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]

Fly Line Color However, for top water or floating lines, the color of the line is generally immaterial as far as the fish goes. Whatever the color of the fly line, when looking up, a fish is bound to see it except for at night (when a dark line may prove beneficial). A fish looking up towards the surface of the water will see the fly line regardless of the color since the line itself is lit up from the light of the sky - and thus casting a shadow over the fish. Since this is generally accepted (although arguments do rage on about this), it is generally best to choose a fly line color that is easy for YOU to see. Brightly colored fly lines are much easier for the angler to see, and seeing the fly line is crucial for successful fly fishing - especially when fly fishing with nymphs. This is especially true in low light conditions, where actually seeing your fly is almost impossible, and the angler must instead rely on the actions of the fly line. [Read More]

The Importance of Fly Lines Why are fly lines so important? Just like with fly rods and fly reels, fly lines need to match up with the types of fly fishing that you do. This match should be made precisely, too. Thus, if you have a 5 weight fly rod and a 5 weight fly reel, and it extremely important to make sure you have a 5 weight fly line. By not having a properly "balanced" fly rod outfit (which is where the fly rod, fly reel and fly line match in weight), the angler is very likely to have extreme difficulty in casting. [Read More]

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 Ame.

Coast Guard rescues 7 from life raft after fishing boat sinks (ABC 13 Texas)
The Coast Guard rescued seven men from a life raft about 70 miles off the coast Monday after their fishing boat sank..

Gulf of Mexico Swordfish Record Shattered
Exactly two years to the day, and almost to the exact hour, that Hurricane Ivan struck Orange Beach, the Gulf of Mexico swordfish record was broken. (PRWEB Sep 20, 2006).