The best fly fishing blogs offer readers the opportunity to go beyond simply presenting topical information. A blog has a personality and a perspective that provides a unique take on fly fishing. Great blogs take a stand and add tension, particularly in regards to the status quo.
Above all, the best fly fishing blogs share ideas, knowledge, and opinions. Great writing of all kinds is integral to fly fishing culture and its future. There are countless great blogs and magazines to enhance your fly fishing reading, but these are some must-reads and deserve space on your subscription list.
General Fly Fishing sites and magazines
Gink & Gasoline
Any angler who knows the value of fly floatant and a full tank of gas can appreciate the blog’s goal on Gink & Gasoline. Led by Louis Cahill, the blog has become essential for any fly fisher, just like the items in their name. Gink & Gasoline compliments the website’s fly fishing trips business but isn’t narrowly focused as a travel blog. Instead, Gink & Gasoline covers a broad range of fly fishing topics. I think what I like best is the feeling that the blog topics are indeed based on the team’s fly fishing adventures, the way it should be.
Midcurrent
The world of fly fishing is vast. It is tough to keep a pulse on everything, but Midcurrent does an outstanding job. The best part is their segmented email newsletters that cater to the topics you are interested in reading. If you like receiving fly fishing industry news, you can regularly receive it in your email. Just into fly tying? Great, get their fly tying edition. Don’t like to read at all? Prefer videos? They’ll send cool ones to you. No one has time to read (or watch) it all, especially when you’d rather be out on the water.
Fly Lords
Fly anglers are adventurers. And a good adventure always has a good stories to tell (and storytellers). That’s why we love Fly Lords so much. They exquisitely paint the pictures of their adventures through video and writing. They are masters of the fly fishing interview, meticulously sharing the perspectives of some of the most influential people in our sport. But, of course, we can’t always be in the middle of our own fly fishing adventure, but with a blog like Fly Lords, we can always share in one and be inspired.
Hatch Magazine
Much is discussed about fly fishing culture. Many point to the popularity of fly fishing as a threat, but culture is neither static nor can it be preserved without influence. Hatch Magazine is a great blog that recognizes this and delivers a variety of posts that span fly fishing and its culture. Like Mid-Current, I am always eager to open up the email digest Hatch Magazine sends to subscribers. From the “Tao of Trout: What does a week-long, $12,500 fly fishing class look like?” to articles on buying a great used fly rod, Hatch always has something that will expand my understanding of the sport.
Moldy Chum
Speaking of culture or, in this case, counterculture. Moldy Chum takes the task of fly fishing culture and filters it through a unique lens of irreverence. It’s a refreshing take on a pursuit that is sometimes perceived as exclusive, if not downright elitist. But don’t take Moldy Chum’s approach to fly fishing writing as a lack of seriousness or expertise. Moldy Chum is as dedicated to fly fishing as anyone, and readers can find plenty of conservations news. My favorite section of the Moldy Chum blog is the portion devoted to fly fishing photography and art. For instance, they showcase creative pursuits in film, like Water Sabbath, a fly fishing film and art project by Jake Keeler and many other artists whose niche revolves around fish on the fly.
Orvis Fly Fishing Blog
Tips and tricks are why many fly anglers follow blogs, and when you’re searching for information on how to improve, you like to go with a name you trust. A blog from Orvis fits that rationale. Chock full of tons of techniques to try out on the water or at the bench. The how-to videos and stories from the great Tom Rosenbauer and casting tips from Peter Kutzer are always helpful. The blog is also a valuable megaphone for important conservation topics that may be local but affect our entire way of life.
For decades Orvis has built a brand and level of trust in the fly fishing world, and they’ve backed it up by being source for useful information on how to fly fish. So even if you’re a seasoned angler, sometimes you just need some pointers on how to improve your cast. Orvis can help with that!
Fiberglass Manifesto
No list of the best fly fishing blogs is complete without Fiberglass Manifesto. The blog celebrates the fiberglass fly rod and its renaissance as a versatile and simplistic way to fish. However, like the other great sites, the fishing blog’s fly fishing content is not restricted simply to fiberglass. Instead, readers can enjoy articles on that cover flies, fishing gear, and fly fishing photography.
Trout Fishing/Freshwater Fly Fishing sites and magazines
Pat Dorsey
Today’s anglers stand on the shoulders of giants. Anyone interested in fly fishing can name the guides and thought leaders who have helped and inspired them. For me, I look to Colorado guide and author Pat Dorsey. His home water is my home water, and I am in awe of the excellent knowledge, techniques, and flies he has shared. His blog focuses much on guiding throughout the South Platte drainage. He is not the only legend that frequents Cheesman Canyon, Deckers, or the Dream Stream. However, he is likely one of the kindest and most giving. I have learned much from his writings, and I’m sure you’ll also pick up a few things, regardless of where you fish.
I look forward to running into him some time and thanking him. Just not right after he vacuums up a hole I’m about to fish.
Ascent
Do you ever have those days when you’d give anything for some clue to what the fish want? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an aquatic biologist in your back pocket to show you all the subtle hints you’re missing? Well, if you follow Peter Stitcher of Ascent’s Sci-Fly blog, at least you’ll have the tools to help. Peter is just such a biologist. His fly curation company aims to arm anglers with specific patterns that mimic the exact phases of bugs in the water you’re fishing. So while you can’t have Peter on speed dial, you can glean a lot from his posts on trout behavior and the invertebrates that inhabit trout country.
Saltwater Fly Fishing sites and magazines
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Blog
For a Colorado kid, saltwater fly fishing is exotic; it’s exciting, heck, it’s intimidating. But there’s another side to saltwater than a vacation getaway. Like any river, these saltwater ecosystems are fragile and under threat from various factors. That’s why any angler who cares about great fisheries, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, should keep up on the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) ‘s work.
BTT’s mission is: “To conserve and restore bonefish, tarpon and permit fisheries and habitats through research, stewardship, education, and advocacy.”
The site’s blog provides updates on the group’s efforts, providing scientific evidence of, among other things, pharmaceuticals being present in bonefish in the Gulf. As someone who is landlocked, it’s hard to fathom the vastness of our oceans, but it is studies like these that remind us that little in this world is untouched by humans.
Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Back Stage Pass
Few things are more exciting than jetting off to an island oasis in search of fly fishing’s most challenging fare. Some make it a habit to intercept the migration of giant tarpon or to stalk a sandy flat for the grey ghost. For the rest of us, we can always dream. And read stories from Yellow Dog Fly Fishing’s blog, the Back Stage Pass. Yellow Dog is a top destination service that hooks eager anglers up with world-class guides at some of the most exotic destinations in the world. Along the way, they’re fed plenty of stories of triumph and agony. Each post paints the picture so that at some point, you’ll have enough and make your own adventure with the crew. It is equal parts genius and hopelessly unfair.
Best Fly Tying websites and magazines
Fly Fish Food
Fly Fish Food covers everything a fly tier could want and then some. From tools and techniques to a massive library of tying tutorials, Fly Fish Food has become a one-stop destination for the craft of tying one’s flies. The best part is Fly Fish Food’s categorization of fly tying tutorials by technique. If you’re looking to twist up some flies for the Florida Keys, there’s a saltwater instructions category. Filling up you’re chironomid box for spring? Then check out their stillwater section? Need some streamers for chucking meat? Head over to Fly Fish Food Streamer tutorials. Why don’t other blogs do this?
Svend Diesel
Written blogs are great, but a vlog (video blog) is much more helpful and exciting for fly tying. Few tyers are as exciting as Svend Diesel. The step-by-step instructional videos tutorials are chock full of bold patterns. But the videos aren’t simply entertainment. The tutorials get packaged in a fun and approachable format that will have any aspiring fly tier say to themselves, “I can do that!” Or maybe even, “I wish I could grow my hair out and rock Viper sunglasses while tying a balanced leech like that.”
Either way, you’ve never been so entertained watching dubbing being applied to a hook.
Best Fly Fishing Forums
Reddit Fly Fishing
Reddit is a platform for all types for all kinds of topics. Fly fishing is just one of the thousands of topics and subtopics that are discussed on Reddit. Users of Reddit tend to provide valuable content and responses since any content is rated by other users up or downvoting it. As an angler, you can find tons of fish pics and topic discussions on the Fly Fishing subreddit all while feeling confident that other users are there to provide honest feedback and a supportive online fly fishing community.
PAFlyFish.com
The first thing you must know about PAFlyFish.com is that it is a handy site if you reside in or plan to fish in the Keystone State. The second thing to know is that Pennsylvania-focused discussion is just the tip of the iceberg for the variety of topics on this forum. From local news to the state of fly fishing in general, PAFlyFish.com has become a respected forum for any angler eager to learn, share, or debate the latest buzz around fly fishing.
Whether your pursuit is trout in rivers, topwater bass, or permit on the flats, there is a passionate blogger providing fodder and insight you’ll enjoy. These blogs and magazines aim to share the best about fly fishing and allow readers to join the conversation. You don’t have to read them all. Find the ones that interest you and join the conversation. Chances are consuming fly fishing blogs will enhance your understanding and appreciation for your hobby and those whom you share it with. Not to mention, you’ll learn a lot too.
