My introduction to the Golden Retriever came in a fly shop in Rangeley, Maine, in early June. A few friends and I had planned a trip to the “land of legends” in hopes of experiencing brook trout fishing the way it should be. And, of course, every good trip starts with a stop by the […]
Fishing and Tying the Golden Retriever Streamer Read More »
As Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is ninety-percent mental. The other half is physical.” The same can be said of fly fishing. I’ve seen some excellent anglers have some really bad days on waters where they should have put up good numbers of trout. I’ve seen them struggle even as I was catching one after
Mastering the Mental Game of Fly Fishing Read More »
Walk by the High N Dry Fishing Products booth at a fly fishing show and you’ll like see one of their staff attempting to waterlog a dry fly in a cylindrical tube more reminiscent of the stormy high seas than anything you’d ever encounter on the trout stream. Time and again, the fly gets sucked
Review: High N Dry Fishing Products Read More »
The NorthFork Composite (NFC) LMX 11-foot 2-weight rod arrived from Mr. Ant’s Rods just in time for a quick trip to central Pennsylvania where I planned to explore a small Class A limestone stream. Water was up following Hurricane Debby, and cooler temperatures had the streams quite fishable. It didn’t take long to land my
Review: Mr. Ant’s Rods – The Northfork Composite LMX Read More »
Following the success of our November 2024 group steelhead trip…we’ve decided to do it again! Dark Skies Fly Fishing is teaming up with Mountain Laurel Guide Service and Captain Kurt’s Charters to host a fully guided group trip for steelhead March 2-5, 2025 This is prime time for fishing in the spring steelhead run on Ohio’s
Spring Steelhead Trip 2025 – Don’t Miss It! Read More »
Semperfli’s Dirty Bug Yarn is a specially designed mix of natural and synthetic materials, and in many ways reminds me of a modern version of Chadwick 477, the original material used to tie patterns such as the Utah Killer Bug. In fact, Semperfli also now offers a material called Chadwick 477 Substitute for tying this
Tying with Semperfli Dirty Bug Yarn Read More »
The name Dark Skies Fly Fishing often stirs curiosity. I’ve heard many guesses as to its meaning, its origins, and even some wild tales about who might be our audience. Truth be told, if you’re reading this, you’re our audience, and everything we do is for you. All of our articles, YouTube videos, and even
Why Dark Skies Fly Fishing? What Does the Name Mean? Read More »
In my box of terrestrial tricks, you’ll invariably find the Letort Cricket. Developed by Ed Shenk in the 1950s, Shenk often touted the Letort Cricket as his most effective fly, and he wasn’t wrong. He said he’d used it to catch trout on rivers all across the United States as well as Argentina, and although
How to Fish and Tie the Letort Cricket Read More »
Midges are some of the most common insects found in waterways all around the world. This article discusses tactics for catching more fish with midges, favorite patterns, and when to use them.
Fly Fishing with Midges: Best Midge Patterns and How to Fish Them Read More »
The Smokejumper was developed by Montana fly fishing guide Mike Hoiness for fishing the Bighorn River. The fly works everywhere, though, and is particularly good in small sizes for matching midge hatches here in the Eastern U.S. One of the things I appreciate about this pattern, other than its effectiveness at catching trout, is that
How to Fish and Tie the Smokejumper Fly Read More »