Category Archives: History
“Michelangelo’s Tarpon”
Norman Duncan explores the notion that one of the world’s greatest painters may have used a tarpon as the model for his depiction of what is perhaps the most famous “fish” in religious history. ”In October 2011 I walked into the Sistine Chapel … more
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Michelangelo’s Tarpon
IN OCTOBER 2011 I walked into the Sistine Chapel for the second time in twenty years, and looking above the altar I was astounded to see a tarpon peering out from behind Jonah’s left leg. The tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) is … more
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Merwin on Fly Fishing for Muskie
There’s nothing new about fly fishing for muskie, as MidCurrent editorial board member and Field & Stream editor-at-large John Merwin proves with a 1925 photo of a man catching a rather large specimen with a bamboo rod. “Each new … more
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Google Book of the Day: Fly Fishing with Nobility
When Sir Edward Grey, Viscount Grey of Fallodon wrote Fly Fishing in 1899 his objectives included explaining “how it is that we who are anglers congratulate ourselves upon having one of the best and most wonderful recreations that have ever been … more
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Tippets: “Respective Skills,” West Yellowstone Conclave, “Rivers of a Lost Coast” Review
“In fly fishing, as in sex, the truth about respective skills cannot be hidden.” Federation of Fly Fishers Conclave returns to West Yellowstone August 31. John Soltes reviews “Rivers of a Lost Coast” for Hollywood Soapbox, calling it enthralling but …
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Quotes of the Day: Henry David Thoreau
It’s the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, whose 19th-century meditations on living the simple life altered American culture forever. Amongst his many quotable sentences is this: “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not … more
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Podcast: Rosenbauer’s “Quick Fly-Fishing History Lesson”
Tom offers a couple of casting tips and advice on fishing crowded trout streams and detecting nymph strikes before delving into fly-fishing history (“in a nutshell”). “These early fly fishers used really long, limber rods and just a leader. There … more
The Mystery of the Ratty Fly
ONE DAY LAST SUMMER, I was fishing a small, undistinguished local trout stream, and as I released one of its small, undistinguished local trout, I noticed that the hackle on my Adams had unwound and was trailing loose. But when … more
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The True History of the Switch Cast
Have a question you want answered? Email it to us at ask@midcurrent.com. THIS WEEK’s “Ask the Experts” question comes from yours truly. One of the great parts of this job is that I have access to the best minds in the … more
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A Dreadful Scourge
THE STREAMER IS A very old idea. British fly-fishing historian Conrad Voss Bark wrote, in A History of Flyfishing (1992), that at the time of Homer, various Mediterranean sea-fishers “were used to creating artificial lures such as plumes — we would … more
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