Adventure Travel Creative Fishing Essays Stories Articles

The Dirty “DIY” Truth for Fly Anglers

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Jan/02/2018

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Lifestyle, Travel

DIY Fly Fishing Debate: Truth or Slander? Note: This essay is about a quasi-controversial topic gaining momentum in the fly fishing world today. The topic centers around the DIY (Do It Yourself) approach to fly fishing. On the surface of this issue there’s a question that commonly comes up: How is the DIY approach to fly fishing impacting local fisheries? Another, more specific question is: How is DIY fly fishing impacting business for local guide companies? (Can you guess who’s asking that question?) Let me pose a few other questions that need to be asked: Who is and who isn’t a DIY fly angler? What does “DIY fly fishing” really mean? And: Should the DIY’er be considered the “bad guy” in this fishy saga? Answers to these questions might help all of us in our collective path toward a common goal of having healthy, sustainable fisheries for all to enjoy. What say you...

Chasing Louisiana Redfish in Bayou Country with Kayaks and Fly Rods

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Nov/30/2017

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Lifestyle, Travel

Chasing Louisiana Redfish on the Fly. Kayak Fly Fishing Louisiana Redfish. Kayak Fly Fishing Louisiana Redfish. Why do we travel to new destinations to fly fish? Is it about triumphantly hoisting an exotic, new fish species, carving another notch in the fly fishing bedpost? Is it about scratching that “exploration” itch that builds up while sitting in an office for 40 hours per week? Is it about the tertiary stuff… like exciting food and interesting local flavor that lures us away from our home waters? Maybe it’s a little bit of each. Whatever it may be, while planning this fishing trip we had grandiose visions of stalking and sight casting to big, spotted, red tails in pristine Louisiana marshes. It turns out there was a little bit of sight casting, a lot of blind casting, a lot of weather watching and copious amounts of beer drinking (shout out to Dixie). The...

diy fly fishing photography tips for stormy weather

DIY Fly Fishing: Ride out the Storm for Big Rewards

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Oct/11/2017

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Photography, Travel

We’ve all been there… the sun is gently gracing your shoulders. The birds are singing. The fish are somewhat predictable. That’s when Mother Nature rears her ugly head. Well, turn that frown upside down mister! A great rule of thumb for DIY fly fishing: ride out the storm for big rewards and, potentially, great photo ops! With a little patience what might appear to be doomsday for fishing and photos could bring rainbows and butterflies. “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” – John Ruskin In this essay I’ll be speaking candidly about weather events, specifically weather that ranks a little below “hurricane”, “tornado”, “cyclone”, “blizzard”, “freezing rain” or “ice storm”. I’ll be focusing on general, low-pressure and seasonal weather disturbances which identify themselves with specific regions on...

Casting Flies to Big Trout in Nevada and Winning Big

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Sep/15/2017

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Film, Photography, Travel

DIY fly fishing adventure Nevada backcountry tiger trout. Finding tiger trout in a far-away place. Alone. I just got here. This fairy tale quest has brought me to a distant place in the northern reaches of Nevada. It’s a spot far from the clinking slot machines, the gobs of blinking lights and from humans. I’m, both, weary from the road and excited for what’s next. The journey was rough, to say the least. I rented a mini SUV in Vegas… should’ve upgraded when I had the chance. Shell-shocked. It’ll take a while for the adrenaline from negotiating cliffs, boulders and water crossings to subside. I don’t even want to think about the damage the journey may have caused to the rig. It’s mid-September. Seasonal change is definitely in the air. Living in Hawaii, it’s a rare thing for me to experience change like this. The late afternoon sun casts a blanket...

Iceland fly fishing adventure travel tips

Iceland: A Fly Fishing Dream

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Aug/21/2017

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Ryan Bonneau

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DIY Fly Fishing, Film, Photography, Travel

Iceland fly fishing adventure travel tips We recently returned with huge smiles fresh off a DIY fly fishing trip to the land of fire and ice to provide you with Iceland fly fishing adventure travel tips. By no means was this an easy itinerary. But, we worked hard, chased and caught fish of a lifetime while surrounded by Iceland’s unmistakeable and ethereal volcanic landscape. During our 8-day adventure we wandered the countryside and fly fished a variety of lakes, creeks and rivers. Hundreds of hours went into planning this trip. Having learned some hard lessons, we came back with a few Iceland fly fishing adventure travel tips to pass on to you to help make your fly fishing adventure to this one-of-a-kind destination seamless and fun. Is Iceland worth it? This is a question about Iceland often heard in the fly fishing community. The answer is a resounding “hell yeah”. This country...

Cozumel: From Dignified to Dirtbag

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Dec/13/2016

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Photography, Travel

Cozumel Mexico bonefish kayak fly fishing travel adventures Cozumel Mexico bonefish kayak fly fishing travel adventures are always memorable. Cozumel is a MUST-DO on your list of fly fishing adventure destinations! We’ve returned to the island on multiple occasions for fly fishing exploration and chances at big, tailing bonefish and cruising baby tarpon. Cozumel is simply that good! And, these days it’s a home away from home for us. This essay documents a moment in time… an event from a one of our epic trips. It’s not a moment we’re particularly proud of but it’s one that has burned itself into our memories forever. Note: To the non-fishing reader: a quality and respectable bonefish experience on the flats involves quietly and methodically stalking the fish, casting with grace and precision to an unsuspecting target and ultimately engaging your catch with care and efficiency. Don’t be shocked. I’m about to tell you...

Beyond O‘io: The Hawaiian Bonefish

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Mar/10/2016

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, Culture, DIY Fly Fishing, Travel

DIY fly fishing adventure molokai hawaii bonefish. [Read about our recent 2019 trip to Molokai: essays, photos and film] Chasing Molokai’s monster bonefish. The water is antique textured glass, soft with hints of imperfection. My gaze is focused and determined. My ears, however, are tuned toward a distant sound—a whoomph, to be more precise. Somewhere beyond the outer reef a humpback whale, all forty tons, relentlessly hammers the surface of the ocean with its 15 foot wide tail. The act of power and aggression is impressive. But, what’s more impressive is that I can hear it from more than 2 miles away! With a fly rod in hand my eyes strain to make out details on the shallow, sandy bottom through the cloudy glare on the water. I’m in search of large moving shadows, flashes of silver and narrow fins breaking the surface. Like a hunter my movements are slow and methodical...

mexico salt water kayak fly fishing bonefish baby tarpon

Winter Casts on Cozumel

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Feb/24/2015

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Lifestyle, Photography, Travel

Mexican mangroves, fly rods and mescal. DIY kayak fly fishing cozumel mexico bonefish baby tarpon was a travel adventure that we luckily stumbled upon during the winter of 2014/15. It was the beginning of a love affair. The mesmerizing, isolated lagoons quickly became a “home away from home” and a destination where we would ultimately return. Day 1: On Mexico time Stepping foot on the empty expanse right on the edge of the Caribbean sea was a grounding moment. It sent my head spinning with anticipation of what was to happen in the next few days. A soft veil of foam fringed the chartreuse sea as it rhythmically lapped onto the perfect, white sand. Our gear was scattered. The events that led up to this blissful moment did not go as planned. We’ll just call it the charm of Mexico. Yet, there we were, a full day later than planned… but...

sian kaan biosphere reserve mexico bonefish kayak fly fishing expedition

Where the Sky is Born

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Feb/02/2015

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Brock Munson

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Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Lifestyle, Travel

Getting Lost in the Mangroves: A Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve Mexico Bonefish Kayak Fly Fishing Expedition Thoughts of my final days in Tulum ebb and flood in my brain as I navigate my way over hidden topes (speed tables) and around wandering dogs. I knew this last day in the mangroves fly fishing the Sian Ka’an would come. This biosphere reserve is a unique treasure and its massive lagoons and limitless mangrove waterways sit less than an hour to the south down a long, bumpy road on a lengthy sliver of land called the Boca Paila Peninsula. During my winter stay here in the Yucatán this place and its mystique has intertwined itself into the fibers of my soul. A Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve Mexico bonefish kayak fly fishing expedition will be one to remember. “He could not live without adversaries, no more than a tree can live without soil; like...

Rising from the Depths: Chasing Lake Powell Stripers

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Oct/04/2014

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Brock Munson

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Conservation, Creative Writing, DIY Fly Fishing, Photography

Chasing Lake Powell Stripers Chasing Lake Powell Stripers. Our epic Lake Powell kayak fly fishing expedition chasing striper boils on a 100-mile journey through Utah’s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was something of a dream… “Time passes and the old dreams, the old memories, go under to a dark place—not gone, just hard to get to.”  – C. Gregory Crampton As darkness envelops the walls, flittering thoughts of the day surrender to thoughts of tomorrow and what will be. My gaze has moved from the flames in front of me to the crimson contours of the canyon rim—the intricate details cloaked by darkness and its ancient story hidden for another night. Beyond the crackling fire, the silence is overwhelming. A feeling of great emotional connection overcomes me, enhanced, I’m sure, by the myriad of watered-down beers I’ve consumed. It’s a feeling somewhere between insignificance in a vast wilderness and exuberance...