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...
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,...
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...
Meet the $70,000 Fish

Meet the $70,000 Fish

For many, catching a bonefish on the fly is tantamount to turning the saltwater flats to holy water. As a fly fisherman, I feel naked when I wade a saltwater flat to cast for bonefish. I try and play the part of motionless heron but nevertheless feel so exposed in the...
Getting to Know Your Friendly Neighborhood Oyster

Getting to Know Your Friendly Neighborhood Oyster

October is oyster season in the southeast, and there are a few things the United Oyster Ranchers and Rodeo Association of America doesn’t want you to know about the common oyster. “Secret, a­­­nd self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.” – Charles Dickens “He was a...
Massachusetts Teens Catch 1,000+ Pound Tuna

Massachusetts Teens Catch 1,000+ Pound Tuna

A trio of Massachusetts teenagers reeled in a massive bluefin tuna weighing more than the three anglers combined and measuring more than 10 feet in length. In early October off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, Captain Dan Smith and his crew Kyle Falle and Jim...