The dream of fly fishing in Bavaria began almost 3 years ago, during a trip to Germany over Christmas of 2016. There is a river there that will play a major role in this story - the Ammer river. From its source in the Ammergau Alps to its flowing into the Ammersee before eventually becoming… Continue reading Fly Fishing Bavaria: Part I of V – The Beginning
May 4th, 2019 is a date that has been circled on the calendars of trout bums across the state of Wisconsin; the official start of the 2019 trout season. Select streams in select counties have been open since early January (catch & release only) but now that has widened to include all streams within the… Continue reading A Lesson In Small Stream Combat
You know how this story starts by now, Dean walks into a fly shop. Not that fly shop though, a different one. Behind the wooden counter stood a middle aged, disgruntled man. As described to me post factum, the conversation went something like this. DEAN: "Do you know of a place I can catch small… Continue reading Hex Hatch 2018: Make Your Own Hatch
Ringing of the morning alarm Before the cockerel crows Coffee wafting through the cabin Arise. Damp waders Pack full of gear Checked and rechecked Supplies. Light peaking over the trees Illuminates the open road Haze of fog on the hills Sunrise. First steps in the creek Cold shivers all the way down Waders clinging to… Continue reading The Rise: A Poem
Like most stories, this one starts with a conversation. Dean and I are at the fly shop in Green Bay, resupplying and getting a fresh spool of line on my reel. I inquire of the old man behind the counter about the famous central Wisconsin hexagenia (hex for short) hatch. "Oh yeah, they're hatching." He… Continue reading Hex Hatch 2018: Initiation
Think of your favorite stream or body of water. One that you know intimately. You've studied its bend, its runs, its contours. The shallow flats and the bottomless holes. You know all of its secret spots and its perfections, the ones that require a long hike or boat ride and time spent finding. They are… Continue reading You Are the Stream: A Reflection
Cutthroat trout are the high functioning alcoholics of the salmonid clan; sometimes feasting with reckless abandonment and other times as trained as an entomology doctoral candidate. This trip is about a stream with a resident population of sauced-up cutties. "Welcome to Wyoming", the Google Maps app pings. I see a cartoon of a cowgirl and… Continue reading Pursuit of Utah’s Native Cutthroat Trout #4: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
I'm not superstitious, but am particular when it comes to the music I play in the car en route to the stream. Radio surely doesn't cut it. And while they do have their place in the car's regular CD rotation, neither do pop or rap albums. Trips through the countryside beckon for something simpler and… Continue reading Highway Jams
They said it couldn't be done. Not in January, not in Wisconsin, and especially not with a morning temp of -12 F. That's alright, we waited til noon. With thermal layers on and hand warmers activated, Dean and I departed amidst doubts from the naysayers. It's the 2018 Wisconsin trout opener and we may have… Continue reading Cold Open
An old book sits propped up in the bedside book stand of my family's cabin. A gently worn dust cover adorning the painting of a jumping brookie encloses it. The book is Robert Traver's Trout Madness, a collection of trout related essays written by one of fly fishing's greatest authors. The book opens with an essay… Continue reading The First Day
The Path Less Fly Fished 