I can recall our first return trip from Yahtam being a roughly two-hour boat ride in the steady rain. It wasn’t thick sheets of rain, but each drop was fat and consistently beat on the outer shell of your clothing like a deep rhythmic bass drum so persistent that it became almost impossible to focus […]
It’s difficult not to philosophize when discussing fly fishing. The mixture of science (objectivity) versus art (subjectivity) demands it at a certain point. In the beginning, it feels like a black art. The cast seems like something only a sorcerer could master. The mind hardly even knows where to begin at this point. The […]
There’s a hard bend in the back corner of the harbor opposite the houseboat that upon initial approach isn’t obvious. Once you make it back to farthest and westernmost point of the harbor it’s possible to see the bend cutting back to the north. A grim reminder of the harshness of navigating the waters sat […]
“Y’all did alright today, but just wait until tomorrow. We’re going to hike up through there and hit the honey hole,” George told us as Dad was cleaning the day’s catch. The term “honey hole” is widely used in fishing lore. To keep it within the realm of fishing, it’s the proverbial end of the rainbow […]
George’s explanation as to what the name means was fairly simple, “Yahtam means ‘nothing’.” The name literally means East Nothing. I can only imagine part of the reason how he came up with the name being he didn’t want anyone knowing anything about where he was fishing. This isn’t particularly uncommon amongst anglers. If you […]
Tales from East Yahtam: An Exercise in Remembering
I previously mentioned that I wanted to rethink what I was doing with this space. After thinking about it I’ve decided I want to use this space to help myself remember some things. I’ve recently felt very nostalgic about my past trips to Alaska. I really do hope to go back and fish there again […]
I’ve decided to change the name of this blog. For years it has — mostly sat dormant — gone by the title On The Fly. I still like that name. It makes as much sense as it did 6 years ago, although I’m not entirely convinced there aren’t tens of others out there going by […]
The Trash Hatch Is ON
Many aren’t familiar with summer in the deep south. 90-degree temps are pretty normal anywhere during the summer. Heck, folks in NYC get those kinds of temperatures. There’s one thing that accompanies our heat that many don’t get to experience. That experience is the humidity. For the uninitiated, humidity can make 72 degrees feel […]
How Do You Cook Your Catch?
I’m trying to avoid any kind of “how-to” here. There are many ways to do this and while I believe some are better than others many are surprisingly the same. Still, we all have a preference. Among the many options of cooking fish you can: Fry (whole or fillets)* Grill (over charcoal or over […]
The Great Thing About Catfish
Okay. I feel as though I was a bit too harsh on our whiskery fishy friends last week. There are many great qualities about catfish. Mainly they’re absolutely delicious. Fried or grilled I’ll take fresh catfish any day of the week!* This brings us to a topic I’d like to discuss/think about more at a later […]
