Author: sdurrant

My fly line hung limp in the Wyoming wind, where just seconds before it had been tight to a fish. A sizable fish, based on the few times it jumped, and the one good look Alex got. "That wasn't a rainbow," he said. "What?" The river was deathly quiet. Even the wind had faded to background noise. "You thought it was a rainbow, but it was a big ol' brown,...

I've become interested in trout spey in recent months, because it seems like such an effective method to cover a lot of the bigger rivers near me. So, this story from Rick Kustich in Fly Fisherman Magazine immediately caught my eye. It's an in-depth, detailed explanation of some killer trout spey tactics, and Kustich answered many of the questions I've...

In this most recent episode of the Orvis podcast, Tom Rosenbauer sat down with Tim West, 2024's Orvis-Endorsed Outfitter of the Year. Tim shares some of his strategies to help anglers decide which flies they ought to tie on first when heading to the water. You can find the entire podcast here.

With the Klamath River Dams coming down, there's been a big focus on the short-term environmental impacts of dam removal. Certainly there are some aspects of removing the dams that hurt the environment in the short term, but do the benefits outweigh what happens when we send tons of sediment rushing downstream? In the case of dammed rivers that drain...

It's that time of year when the rivers are high with runoff, but that warm, welcoming sun means every angler is itching to get on or in the water. It's also time to start looking at new gear for the father in your life. Whether you're shopping for someone else or offering hints for your own Father's Day treat, there's something for every dad in our 202...

Commercial fishing is, and will likely remain, a key part of managing our salmon fisheries. The demand for salmon likely won't decrease anytime soon, but the need to balance that demand with the requirements for healthy salmon stocks is imperative. That goes for both Pacific and Atlantic salmon. That's why a recent bit of research from the University of...

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) just released a report that the trade group hopes will launch a nationwide effort to empower anglers to demand action on climate change. The report, titled "For Tomorrow’s Fish: Anglers Are the Key to Climate-Resilient Fisheries,” was written by anglers, and contains information that AFFTA says will...

In this week's Tying Tuesday, we're treated to a few fun patterns. The first is the Easy Street Midge, from Barry Ord Clarke, of the Feather Bender on YouTube. This little midge pattern has all the looks of a fishy fly, and I can see myself tying up a few for the box. Our next pattern is a fun Yellow Sally imitation from the folks over at Fly Fish Food...

Before 2024 I'd never fished a Thomas & Thomas rod. I'd thrown them at fly fishing shows, and wiggled a few at fly shops, but I never had the chance to get one out on the water. Then the 9' 5-weight Avantt II showed up, and I spent the better part of two months with it as my primary stick. I don't think Thomas & Thomas could've made a better first...

I've been involved in education for a while now (my current day job is as a high school English teacher, though that's soon changing), and for the past two years I've focused on teaching the basics of fly fishing to beginners. Between my weekly podcast and semi-weekly instructional videos on YouTube, I spend hours each week talking about tactics and...