Friday, August 12, 2011

First Light Gear Does Yellowstone

How many of us would jump at the opportunity to spend 9 days fly fishing in Yellowstone? Yeah, I think all of us. The dudes from First Light Gear recently made the trek and shot a video. Watch it.


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Essentials

The guys over at This is Fly have some new goods in the store. Check it out, especially this gem


Fly Fishing, Carp, Conservation

We had our bi-monthly board meeting for Rivers Unlimited tonight. Besides attending to the general business of running a small non-profit, we talked about ways to engage potential constituents with activities related to their interest. Since members of the RU board know I have ties with the Cincinnati area fly fishing community, along with a burgeoning passion for presenting flies to carp, it was suggested RU sponsor a fly fishing carp tourney on the Great Miami River.

Such an idea does have precedent. The Denver chapter of Trout Unlimited sponsors the South Platte Pro-Am Carp Slam, which allows some of the finest carp fly fishers to compete against each other while raising funds for the restoration of the South Platte River. The Carp Slam is a fun and challenging tournament, joining fly fishing and conservation in an unique event. Surely some version of this model could be successful elsewhere.

The Great Miami does pose some challenges of its own. Wading access could be limited and the river does rise fast after heavy rains. The carp population is healthy, but we'll have to assess whether a wading style tournament is actually doable on the Great Miami.

Conceptually speaking, the idea of a Great Miami Carp tournament is still just that -- an idea. I've received a board directive to develop a feasibility plan for such an event. If nothing else, I'll be presenting a lot of flies to river carp during my research/tournament viability "study." And that is alright by me.