Fly fishing isn't one of the most dangerous activities you could hope to partake in. Can't say the perils quite measure up to spelunking, gator wrangling, or bull riding. Maybe fly fishing doesn't have the dangers associated with the aforementioned hobbies, but there is plenty of stuff that can hurt you out there on the water! Here is our list of 5 of the more dangerous aspects of the sport.

Remember, if you can't spot the jerk on the trout stream...you're the jerk. Check out these tips to avoid trouble during your time on the water.

1.) Fish Aren't Worth Fighting Over
Last fall I was fishing a steelhead run on Elk Creek in Pennsylvania. I'd been working it for a few hours when three other fisherman (bait fisherman, but that's neither here nor there) started walking upstream. The guy in the lead stopped about 10 yards downstream from me (an error in its own right, see #4 on this list) and began drifting a 7 inch bobber and skein cluster almost directly in front of me. Fisherman number 2 then proceeded to move 10 yards upstream from me and start fishing with a similar rig. I then said "Man, you guys aren't leaving me much room are you?" He replied with "What are you gonna do about it?" 

1.) Stay Low
I once had the great privilege of fishing the Poudre River in Colorado with a member of the US National Fly Fishing team.  While we were at the truck rigging rods he pulled out a set of knee pads that looked more suited for a carpet layer. I kind of gave him a look and probably made some sarcastic comment. It was he who got the last laugh, however, when he fished circles around me the entire day while shuffling up and down the stream on his knees. When I asked him what the secret was, he said, "well every single fish I caught saw you coming from 20 yards downstream." That was the day I learned to stay low and be stealthy in the presence of trout. 

The dog days of summer are in full swing... 

​Engagement bliss filled the air for the last 72 hours as we moved our way through Colorado en route to Wyoming for a float trip  on the North Platte River. ​Since proposing at a high mountain lake we had proceeded to catch four different fish species on national forest land, national park land, and a tailwater. This was the dream. I had met a girl who would not only tolerate a fly fishing addiction, but who also genuinely enjoyed partaking in the activity. Early on in our relationship I had focused on positive experiences to build a strong foundation on which we could build. Of course I am referring to fly fishing and not our relationship itself unless of course she is reading this in which case I am referring to both. Everything had gone perfectly and our adventures in fly fishing had crescendoed with a mid summer road trip spanning 4,000 miles and fishing in three states. Perfection across the board! And then came a quick fishing trip on the White River in Colorado…

To piggyback off one of our recent posts of the theoretical approach to fly fishing, today we are going to look at the top four tips for someone just starting out fly fishing. Now it's important to remember...

There are places on Earth whose diversity alone warrants our protection and respect; places that haven't been totally spoiled by the onward march of industry. One of those places, the Everglades and the greater South Florida ecosystem, is in peril. As billions of gallons of freshwater are released from Lake Okeechobee, the delicate balance between fresh and saltwater is being disrupted. This imbalance has led to a tipping point where it's quite literally Now or Neverglades.