by Captain Wayne MacMasters Most of each year I fish for honest fish. From spring to November, speckled trout here in Virginia act like they ought to act. They are where they should be, on ledges or next to hard dark bottom close to the same depths they were in yesterday. They will eat when the water is the right color, the current is the right speed, bait is present, and the light is low. If it’s dead slack tide and there is no current, grab a sandwich and a beer, put your feet up, and relax. These spotted beauties aren’t going to eat. Same if the current is absolutely cranking. Better to fin ..read more

The team at Tail Fly Fishing Magazine puts some of the best fly fishing gear to the test. It is not limited to fly fishing gear though. We also take the time to review clothing, lifestyle items for outdoor living, gear transport systems, fly tying materials and tools, luggage and of course food and beverage–essentially all of the things that make your fly fishing experience better.   Mill Scale Metal Works Yakitori Grill Don’t know Mill Scale Metal Works? You should. Brothers Matt and Caleb Johnson are self-taught welders who have spent the last decade building custom pits and smokers for ..read more

Story by Pete BarrettPhotos by Pete Barrett and Bob Popovics Many coastal fly anglers consider surf fishing to be the ultimate challenge. Fortunately, most of us live within a coffee-mug drive from some of the best surf fly fishing opportunities in the world. Down South, the snook is king, while Up North the striped bass wears the crown. There’s a supporting cast of bluefish, mackerel, trout, and jacks. Bob Popovics is one of the best at the game of surf fly fishing. He’s been at it for more than 50 years and lives only minutes from New Jersey’s Island Beach State Park, a favorite for striped ..read more

CONSUMER CHOICE AWARDS SOMERSET, PA – Anglers from around the world have named the product winners of the annual Fly Fishing Show Consumer Choice Awards. More than 17,000 votes came from both Fly Fishing Show attendees and electronically from 15 nations for 183 products in 41 categories ranging from rods and reels to boots and Polarized sun glasses. Congratulations to Thomas & Thomas for their award for the Sextant, a favorite among salty anglers. Umpqua and more importantly Doug McKnight for their award for the Danger Muffin Crab The Atollas Fly Caddy – we love this! And the Fishpond Thu ..read more

Here’s the latest installment of the Tail Fly Fishing Gear Guide from the March 2023 issue (that’s issue #64 with Bob Popovics on the cover). There’s much more saltwater fly fishing gear on the way for 2023, including a sustainable gear review and new items for 2024 this Fall. In the meantime we think you’ll really appreciate these great items.   Grundens 6-Inch Deviation Ankle Boot This is a great fishing shoe for being on a boat or out in the elements, which is what you’d expect from a company that has made its name on the decks of boats in extreme weather conditions. The soles are grea ..read more

The Everglades Sevenby Chico Fernandez I’ve fly fished in many places around the world, from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, and I love it all. But when it comes to my favorite place to fly fish, it would be, hands down, the Everglades. It’s not just about the snook, the redfish, and all the other wonderful fish that live there. It’s also about the wading birds, the beautiful shallow flats with the fluctuating tides, the red mangrove trees along most of the shorelines, the other menagerie of trees, plants, and flowers, and so much more. I love that world. I love brackish water—I feel it runs throu ..read more

Marsh Madness: Despite hiccups, a plan comes together for Louisiana redfish on Sage’s new saltwater gear by Trey Reid Louisiana redfish don’t always present the best sight-casting targets. Water clarity, which underpins the hierarchy of marsh variables, is somewhat like black tea. Even when wind, tide, and sunlight create advantageous conditions for sight fishing, visibility still leaves much to be desired. The Mississippi River’s vast delta is country that’s not sure if it wants to be land or water, where the big river’s fresh water—and the alluvial soils it carries—clash with salt water from ..read more

“Time is a beast, devouring all, insatiable. . . .” That pretty much sums up a captain’s life, but I wouldn’t trade my guiding experiences for anything. You never know what’s going to happen on any given day out on the water; each day truly is unique. Below are a few entertaining nuggets from my decades on the water. Enjoy. If it can go wrong. . . . I had a client who expressed a desire to catch a dolphin (aka mahi-mahi and dorado), preferably a large one, on a fly. Normally, when a client makes such a request, I counsel him as to what time of year would offer the best chance for success. But ..read more

Deep Gravy: Permit guilt, creeping conflict, and fly fishing ecstasy in Belize by Trey Reid We left the dock at 6:30 a.m., a relatively late departure by the standard we had set over the previous four days of fishing around Ambergris Cay, Belize. By any definition, the trip was already an unqualified success—so productive that it’s awkward even now to recount it. I had landed four permit and recorded two Grand Slams—the most productive saltwater fly fishing trip of my life—and my friend John Bracey, with whom I fished most of the week, had caught his first two permit, the first coming on the s ..read more

Big barracudas have always been one of my favorite fly rod fish—so much so that I’ve always made an effort to have a fully rigged rod in case I run into one while fishing for bonefish or permit. And if the area warrants it, I’ll fish exclusively for them all day long. To date, I’ve taken seven large ‘cudas that were close to 30 pounds or larger. I remember how many because those catches are very significant and exciting to me. Only snook more than 20 pounds fall into that category for me. Let me share my most memorable ‘cuda catch. Chico Fernandez circa 1970 In the winter of 1988, I hosted a ..read more