Motivational Reading

A number of years ago, I happened upon a book in a book store about the 100 Best Trout Streams in America. I wondered what someone else would pick for the 100 best trout streams in America. So, I found what John Ross, the author, thought the 100 best were. I was so intrigued by the book that I have made a pact with myself to try and fish all 100 streams. This will be quite an endeavor as the streams span the country east and west as well as north and south. John Ross is a very matter-of-fact kind of guy with a heart as big as Texas. He gives a lot to Trout Unlimited (TU) as he is the Virginia TU Council Chairman. Besides running the Virginia Trout Camp each year down in Syria, he also manages and leads some 55 state chapters of TU towards their annual goals. I have fished 23 of the streams in John's book to date and without exception, find his observations of those streams to be dead-on with mine. So far, I think that the streams I have fished from John's book definitely rate in the top 100 streams in America. So, if you are interested in finding some keen observations and anecdotal information on some local or regional streams (as well as others far away on your wish list), I suggest you give this book a read. You won't be disappointed, I promise. I have to warn you that you might encounter the same problems that I did once I read the book. You WILL want to find out more about these streams and maybe, just maybe, you'll want to try and fish them all too!

Virginia Fly Fish - A helping hand indeed!

When I moved to Virginia for the second time in 2000, I made a promise to myself that I would take in more fly fishing, especially for the elusive "Brookie." I bought some books, went to some fly shops (sadly all gone now), and finally, did some surfing on the net. I was in search of a good guide, a "helping hand" to determine information not normally found in your guide books or reference articles on fly fishing. I found Virginia Fly Fish dot com. Stephen Sklarew, founder, is a Virginia Tech grad and an avid fly fisherman, to say the least. His approach to the site was to give everyone who was interested, ample and up-to-date information on streams, fishing conditions, parking, and public access of almost every good stream in the state of Virginia. I found myself printing off the maps from the website, looking into the stream reports, checking the stocking schedules, and searching through the multitude of forums, that all brought me closer and more prepared to fly fish in Virginia, than anyplace I have ever been! Virginia Fly Fish is perhaps the best "helping hand" that anyone could ever use to fly fish in Virginia. If you have not visited the site, you are really missing out on some good information and reliable fishing expertise you will not find anywhere, for FREE! Please visit the site and send them a contribution, so that Stephen can keep up the good work and keep us all up to speed on where to fly fish in Virginia!

Teaching the new dogs old tricks

Contrary to the old adage, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", you CAN teach a new dog old tricks! Trout Unlimited has created an incredible learning opportunity for the younger generation to learn how to fly fish. John Ross , author of the "must have" fly fishing enthusiast book, The 100 Best Trout Streams in America is the State Chairman for the Trout Unlimited Virginia chapters. He also runs the Virginia Trout Camp, which by all accounts, is the birthplace for 24 new fly fishing enthusiasts each year. The week-long event, taught by Trout Unlimited volunteers, encompasses all the important aspects of fly fishing. Entomology, fly-tying, fly fishing equipment, fly casting, presentation techniques, and environmental respect are just a few of the lessons given to these new, young fly fishing fledglings. Similarly, Charlie Breithaupt, the Georgia Chapter Chairman for Trout Unlimited, runs a Trout Camp in Georgia. With all these trout camp graduates, we have plenty of new fresh blood in the ranks, eager to promote the sport and conserve our resources, because we have a great line of dedicated volunteers at Trout Unlimited that teach and support fly fishing and conservation! For more information about the camps and how you can start/support a camp in your state, contact Trout Unlimited through the link above.

Helping our wounded warriors

As a retired Air Force Officer and Pilot and the son of a retired military veteran, I am very supportive of our military. I am also a disabled veteran, having been severely injured in an F-4 Phantom mishap in 1980 while conducting a training mission. When I heard about Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) I knew I had to get involved with this program! Ed Nicholson, a retired Navy Captain, came up with this brilliant plan to help our wounded warriors rehabilitate from their combat and active duty injuries by learning fly fishing. The veterans are learning the gear, casting, fly tying, the whole nine yards! And, as I always imagined, there were many who came forward to volunteer their time to help these veterans by creating local and regional chapters. Folks like Ken Morrow and John Bass, who I have met and admire, help these soldiers, sailors and airmen learn the art of fly fishing. I have seen many new fly fishers born from this organization, including their spouses! Yet another Fly Fishing Enthusiast is born! To learn more about the program and how you can help, contact Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing through the link above. They will appreciate your kind and generous offer of a donation of time, money, or better still, both!

Welcome to the Fly Fishing Enthusiast

In an effort to promote the art of fly fishing, I have dedicated this blog to those who are willing to share their passion for the sport and also articulate their thoughts on the economic, environmental and emotional status of fly fishing in general.

I learned to fly fish as a young boy in Japan with a bamboo fly rod. I always lived somewhere where I could fish but felt that fly fishing was a cold water sport. I felt rather inhibited by tight quarters and out-of-the-way places I have fished around the world and since the quarry was a warm-water species, felt bait casting or spin-casting was more appropriate.

As I grew older and more experienced with fishing, I found that the enjoyment of fly-fishing transcended the temperature of the water and the species and that it was "OK" to fly-fish for anything, anywhere, provided you had the skills, equipment and space to "fly" a line. My bamboo rod has given way to complex 45-ton modulus carbon, my reels are machined but to a completely different standard, and the terminal tackle has made advancements beyond anything I had imagined in the bait-casting environment.

I also found myself wading in warm azure waters seeking species that would have swamped my john boat in Mississippi. As delicate as a 5-inch Brooke Trout to a Bone or a Permit, I have learned that the 2-weight and the 8-weight have the same principles, just different presentations and different considerations for personal refreshment and gear/apparel. I used to wear cut-off jeans and a T-Shirt and there was a cooler always close while bait-casting. I also never bait-casted with snow on the ground and waded with thermal underwear doing so either!

Over the years I was able to overcome the differences in the gear (specifically pricing) and the philosophical differences and application of the artificial lures used in the sport. When I was bait fishing for large-mouth Bass for instance, a long-time friend and mentor always told me, "color of the worm doesn't matter, as long as it is purple!" Fly fishing presented other complexities in not only fly selection but presentation and a better than a rudimentary understanding of entomology.

I also recognized a drastic shift in the geography when I fly fished. I was in rather out of the way places, the streams were gin clear, and the license and stamps to fish there were far more expensive than I was ever used to paying while bait-casting. Emotionally, I was happy to fish either way but somehow, I felt more secure and confident with a fly-rod than I ever did with a bait casting rig.

So, I think that Karl Pearson would have been proud of me to understand correlations and multiple-regression to the level I associated with fly fishing. I associated the three "Es" to my fishing experiences and understood the spectrum of fishing better. Economically, I could fish cheaper as a bait-caster. Fly Fishing gear is far more expensive for a basic and more experienced gear set-up than bait-casting. Environmentally, I could fish almost anywhere as a bait-caster. Meaning, the water didn't have to be clear and flowing in a mountain stream or be the clear wide flats of salt-water fishing. Emotionally, I was more excited about the location and the species as a fly fisher than I was a bait-caster. Not that catching slab bream or bass on a fly rod is not as exciting and enjoyable as catching a beautiful brown or a rainbow form a remote mountain stream. I can catch fish right off the dock of my lake home in Georgia with a fly rod and do it all the time. However, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy driving up to the mountains and getting the fresh air, hiking into a remote stream and catching some beautiful trout either. I just know that a jet ski is not going to get caught in my #12 Mr. Rapidan on the mountain stream like it has in my back yard!

I am happy with my fishing arrangements. I am happy I can choose between the modes of fishing. I do realize that fly fishing presents different hurdles economically, environmentally and emotionally and I accept all those challenges. I prefer to fly fish if given the opportunity to choose. I also chose to bow-hunt over hunting with a rifle. Like bow-hunting, fly fishing takes a little more skill and finesse to get your quarry. I liked the challenge and also accepted the failures far better fly fishing than I did bait-casting. I have thrown everything in my fly box to a Brooke trout that never took and I have caught the same bass over and over again with a plastic worm, a floating plug or a spinner bait in a 30-minute time frame.

I remember the first time I fly fished for Peacock Bass in Panama, the locals thought I was crazy rocking back and forth in the boat with line going in every direction. But, when the sun set each night, I had more fish than anyone and they always marveled at the mode that made me successful on those trips. I even had some locals mock my movements for years as they tried to replicate my casting of the fly, all the while laughing and appreciating the art of fly fishing.


I have fly fished in North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. I am planning a trip to Australia and if there is anything in Antarctica that will take a fly, I will go there just to say I have fly-fished on every continent! My enthusiasm for fly fishing is well founded. How about you?