal loop that you tie in between a line and a tippet that lets you change tippets frequently without having to shorten the length of your line or leader, something that inevitably happens whenever you tie tippet to it directly. For example, I use a hi-visibility orange, …

While fly fishing can be as simple as tying a general-purpose fly to your line and trying to hook a fish,  a lot of people geek out and tie different flies for different seasons and stages in the life-cycle of the insects that fish eat. ‘Matching the hatch’, as it’s …