I crossed paths with Jerry a few years ago on a fly fishing trip to Alaska. If not for the bad weather that day, I never would have met him. Our plane, flying from Anchorage to Lake Iliamna, flew the entire way on instruments only. It was a white knuckle flight. We were in clouds … More Jerry Jacques doing humanitarian work in Ukraine
I just saw this blurb in an “Advocacy Update” email from the Coastal Conservation Association, MENHADEN REDUCTION FISHERY OPERATIONS LIMITED TO ONE-MILE FROM COASTAL SHORELINES, EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2022. I think we still have a long way to go in protecting our Mississippi coastal fisheries, but this update is near and dear to my heart. … More Jackson County Now in the One-mile Exclusion Zone
I have become obsessive about maintaining the casting plane. For me, to be truly obsessive about something, is unusual. I like to poke fun at OCD folks (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) by saying “There’s a fine line between OCD and ODD”. When people then ask, “What’s ODD?”, I say, “you know, odd!”. Probably the only joke … More “Blind” Casting
My Dad told me a story that revolved around the untimely death of my grandfather. When Dad was eleven years old, my grandfather passed away while still a relatively young man, leaving my grandmother in pretty dire straits. It so happened the state was building a highway in front of the house at the time. … More A Tale of Two Mules
I am challenged when it comes to catching crappie (white perch). I keep working on new and better tactics in the hope they will help me overcome my lack of talent. As a result, I have developed a repertoire of fly fishing tactics that I think are helping. Most of those tactics have been shared … More Wool/Yarn Indicators for Crappie
Hopefully everyone is familiar with the casting “plane” which is probably more often referred to as “tracking” by casting instructors. If you can imagine a plexiglass sheet next to your casting arm and during each cast your arm and hand all line up exactly and maintain contact during the stroke. The wall prevents any twisting … More De Plane, De Plane!
I’ve become interested in single-hand spey casting. The Spey casts are just more arrows in the quiver of a single-hander. There’s always some situation of minimal back cast room or need for an efficient change of direction, for example. To help understand the casts better I’ve started watching two-handed Spey casting videos. I found a … More Poke’n Fun
Recently I was looking through some issues of the FFI’s Fly Casting Journal “The Loop” (Fall 2020), and found an article by casting instructor Jody Martin, about a roll casting tool. The entire article can be found at: https://www.flyfishersinternational.org/Portals/0/Documents/Casting/The%20Loop/2020.NOV.LOOP.pdf?ver=fLJtHZ73o-zU_KtghOpYGQ%3d%3d The issue with doing roll casts on grass is there is no anchor for the fly … More Roll Cast Practice/Instructor Tool
I have a list of dates for Mayfly hatches on the Reservoir here in central MS. My phone lights up on historical dates and this week the phone lit lit up to remind me there might be a hatch. It was hot and still and muggy, which also seems to be a criteria for mayfly … More Fun in the August Heat
Gar rodeo 2.0 this year was spawned by a last minute tip by a neighbor. I was out casting in my front yard and my neighbor had his grandkids out checking culverts for bullfrogs. Upon checking my driveway’s culvert (which usually holds a good-sized croaker) the kids became interested in my fly casting. The neighbor … More Solo Rodeo
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