The Old Man and the Fly-Fisherman

The Old Man and the Fly-Fisherman

He had admired them from afar during the past years of his life. These young, reckless, 20-something-year-olds who had a zeal and zest for fly-fishing that seemed to consume their lives and take precedence over all responsible pursuits. These youngsters had no worries...
A Fishing Story – Hard Rain, White Noise

A Fishing Story – Hard Rain, White Noise

Hitch knew the boy didn’t know anything about fishing. “Would you like to learn what fishing is all about?” He needed to get the boy headed in the right direction without frightening him. No one realized it, but Hitch Barlow had a very special need to find the lost boy.

Fish Are Such Liars

Fish Are Such Liars

In this classic from the pages of The Saturday Evening Post, you’ll be surprised to learn that fishermen aren’t the only ones who stretch the truth.

Fishermen Are Not (Necessarily) Liars

Fishermen Are Not (Necessarily) Liars

It is evening. The day’s fishing is over, and the faithful of Portage Bay have wreaked havoc on the wonderful dinner Aileen and her hand-maidens have set before them – a dinner, to use the words of Izaak Walton, “too good for any but anglers, or very honest men.” Now,...
Mollygrubs To The Rescue!

Mollygrubs To The Rescue!

As Mollygrubs moved into his mid-teenage years amidst a seemingly never-ending series of snafus and strokes of bad luck, through dogged determination on his part and patient tutelage from his father, he nonetheless somehow managed to develop modest skills as a...
Great Guide Not

Great Guide Not

I owe much of what I know about how, where, and when to fish to great guides. Guides who spend day after day on the same water accompanying myriad clients of varied ability and temperament amass an abundance of knowledge that’s ours for the learning. Most of the time...
A Cole Creek Diary

A Cole Creek Diary

It tumbles off the east face of Big Back Mountain, leaping and flowing down its stony, laurel-lined course as it has for eons. Dad and I had fished its lower reaches when we’d first moved to Tennessee back in the early sixties, and many times we had talked about...
Tiger Hunting In Africa

Tiger Hunting In Africa

It was our second morning of fishing on Tanzania’s Ruhudji River and we had just skirted a pod of agitated hippos on our hour-long boat ride to where we’d be fishing. Our guide, South African Mark Murray, told my partner Phil Satre to swing his fly across the head of...