Indholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2021 i Fly Fisherman

THE LACKAWANNA RIVER IN NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA WAS CALLED A “WAKING GIANT” IN A RECENT FLY FISHERMAN FEATURE ARTICLE (AUG-SEP 2018), WAS INCLUDED IN THE MOST RECENT EDITION OF TROUT UNLIMITED’S GUIDE TO AMERICA’S 100 BEST TROUT STREAMS, AND IN 2020 IT WAS NAMED PENNSYLVANIA’S RIVER OF THE YEAR. BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS THIS WAY. FIFTY YEARS AGO IT WAS HOPELESSLY POLLUTED WITH ACID MINE DRAINAGE. THERE SEEMED LITTLE HOPE FOR RECOVERY. AND THINGS GOT WORSE. IN 1972 THE RIVER WAS DEVASTATED BY FLOODING FROM HURRICANE AGNES, AT THAT TIME AMERICA’S MOST COSTLY AND DAMAGING HURRICANE, AND STILL PENNSYLVANIA’S WETTEST TROPICAL CYCLONE ON RECORD. IN THE AFTERMATH, THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS STRAIGHTENED THE STREAMBED, BUILT MILES OF LEVEES TO CONTAIN FLOODWATERS, AND TURNED THE RIVER AND ITS FLOODPLAINS INTO A…

For nearly 70 years, the majority of fly lines have been made from PVC — a naturally rigid plastic that requires the use ofplasticizersto make PVC lines functional. Unfortunately, these plasticizers are anythingbuta permanent part of a PVC line. You see, from the minute it’s made, a PVC line begins breaking down — leaching plasticizers into the environment and contaminating you and the waters you fish. Once it has shed enough of these chemicals, it becomes prone to cracking, even failure. And if that’s not enough, as it decomposes, PVC is known to release Dioxins — a group of lethal, bioaccumulating toxins. Consequently, it’s virtually impossible to safely dispose of a PVC line. AMM PG XIJDI JT XIZ AJSflP OFWFS VTFT PVC. OVS MJOFT IBWF BMXBZT CFFO NBEF GSPN PPMZVSFUIBOF…

THERE’S A LINE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HABIT AND OBSESSION, AND I’M PRETTY SURE I HAVEN’T CROSSED OVER IT YET. THAT’S WHAT I’M THINKING AS I UNCINCH RED NYLON STRAPS FROM THE ROOF RACK AND EASE MY LITTLE YELLOW KAYAK TO THE GRAVEL. SURE, I ALWAYS FLOAT THE SAME STRETCH ON THE SOUTH FORK OF THE SHENANDOAH RIVER. AND YES, I DO THE SAME THINGS ABOUT THE SAME WAYS EVERY TIME I GO THERE. I CONSIDER THIS HEALTHY RITUAL. The straps get tossed into the back of the car. I put the seat on the kayak, piece together my rod, and, after a moment of ceremonial contemplation, tie on a black Woolly Bugger. It’s the fly I always turn to first for smallmouths, known around here as bronzebacks. Then I focus on…

In fly fishing, presentation is everything, and that includes both the delivery of the fly and how the fly appears to the fish we are trying to catch. In both instances, the breaking strength of the line is of little importance. Breaking strength becomes important when you’re hooked into the fish of a lifetime, or when you’re snagged on the river bottom and don’t want to lose your fly, but when you are casting, mass is what matters. Our ability to change the taper of a fly line determines how the line unfurls in the air, and we design leaders and tippets to be a continuation of that taper so our casting energy transfers along the length of the line and dissipates until the fly gently floats down to the…

FOR MOST FLY FISHERS, THE JOY OF CATCHING A FISH IS AMPLIFIED WHEN IT COMES AS A RESULT OF CAREFUL PLANNING AND PREPARATION. DON’T GET ME WRONG—ACCIDENTAL FISH ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. BUT WHEN YOU PLAN FOR IT, TIE SPECIFIC FLIES FOR IT, VISUALIZE IT, AND EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER, THOSE ARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE CHERISH FOREVER. One of those memories started for me one November day when a friend and I embarked on a scouting mission. Water flows were at 60 cubic feet per second (cfs), with water temperatures hovering around 46 degrees. We did not expect great numbers of fish because of the low, cold water, but to battle the cold-weather blues we decided, “Let’s give it a shot and see what we can learn.” Over the years, I’ve found that…

ORVIS GUIDE SLING PACK The Guide Sling Pack has been a longtime favorite for many years, but it’s been completely redesigned for 2021. This pack has the best combination of volume (18 liters) and extra features like the slide-through Fat Lip net holder, a Hypalon docking station, hemo hideaway, and a Tippet Whippet secure tippet dispenser. To deal with all that capacity, the Guide Sling Pack has multiple internal small-sort pockets and a larger stretch mesh trampoline stash drop pocket that prevents all your gear from shifting from one end of the pack to the other. It’s handy to have some things stay at the correct end of the pack where you know you placed them. The new line of Orvis packs, including the Guide Sling, Guide Hip Pack, and…

WHEN THE RELIABLE SPRING MAYFLY HATCHES ARE COMPLETE, AND FLY FISHERS ANXIOUSLY AWAIT THE FALL MAYFLIES TO START THEIR DANCES, WE FOCUS ON INSECTS THAT CAPTIVATE THE ATTENTION OF TROUT IN THE SUMMER MONTHS. THIS OFTEN MEANS TERRESTRIALS. In the heavily forested Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, cicadas and other terrestrials provide sporadic success. When periodic cicadas hatch, it can be some of the best dry-fly fishing in the world. However, cicadas are highly localized and can be hit or miss. Where I live in Pennsylvania, 2020 was a poor year for cicadas, and the fish had low interest. In those kinds of years, East Coast fly fishers turn envious eyes toward our Western counterparts, who seem to enjoy endless and dependable terrestrial fishing with hoppers, beetles, and ants. But those…

The IGFA test as described here determines the tensile breaking strength of the material using a standard methodology. When you peruse the data, you’ll see that most manufacturers are fairly close to their advertised breaking strengths—a few are just a little under their advertised strength, many are actually stronger than their stated breaking strength, and there are significant differences between some brands. You may notice that on average, fluorocarbon is stronger than nylon monofilament. This is a wet test, and nylon is more porous and absorbs water, which can significantly weaken the material. But nylon is limper. It allows your fly to move more freely in the water, so you get better drag-free drifts—whether you are fishing with nymphs or with dry flies. Because it is softer, it knots better…

I HAVE BEEN IN THIS GAME FOR A LONG TIME, AND THROUGH THE YEARS I’VE COME TO KNOW ONLY A FEW PEOPLE WHO TRULY HAVE A GIFT FOR CATCHING LARGER-THAN-USUAL FISH. MATT WINKLER IS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. WINKLER WORKS WITH ME AND IS NOT ONLY A HARDCORE STILLWATER ANGLER, BUT A MULTI-SPECIES EXPERT, AND A TIGHT-LIPPED S.O.B. AS WELL. HE IS RARELY ONE TO TOOT HIS OWN HORN, BUT IF YOU FOLLOW HIS SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, YOU’LL SEE A STEADY PARADE OF BIG-FISH PICS. I JOKINGLY REFER TO HIM AS “NOTHING BUT TWO FOOTERS” WINKLER, AND THE NICKNAME IS CONSISTENTLY ACCURATE. WHEN I PERUSED THE NEW UMPQUA OFFERINGS AND GOT MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF WINKLER’S NEW PATTERNS FOR 2021, HIS BALANCED LEECH TIED WITH AN ULTRASUEDE TAIL IMMEDIATELY CAUGHT…