Fly shops aren't simply retail stores.
They're places you hang out, gain knowledge, meet fellow anglers, and most of all, commune with your own kind.
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Fly shops aren't simply retail stores.
They're places you hang out, gain knowledge, meet fellow anglers, and most of all, commune with your own kind.
Read moreWhen you're staring at a computer screen for multiple hours straight you begin to get dull ache behind eyes that are strained and on the verge of crossing. I had just reached that point. January 2017, sub-folder, Davidson, sub-folder, 1-23-17; then on to 2016, 2015, and so forth. Some part of me had no idea how many photographs I had acquired over the years, another part was fully aware, which is why I'd been putting this project off for so long.
I was asked by the Carolina Cane Gathering to give a talk on photography and fly fishing, and I needed to pull all my thoughts together in a visually interesting way. Look for triangles. Avoid direct sunlight; remember, all things on the river are reflective. Don't hold a tout with dry hands. Don't hold a trout with gloved hands. "Banking" fish is bad. Etc, etc, etc...
Remember, it's not all about the fish.
Read moreIf you're a regular reader of the blog, a friend of ours, or even just follow our journey on social media, you know that we live in a house divided.
Glass vs. Grass.
Thankfully, for the sake of our relationship, we agree on dry flies and reels.
This April is going to be a significant test for both of us, and our relationship, as our home of Pisgah Forest, NC is going to be taken over one weekend by bamboo builders and the next by glass geeks. We will be attending both events, together. Let's hope we both make it out alive!
Read more"I guess it's the size of the trout (or, should I say, the suspected size of the trout) that keeps many serious fly fishermen off the small streams. To be perfectly honest, if the deal being proposed was that you get the best of all the good things fly fishing offers in return for catching smaller trout, I'd take it. Actually, I did make that very deal with myself once and was perfectly happy with it."
Read moreDuring the beginnings of this year, the rod shop at the Between Two Banks' household has been busy, partly from the inclement weather, but mostly due to work. A few of the projects include two C. Barclay fiberglass blanks, a few bamboo blanks in the process of being planed out, and most recently a commission build.
A few months ago, when the order for this rod was first placed, it was decided that this would be an original taper. There were many conversations, lot's of math, and a few sleepless nights, but in time a taper was born. Soon, demo blanks were being built and yard casting in 20 degrees began. Eventually, it all came together with a list of Between Two Banks signature tapers and finished 7'9" five weight.
Read moreThere is an empty camp nearby;
I have a key. I cower there.
And watch the battle in the sky
Until the storm and day are spent.
The rain has stopped, but water from the roof
Drops sulkily. The stars come out
And still the way toward home is dark.
I stoop below the branches spreading
From the birches’ snow-white trunks;
The cobwebs hang like snares across the trail
And water lies in unseen pools along the path.
I’m glad, at last,
To see the village lights.
-Dana S. Lamb
There's a particular book I keep in my office, it's old and well worn. It was given to me a few months back, donated because no one else wanted it, but it was assumed that I would take it and give it a good home. I like to think I have.
Where the Pools Are Bright and Deep has become a staple for me because of the inspiration that it brings whenever I need it. This book is not one that you'll pick up and not be able to put down, in fact, I found it to be quite the opposite. Lamb has comprised the book, much like other angling authors, as a collection of short stories; but, these are not simply stories, more like a glimpse into someone's day. There's really no beginning and conclusion.
These one to three-page narratives, written alternately in both first and third person, are short enough that you can escape yourself for just a few moments, only to return to life a little wiser than before.
Lamb describes the life of angling from an older, more sophisticated place. He takes you back to the days of aluminum fly boxes, elite tonkin cane rods, sipping scotch, and the superiority of the dry fly eating brown trout. It's a nostalgic perspective, proving that fly-fishing will always be more of an art than a sport.
If you're looking for a book to pick up for a few minutes before you start your day, or after, I highly recommend Where the Pools Are Bright and Deep. I don't think you'll be disappointed!