NcHippie

 Back in 2014 I got my first fly rod. It was a cheap 4wt from Walmart with barely any flex or give. For my first fly fishing rod it was perfect, but once I learned how to properly cast I quickly out grew it. So here I am on the hunt for a good rod. I had a few criteria. I wanted my new rod to be nine foot high, 5-8 weight, hold a large arbor reel, and have a nice warranty. At first I started looking at Reddington rods. They had just released a new rod after partnering with a golf company. Ill link the article I wrote about them here . My second choice was a Temple Forks Outfitters rod. On paper this was going to be the perfect rod. It was affordable, had a warranty, and had all the flex I wanted. I have nothing against TFO, but when I got to Cabela's to check the rod out in person I was less than pleased. It had to have been something about the action of the rod that just turned me off of it.  So, after all that work and all that research I was back to square one. at least, I was

       It's been a while since I've posted here. In 2017 I started attending a university here in NC and have loved every second of it. While I have loved every second of it I haven't been able to do any real fly fishing for the past four years. That being said, I have had a few adventures around my college town and one expedition up to Stone Mountain. I hope y’all find fun in the two stories I plan to tell you.     My sophomore year my brother and I took a trip up to stone mountain. This was the first time I had taken him fly fishing and I was very excited to show him all the ins and outs of this sport. My brother and I have both been fishing since we could walk so I wasn't worried about him messing up and spooking the fish. What I didn't plan for was how cold it would be. We decided to go on a January day when the weather had been particularly cold. Where we were fishing turned out to be completely frozen over. When I mean it was frozen it was literally so frozen

         Throughout time fishing has made leaps and bounds, growing as new technology is available. Eventually we must ask ourselves "how far will can something grow". Twenty years from now will we have rods that fish for us? Probably not, but I can guarantee that more technology will be available to further our accuracy, casting distance, and rod strength.           These are all very good things for us anglers. We are living in a time where we only have to buy one good rod, or if we choose we can buy many different rods for different uses. It wasn't more than 100 years ago when people were still using bamboo rods. Don't get me wrong these rods are amazing pieces of craftsmanship, but the practicality of them is not so amazing. They were expensive, took a long time to make, and if you broke one you would have to buy a brand new rod. These rods were often one piece to retain strength.            As time went on companies started manufacturing rods made from fibergl

         Many will say that Abel gear is over-rated and over priced, but these people don't know the importance of quality pliers. Whether your retrieving a swallowed hook or tying the perfect nail knot the right gear is important. The Abel pliers are one of the best pliers I have ever seen. They are made out of 100% machined aluminium except for the jaws which of-course are made out of stainless steel. This pair of pliers has a few interesting features on it.          For starters this pair of pliers has a built in bottle opener. I could see that coming in handy after a long day of fishing. Secondly, there is a tightening loop for those small, pesky knots we all have trouble tying.            A neat feature that we are seeing more and more in pliers now-a-days is replaceable jaws. Even though Abel guarantees the jaws will cut 80 lb mono wire a thousand times and still be sharp. We all know that the cutters will not last that long, so instead of having to buy another pair of $300

Spending a weekend in the mountains catching trout after trout is fun, but popping plenty of panfish at the lake can be equally as enjoyable. The local lake is the perfect place to learn house to fly fish without risking catching a tree or another person. in this article I will review a few tactics and flies I personally use to all my Bluegill and Crappie. The lake or a local pond with a lot of back cast space is the perfect place to practice fly fishing. The fish are easy to catch and don't require much skill to reel in. Personally I prefer to fish for a lake from a boat. It ensures that you won't catch anything on your back cast. Fishing from the shore will work as well, but it is harder not to catch and trees. Another advantage to fishing from a boat is the fact that most of the small fish you'll catch are near the bank. This allows you to have some fun, attempting to see how far you can cast your line. Let's talk about fly selection. When fishing for panfis