Fly Fishing the Salt

Fly Fishing the Salt

Experts argue about the genesis of saltwater fly fishing, but there is no question that anglers have been at it for at least 2,000 years. At that time, Roman author Claudius Aelianus described it thusly: “One of the crew sitting at the stern lets down…lines with...
Snow on the Brim

Snow on the Brim

He had worn that old hat from Alaska to Florida. But he could hardly ever bring himself to wear it back to its original home in New Mexico. Christmas morning. The high country was covered with a foot of new-fallen snow that had come as an unexpected gift during the...
The Pond in Winter

The Pond in Winter

A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye, looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. “Home is the sailor, home from the sea.” Whether the voice hails from the salty ocean, a great lake, trickling...
A Gift of Water and Wind

A Gift of Water and Wind

Three-fifths of the world is water and the wind courses over all of it. So when Pappy gave me that 10-foot bateau, he gave me the world. The first swell smacked the port quarter, sent green water clean over the wheelhouse. Aboard Maggie C, a 26-foot Maine Lobsterman,...
The Call of the Surf

The Call of the Surf

There are fish in the surf that will take the angler half off his feet with the violence of their attack and cause him to shout aloud in the excitement of the combat. Game and fish are fast disappearing as our remoter sections become settled, as lakes and bayous are...
Move Over Jimmy Buffett, Meet the Coolest Salt of the Sea

Move Over Jimmy Buffett, Meet the Coolest Salt of the Sea

Wherever the currents of time find Pallot, you can bet the fish will be biting and he’ll make room in the boat for you—whether in person or vicariously. What could be cooler than that? For 15 seasons a lanky poet with the central casting name of Flip Pallot poled a...
Tarpon Don’t Come Easy!

Tarpon Don’t Come Easy!

Fish that require effort, skill, knowledge and perseverance, along with some luck thrown in to land, are special indeed—tarpon are super special. It’s been said that the greater the challenge, the greater the appreciation. This means your sense of satisfaction is...
Sportfishery for Great White Sharks?

Sportfishery for Great White Sharks?

The thought of a sportfishery for great whites tantalizes some anglers, but if it’s ever to happen, the science will have to support it. “I want to show you something.”  I had spent enough time working for the artificial reef program at the South Carolina...