FLY FISHING ARTICLES
silver and bronze
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Each spring a sub-population of Lake Erie smallmouth bass enter tributaries to spawn. These big fish, averaging around 17 inches in length, share the streams with a mix of fresh and dropback steelhead. Stripping streamers through high-percentage zones can produce epic mixed bags of silver and bronze.
A Beginner’s Guide to fly lines
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Fly lines are one of our most important pieces of equipment. When properly deployed they can efficiently deliver flies to fish, but choosing the right one requires anglers to understand a few characteristics of line design. This piece explores key topics like taper, density, head length, and grain weight to help anglers arm themselves with the right lines for their water.
BEAT THE HEAT
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Matt caught up with Red Kulper, Creative Lead for G.Loomis, to discuss safe catch and release practices for trout in warm water. Red discusses strategies to minimize stress on our trout, and encourages anglers to explore warmwater species in the hotter months when trout are more vulnerable to angling stress.
sUBSURFACE FLIES FOR RIVER SMALLMOUTH
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River smallmouth are both exciting and challenging fish to target with a fly rod. This article, geared toward the wade angler, focuses on five must-have patterns for anglers looking to hook up with smallies in moving water.
GEAR REVIEW: CHEEKY SPRAY REEL
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The folks at Cheeky Fishing let me test drive their Spray 400 reel on a variety of Great Lakes species in the spring of 2024. The reel was as advertised - light, durable, and beautifully designed. I now have several of these reels, and run them in all seasons.
Three styles of streamers
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Understanding the different actions of our flies helps us better present them to fish. Swim, jerk, and jig flies are three categories of streamers that have their own distinct movements in the water. Catering our retrieve to the style of fly we’re fishing can help us dial in our presentation and catch more fish.
GREAT LAKES STEELHEAD FLIES
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The Great Lakes region is loaded with innovative fly anglers and tiers who have designed a variety of patterns for our steelhead. Choosing the fly that best fits the current conditions is the fastest way to hook up with Great Lakes chrome.
smallmouth ecstasy
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This piece details an epic fall session, full of hungry smallmouth. Sometimes the big ones eat when you least expect it. Pick up a copy of The Drake to read the full article.
one man’s trash
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The Freshwater drum is the star of the show in this piece, which highlights the fish as a legitimate target for fly anglers. Jerry Darkes and Jeff Liskay, two of the most respected figures in the Great Lakes region, pioneered many techniques and tactics for chasing drum with flies. This article describes many of these tactics.