Choosing a Fly Reel The Drag System on a Fly Reel There are two different types of drag systems on a fly reel that trout fishermen need concern themselves with. The drag of a fly reel is what provides the tension on the line. In other words, it is what regulates how easy or difficult it is for a fish to strip line off the fly reel. If all you ever catch are tiny trout or small pan fish, the type of drag on a fly reel is immaterial as it is unlikely a fish will ever pull out line from the fly reel. On the other hand, if you get a good-sized trout or bass on your line, the story changes completely. Once a big fish starts pulling out line from your fly reel, the fly reel suddenly becomes the most important piece of equipment that you have. [Read More]

Brown Trout Fishing, A Real Challenge The brown trout is natively a European fish. In the waters of the Atlantic and even into western Asia is where they were originally found. They were introduced in the United States and Canada in 1883. They can now be found in most of the Canadian waters and the Great Lakes. The fish themselves seem to have had trouble being successful in the Canadian waters, but have been successful in Lake Michigan. When introduced there, they proved to be able to withstand intense degraded habitats that other trout could not survive in. The survival of the brown trout is due in part to the fact that they like to feed at night and therefore the adult has very few predators. In fact, its main predator is the human fisherman. The brown trout has been stocked in the Michigan Lake for years and has become an important part of the lake's ecosystem. Brown trout fishing is very popular here. In many places, surf casting brown trout has become a popular sport. [Read More]

A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part II Method 1 Equipment I fish baits at all depths, not just the bottom, in wide-open water. I always set up and fish deep lake structures. Besides an understanding of the contours on the bottom of the lake, being mobile and being able to read your fish locator are the keys. The tools I use are 8-foot heavy action rods, circle hooks, cut and live shad, balloons and the all-important fish locator. I use 30-pound line, large capacity reels, 8-foot heavy action rods, 2 oz. Egg sinkers, barrel swivels and #7/0 circle hooks. [Read More]

Weekly Fishing Trivia Contest
Last Friday I was notified by About.com that I could no longer run this contest. I have had a lot of fun with it during the past nine years and....

Fly Fishing Travel Will Never be the Same -- AmericanFlyFishingVacations, a Major Fly Fishing Travel Website, Breaks New Ground
Booking travel over the Internet has exploded over the last 10 years and shows no sign of slowing down. Fly fishers are tech savvy and have expressed a desire to do their own thing and bypass the time and expense of working through traditional fly fishing travel agents. That’s why Gary Eblen and Peter Blackman, owners of AmericanFlyFishing.com, created AmericanFlyFishingVacations.com, .