Kubie Brown

After a long sunny season of leaving your rods, flies, and waders in your car—ready in case you come upon some juicy looking water—the idea of storing it all for the winter has a feeling of finality. As the first frosty days rear their icy heads, your fly fishing stuff goes into the garage or basement with a gentle pat and reassuring word that you'll...

There comes a time in every fly angler's life when they decide to buy a boat. It's a decision that doesn't come lightly. Boats are expensive to buy and maintain. They come with a whole menagerie of accessories—oars, motors, and trailers—and in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors which all must be considered before committing. In fact, it's quite...

As much as we all love dry fly fishing, there are times when you've got to get your flies below the surface. Whether you're nymphing or fishing streamers, most of the action often happens underwater, and it's up to you to get your flies down to the trout's level. While you can rely on the natural weight of beads or weighted eyes on your flies, when fishing...

There are a lot of things in this world that don't make sense, yet somehow work anyway—like the placebo effect, cold fusion, or how a cold beer is refreshing after a long day on the water while still managing to dehydrate you. But perhaps the biggest mystery of them all is why we try to catch pike and musky on a fly rod. It just doesn't make sense. Fly...

There are times when fly fishing and gear fishing blend together. While this may be looked down upon by a lot of fly fishing purists, the fact is that using a bit of this and that from the gear fishing world and fusing it into fly fishing can often result in catching more fish. This mingling of genres is already evident in fly patterns, with modern...

Just hearing the word "steelhead" stirs something deep in many fly anglers' souls. These fish haunt the edges of our minds, ghosting about on the fringes of fantasy like beautiful, unattainable sirens. When an angler catches the steelhead bug, the fish become an obsession—talked about, dreamed about, pursued relentlessly. Vacations are planned around...

As a professional fly angler, I practically live in my waders. Outside of the summer guide season, when I prefer to wet wade in sandals, I spend almost every day awkwardly contorting beside my truck to get my waders on. Whether I'm hitting the local hatch before work or swinging flies for steelhead for weeks at a time, my waders have become part of my...

As an avid steelhead angler, I love swinging flies on a Spey rod. The calm serenity of the casting, the hypnotic rhythm of the swing and step, all interrupted abruptly and violently when you get a grab. I honestly can't get enough of it, but the reality is there's only so much steelheading a person can do. The fish are only in certain rivers at specific...

Every one of us wishes for the occasional “easy button.” That small or big thing that acts as a sort of cheat code to make a difficult or trying task quicker and easier. These little “life hacks,” as they’re popularly known, exist in almost everything we do, including fly fishing. Fly fishing itself is a complicated angling style where we add a...

Whether its catching too many fish (I know there’s no such thing) or bad drifts soaking the fly, eventually even the most stalwart foam-based bug will take on a little water. Of course, there is a simple solution—add floatant. Floatant comes in a variety of types—dry powders, fancy sprays, oily gels, and gummy pastes. Each is effective, and as a fly...