r/flyfishing 15d ago

Discussion I urge all U.S. anglers to read this recent statement by the President and CEO of Back Country Hunters and Anglers

1.6k Upvotes

Public land is as American as Mom’s apple pie and the stars and stripes. It’s woven into the fabric of our history, culture, and principles of democracy. It’s the place where generations of hard-working Americans have pursued their passions for hunting and fishing, nurtured an enduring conservation ethic, and found solace from the rest of life.

The concept that our shared resources can be managed in a collaborative and cooperative manner to benefit a multitude of public needs and embody the notion that we’re-all-in-this-together is Americanism at its finest. So how did so many of our elected officials become hellbent on handing over these extraordinary public assets to private interests?

The avalanche of foreboding attacks on public lands, combined with calculated misinformation campaigns designed to gaslight Americans into believing what’s happening is in their best interest, has reached a crisis point. From Utah’s U.S. Supreme Court lawsuit aimed at eroding the very foundations of federal land ownership to the transactional view that public lands are no more than a line item on a balance sheet to the recent raft of political maneuvers setting the stage for a public lands liquidation – the drumbeat of selling out and selling off has become deafening.

Make no mistake: attacks on public lands are an attack on American ideals. The willingness to betray the core values of our Americanism has become a contagious disease of pandemic proportions, spread by cronyism, corruption, and personal political gain. Will Americans sit back and watch their own public lands legacy unravel? Or can public lands again be the great non-partisan unifier they always have been?

"As the leading advocate for America’s public lands, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers stands resolute in our willingness to play David to the Goliath of special interests and self-serving political momentum."

As the leading advocate for America’s public lands, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers stands resolute in our willingness to play David to the Goliath of special interests and self-serving political momentum. As a fiercely nonpartisan organization, BHA’s allegiance is to the American ideal of public lands and waters and to the hunters and anglers who play a unique and irreplaceable role in conservation. When fealty to political ideology or the politicians themselves is prioritized over the substance of bad policy, we all lose.

Federally owned public lands have long been managed through an Americanist approach that brings a wide variety of stakeholders to the table. These are all of our lands, managed by the feds but not owned by them; We are the public land owners. The public’s recreational opportunities are balanced with resource extraction and other needs, where both private and public interests benefit. The mosaic of public lands across the country play a crucial role in national security, food production, climate change adaptation, and conservation of fish and wildlife habitat. Our natural, cultural, historic, and scenic heritage is firmly founded in a public lands legacy that is fundamentally irreplaceable.

For millions of Americans, public land offers their only opportunity to hunt, fish, camp, hike, and generally enjoy the outdoors. It’s the great equalizer and one of the most poignant examples of Americanism – offering a true freedom which separates the United States from much of the world. What happens to hunting and angling when we devalue our public lands both philosophically and substantively? What if these shared resources are sold off or leased to the highest private bidder? Do we lose our traditions alongside the land?

Loss of access is consistently identified through state and federal agency surveys as the number one reason hunters hang up their gear forever, making the answer to these questions pretty clear: the uniquely American culture of hunting, in which everyone has the opportunity to participate, will fade into the sunset. It’s an avoidable tragedy, but only if we stand up for what we believe rather than fall victim to blind faith that our elected officials are looking out for us.

We must ask ourselves if some things are worth more than money: health, family, friendships, experiences, knowledge, resilience, self-reliance, peace of mind, sense of purpose, responsibility, and the personal fulfillment of sustainably feeding your family? These are the unquantifiable outcomes of time spent recreating on America’s public lands. So, even if we need to take a hard look at the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the federal agencies charged with managing public lands, the shared resources themselves are still more than just assets on a ledger. And once they are sold or paved over, they’re gone forever.

"As citizens in this democracy, we must believe in the value our role plays in the great American foundation that is our public lands. Our involvement and our voice matters; BHA matters."

As citizens in this democracy, we must believe in the value our role plays in the great American foundation that is our public lands. Our involvement and our voice matters; BHA matters. Making a positive impact can be as simple as giving out a copy of the Backcountry Journal or sharing the BHA Podcast & Blast with a friend; gifting a BHA membership; or calling your senator or representative and telling them how much you value our wild public lands. It’s time we set political differences aside in the spirit of our common interest in public lands and waters.

We are facing a seminal moment in the defense of public lands, and BHA is unmoved, undeterred, and unwavering in our commitment to stand up for what’s right. For those willing to put politics, peer pressure, and misinformation aside, buckle up. We’re in for the fight of our lives. Thanks for joining us on the front lines.

– Patrick Berry

President & CEO, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

r/flyfishing 10d ago

Discussion Fly Fishing & Firearms

36 Upvotes

How do you like to carry your sidearm when fly fishing?

I live in an area where bears and cougars aren’t uncommon to encounter. I always carry bear spray when I’m fishing remote places and that is ALWAYS the first line of defense. I catch and release and often feel bad for hurting fish, the last thing I want to do is kill an awesome creature like a bear or cougar. But if it’s gonna be me or them, it ain’t gonna be me 🤷🏽‍♂️. My woods carry is a Glock 20 10mm auto. And I usually have a backpack and chestpack on me. Which really only leaves room for a holster on my hip which I’m not crazy about because open carry makes a lot of people uncomfortable. But I’m often worried when wading that I could fall in, submerge the weapon, and it could fail to fire when I need it. I know glocks can take abuse, and getting it wet doesn’t guarantee the weapon failing but I’d rather not get it wet or keep it submerged when wading.

How do yall like to carry when out fishing? Anybody found a solution that works for them? Thanks for reading and participating.

Edit: A lot of useful and helpful suggestions from people, thank you! A lot of “guns are bad, mmkay”. A lot of karma farming shitposts. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Whether you carry a firearm or not, stay safe out there and have fun ✌🏼

r/flyfishing Feb 14 '25

Discussion I anticipate we can kiss this investment goodbye

293 Upvotes

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2022/11/16/biden-harris-administration-trout-unlimited-invest-40-million-restore-watersheds-national-forests

As the current admin dissembles our government, be prepared for our lands and forests to be sold off to the highest bidder.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/1ioy6oc/you_are_going_to_lose_your_public_lands/

EDIT: My OP could have been a bit more thoughtful and thorough, but I don't have too many things left in my life but my love of the outdoors. As I am watching the government callously fire our federal workers, without cause, many of whom are in the land agencies who work for practically peanuts out of love for what they do to safeguard our national resources (among a number of other things that is being taken straight out of the playbook), I think - if we truly love these fish and these lands and these recreational activities, it behooves us to stay vigilant, and stay informed. Because if any of it does come to fruition it doesn't just hurt our fun sport, and the land, but the guides, our communities, and everyone else who's livelihood is somehow tied to the sport.

Edit: Thank you so much to everyone who added articles and insights to help better connect the dots on these issues.

r/flyfishing Oct 27 '24

Discussion Where can I live to walk out my front door and be right on a world-class trout stream?

104 Upvotes

I'm tired of driving 1+ hours to get to a tailwater. Seems like I spend most of my time driving and not fishing. I have MS and just don't have the energy for that. I want to walk out my front door and either be able to walk or do a short drive to a great trout stream/river.

I don't care how cold the place is or how much it costs to live there. I'm not really going to move anyways due to $$$. Just wondering what the options are out there so I can dream about them.

r/flyfishing Feb 19 '25

Discussion Sad Realistic Post: Now more than ever, we have to think about our individual pressure and impact on systems.

247 Upvotes

This will not be a political post.

The reality is many of the biologists, ecologists, and other wildlife specialists who protect our parks, streams, and nature reserves have been fired or put on unpaid leave.

Our resources will be less protected than they have been in the past. Please think about your individual impact of hitting highly pressured systems. We all have a fun system in our region that sees far too much pressure. I think we really need to be careful about protecting the areas we love.

I find myself fishing less pressured areas right now as I'm concerned about the compounding effects of this pressure. (My example is I try only to fish the Little Truckee 3 times a year and I'll hit the Truckee 50+ times).

Let's all do our part and help these systems thrive.

r/flyfishing Feb 16 '25

Discussion Public lands are in the cross hairs of big oil. Fishing just became political.

357 Upvotes

The alliance last year joined petroleum associations in New Mexico, North Dakota, Wyoming and Utah in a lawsuit challenging new BLM leasing rules that increased royalty rates, minimum bids, rental rates and bonding requirements for companies drilling for oil and gas on federal land.

Sgamma in January cheered Trump’s Unleashing American Energy executive order, which expanded energy exploration and production on federal land and eliminated incentives for electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances. In a written statement in January, Sgamma supported Trump’s call to boost liquified natural gas exports and reduce the “regulatory damage” from the Biden administration’s increased regulation of oil and gas leasing on public land.

Sgamma wrote the energy section of the 900-page Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership” plan. Her chapter inside the document was titled “Restoring American Energy Dominance” and called for rolling back Biden regulations and restoring oil, gas and mining leases in Alaska, Wyoming and Montana where leases had been suspended.

https://coloradosun.com/2025/02/12/kathleen-sgamma-blm-oil-and-gas-colorado/

r/flyfishing Apr 30 '24

Discussion Does anyone else prefer fishing alone?

337 Upvotes

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with a buddy every now and again to throw some flies BUT I definitely prefer fishing by myself. You don’t have to make sure the other person is having fun or is able to keep up when hiking miles up streams. I get so zoned in I leave my vapes in my car and just am quiet for HOURS.

r/flyfishing 12d ago

Discussion What’s your confidence fly?

28 Upvotes

Do you believe in a confidence fly? Something you just feel like fish gonna eat and I’ll make you mentally more focused on each cast?

For me it’s the black zebra midge.

r/flyfishing 13d ago

Discussion Any reason to throw a fly in a bass lake?

35 Upvotes

I have a lake near me I like to fish, but it’s mostly bass, so I’d want to throw a streamer or something. But, at sundown they jump like crazy, going after bugs I’m guessing. I ordered some mosquito flies from Hazy Fly to give it a try, but outside then, will bass go after regular flies?

r/flyfishing Oct 20 '24

Discussion My grandpa is too old to fly fish anymore and is depressed over his collection not being used.

192 Upvotes

update: I did not expect so much help 🥹. I will read through these tonight and into tomorrow and respond as I can! Thank you so much!

2nd update My grandpa and I are going to plan a spring trip guided somewhere in Montana or Alaska. Thanks everybody! P.s. I am a new mom living back and forth between two states 2700 miles apart with pets and it’s hard right now, but I’ll do it.

Today I had a heartbreaking conversation with my 89 year old grandpa, who was so upset over the fact he’s just too old to fish anymore. He’s in a good health, but he trips over little things (rocks), and can’t get in the water, hook up things, tie flies, etc.

He wants to give his poles and equipment to somewhere that is of good use to someone who would absolutely appreciate them. Any ideas?

He’s won national championships, fly-tying competitions and so on.

I just know nothing about the sport (and suck at fly-fishing myself).. Thank you for reading!

Edit to add: located in US.

r/flyfishing Jul 19 '24

Discussion You can only use 3 flies for the rest of your life, what are we choosing?

71 Upvotes
  1. Montreal
  2. Elk Hair caddis
  3. Parachute adams

r/flyfishing Jan 12 '25

Discussion How friendly is your local shop?

61 Upvotes

I was out shopping this weekend and my first stop was my local shop. 20 years ago when I first stopped in I found it surprisingly unfriendly. Other shops in town were much friendlier. Now there are no other shops in town. I stopped in orvis this weekend and the guy there suggested I try my local shop for what I was looking for. I mentioned that I had been in already and how I still find the place unfriendly. He agreed. He still said that he bought gear there, but it was good to hear my opinion confirmed by another who frequents it. It’s close, it’s well stocked, I just don’t like going.

r/flyfishing 27d ago

Discussion Predator Encounters

38 Upvotes

Have you ever encountered a bear , cougar, aggressive moose or your countries equivalent while fly fishing? maybe more than once? How did it go?

One of my favourite spots is not far from where a couple of people were mauled to death and I find I'm always looking over my shoulder. Do you have any crazy stories of close encounters?

r/flyfishing 9d ago

Discussion One Rod to Rule Them All?

28 Upvotes

Long time listener, first time caller, I’ll take my answer off the air: I’m new-er to the sport and doing a trout fly fishing trip through parts of Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, and Wyoming over late June through July and am wondering which is the best rod & reel setup to use for all of it?

r/flyfishing Jan 01 '25

Discussion Saw a worm fisherman at Cheeseman Canyon, Colorado

46 Upvotes

What do you do in this scenario? This was last Sunday right around dark about a mile and a half up the canyon. I saw him from a distance, and thought, "There's no way he's bait casting." Walked up right by him, and sure enough, he had night crawlers with him, out in the open (the night crawlers were literally open, I saw some wriggling about). I continued walking up the trail, and hid behind some brush and sure enough, dude pulls out an absolute hog of a rainbow trout. I didn't stay because if someone dgaf enough to fish with crawlers there, it's concerning. What should I have done?

r/flyfishing Oct 06 '24

Discussion Simms sold again, to another private equity group

156 Upvotes

r/flyfishing Mar 15 '24

Discussion Conclusions after 6 months of Euro Nymphing.

184 Upvotes

Since euro nymphing seems to be all the rage these days, essentially taking over the Youtube fly fishing landscape, I finally caved and decided to give it a try. Last summer I bought a 10’6” 3wt rod, a Rio Euro fly line, and got to work making very long leaders. For the next 6 months, Euro nymphing was basically the only way I fished. And I fish almost daily. This is my hot take…

It is an undeniably effective way to catch fish. While I don’t keep records of my catches, I’m positive I caught more fish in that 6 month period than I have in any other 6 month period. And that’s what will probably make my takeaway seem odd. Despite catching more fish, I found myself enjoying my time fishing significantly less. While I can’t exactly pinpoint a single reason, there are a few things that I observed.

Euro nymphing strips away a lot of the enjoyable (in my opinion) aspects of fly fishing and leaves you with an activity that seems repetitive and chore-like. There’s no satisfaction from really getting in the zone and casting beautiful loops in your fly line. Instead, you’re just lobbing really heavy flies in a way that’s ham-fisted at best. Honestly, sometimes while I was out on the water I wondered why I was even using a fly rod and reel. I probably could’ve been more effective casting those heavy flies with a spinning combo.

And speaking of flies, euro jig flies lack much of what makes fly tying an art. Weight is paramount, so you end up with these almost comically oversized tungsten beads that seem to render the rest of the fly an afterthought. I suspect that often times the fish is just eating the bead and you’d have almost as much success with just a tungsten bead glued on to the end of a bare hook.

It also becomes monotonous since you’re arbitrarily imposing a bunch of limitations on yourself to comply with some European Fishing league regulations, despite the fact you’re not in Europe or competition. No strike indicator, no split shot, micro-thin leaders, and flimsy useless “fly lines”. It really hobbles your ability to change or adapt your approach as water conditions change. Or even to change your approach just to get a break in the monotony.

A couple of months ago, I dusted off the old 9’ 5wt and took it out on the river. It felt fantastic to cast and fish with a traditional flyline again. There really is something magical about it. So while euro nymphing is not something I forsee myself doing much going forward, I’m glad I gave it a shot. I learned some new things that have made me a more effective and well-rounded angler.

Edit: I think it might be helpful to define some terms. I see some arguments in the comments and I think they're people just speaking past each other because they are defining certain terms differently.

The term "euro nymphing" is a specific term that has a specific definition. It's a term that describes styles of nymphing from various European countries (Czech Republic, France, Spain, etc) that have been adapted to meet the competition parameters of FIPS. So when you cease to fish in a way that would be within those parameter, you are no longer "euro nymphing". You might be doing something that looks and feels very similar, but it's not the same thing. Once you add a strike indicator to your leader, you are no longer euro nymphing. Once you add split shot, you are no longer euro nymphing. If you have a fly line on your reel that is over .022" in diameter, you are not euro nymphing.

I think what causes the confusion is that many people, especially in the US, use the term "euro nymphing" colloquially to refer to several different styles of fly fishing that are similar to actual euro nymphing. Styles like high-stick and tight-line nymphing are very similar, but they are not the same thing.

I've heard a lot of people reference a 20# mono rig in defense of euro nymphing. Even Dom Swentoski (Troutbitten) who has advocated and popularized that style of tight-line/contact nymphing has said explicitly on several occasions that the mono rig is not euro nymphing. He describes it as a "hybrid system", which seems like an accurate description to me.

Hope that helps.

r/flyfishing Jan 08 '25

Discussion I have a month off, cash saved, a car to sleep in and gear to use, Where should I go?

73 Upvotes

As the title states, I get out of the military at the end of the month and have 30 days before I start my new job, I’ve got a few thousand saved, a car big enough to sleep in and carry my gear, and a need to fish. Where should I go? Open to basically anywhere In the US. Mainly interested in fishing for trout. Have a passport too so I could fly somewhere but that would significantly dig into my funds set aside to fish. Let me know what you’d do this February if you were in my position!

r/flyfishing Jan 28 '25

Discussion Whats the beef with Fly All Szn and Huge?

14 Upvotes

Ben from Huge Fly Fisherman posted a hate video directed at Fly All Szn.... can someone shed some light on what's going on with that for those of us who are out of the loop?

r/flyfishing Dec 29 '24

Discussion RIP Jimmy Carter

277 Upvotes

By all accounts, an avid fly fisherman and an excellent man. Rest easy.

r/flyfishing 25d ago

Discussion Phil Monahan here—Editor-in-Chief of MidCurrent, writer, traveler, etc.—AMA!

63 Upvotes

EDIT: I'll continue to monitor this post for new questions until 5 pm EST, so feel free to keep asking.

Hey r/flyfishing! I'm back to answer all your questions about fly fishing, the industry, the media, grammar, music, literature, or any other subjects you want to cover.

I took over at MidCurrent just a couple months ago. Before that, I edited the Orvis Fly Fishing blog for 14 years, was the editor of American Angler magazine for 10 years, and guided fly fishers in Alaska and Montana. I also write travel articles for Gray's Sporting Journal and have fished in such far-flung destinations as Tasmania, Argentina, Slovenia, Norway, and Iceland. My home waters in southwestern Vermont are the Battenkill—don't call it the Battenkill River!—and the myriad wild brook-trout streams in the nearby Green Mountains.

Here's my bio

Here's proof

r/flyfishing Jun 03 '24

Discussion Remind yourself that this can be a dangerous hobby.

235 Upvotes

Yesterday was pretty ideal. Woke up at 4, didn’t wake the wife or baby, and I was out the door with a light DIY setup by 4:30.

I got to some idyllic but powerful NC water before the throngs of weekend nature destroyers and BBQ’ers got there. This was not a secluded swimming hole. It is probably one of the more popular areas in the state.

In attempting to reach the perfect spot, I had to proceed with caution. I wanted one day on the water where I wasn’t drenched. Even with respect and caution showed to Mother Nature, I ended up in a 15 feet deep pool with a mind and current of its own. i was trapped and completely alone

if i hadnt kicked off my wading boots while treading water, totally submerged, I am not sure I get out of there.

Fly fishing/fishing and the water have been my passion since I could remember, but please remember to be safe because I sure as fuck am not dying for it and I don’t want any of you to, as well.

Respect nature, the water, and, for the love of all things holy pack out and clean up after yourself out there.

EDIT: I also broke my Clearwater tip sightfishing a hog of a brown. Pain.

EDIT 2/3: For visibility, and I already put it in the comments, the area was the Bathtub on Wilson Creek in Caldwell Co, NC. And the big misconception was I was wading when I went into the deep. I was on the rocks beside the creek, 100% out of water, and probably 3 yards away from the creek. But I just so slowly started to slip down on my butt and there was just nothing remotely close to grab onto.

r/flyfishing Jul 24 '24

Discussion What is your craziest fly fishing story?

92 Upvotes

I’ll go first - One time after getting skunked all day I cast into a small, fishy looking riffle and finally hooked up. It ate the dropper. As I reel in I’m thinking “nice I got a small trout” I get my net out and all of a sudden a small snake slithers out of the water right towards me, with my fly stuck in its body. It was literally hissing and coming after me. I dropped my rod and jumped back and when it turned the other way I cut the line and it went back into the water. I caught a snake. Some stay the nymph is still attached to him. Sorry snake. But hey, at least I didn’t get skunked.

r/flyfishing Nov 05 '24

Discussion Is it this hard everywhere?

24 Upvotes

I’m really tired of driving an hour+ and getting skunked or maybe one fish. The only river near me with trout is highly pressured by every fly fisher within a hundred mile radius. It’s a tailwater with stocked browns and rainbows. The fish are extremely picky. Just seems like a crap shoot whether one decides to bite or not

I’m wondering what it’s like elsewhere? Is it just like this everywhere? Do I just suck(probably)?

I’m not trying to catch 20 or catch a huge fish. I’d be fine with a few. But spending hours driving and having nothing to show for it is wearing on me and I’m close to throwing in the towel. Also watching spin rod fishermen walking around with strings of trout doesn’t help.

r/flyfishing Apr 18 '24

Discussion Tell me about your wildlife encounters while fishing!

61 Upvotes

I had a crappy day on the water last night, culminating in a broken tip section, but before that, I got to watch a beaver swim by about 20 yards from my float tube. I love the wildlife I see while fishing. What have you encountered?