The conditions were almost perfect. Late October on the Danube just outside Vienna. The morning sky hung low and gray, heavy with clouds. A cold wind pushed along the river, whipping the trees about while carrying the damp smell of wet leaves and rain. Only a couple minutes of weak sun would broke through all … Continue reading Gray Skies and Empty Nets
I still remember the exact moment. I was standing knee-deep in a river I had fished for years, the same run that had given me some of my best days on the water. The sun was high, the water was low and clear, and nothing — absolutely nothing — was working. I had changed flies … Continue reading The Day I Almost Quit Fly Fishing
There is something timeless about a wild brown trout. Not the flashy, acrobatic rainbow or the subtle elegance of a grayling, but the rugged, intelligent survivor of cold, clear rivers. Browns have a certain gravitas — a fish that has seen it all and still chooses to eat your fly if you present it just … Continue reading Ode to the Brown Trout
