Unlimited Fly Fishing News and Articles...

[Woolly Bugger]

Scales of justice: Could ruling fish are 'sentient' put anglers in court?

Anglers in Scotland fear their sport may be criminalised after Scottish Government animal welfare experts recommended anti-cruelty laws be extended to include fishing.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), an independent body that advises ministers, has published a report arguing fish are sentient beings and deserve the same legal protection as other creatures such as sheep, cattle, cats and dogs.

Among its recommendations is amending regulations to cover "actions that occur in the normal course of fishing".

Such a move could outlaw many aspects of angling such as hooking a fish and removing it from the water.

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/anglers-fear-anti-cruelty-laws-will-be-extended-to-include-fishing/

[troutboy_II]

Invasive Asian carp are nearing Lake Michigan as Trump, Whitmer discuss ways to stop them

Is there a solution in sight for keeping invasive Asian carp away from the Great Lakes?

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, had discussed at length the need to ensure barriers are put in place to keep invasive Asian carp out of Lake Michigan.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/04/10/asian-carp-lake-michigan-great-lakes-fish/83022636007/

China Carp"?  Man, Don Frito won't like that!  Fish fry in DC coming up...   

TB

[Woolly Bugger]

Elizabethton, TN

Billed as a Fly Bar, but looks like spinning gear to me...

[jwgnc]

Elizabethton, TN


Billed as a Fly Bar, but looks like spinning gear to me...

Gear Bar just doesn't have that ring to it.  Do they also sell worms and minnows?

[Woolly Bugger]

Gear Bar just doesn't have that ring to it

maybe they could call it Barfly?

[Woolly Bugger]

Teen bitten by venomous snake while fly fishing on end of year camping trip: 'I was scared'

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CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (WTVD) — Two Chapel Hill high school students are reflecting on a survival story that turned an end-of-year camping trip into a near-death experience.

Last week, 17-year-old Zain Shah and 18-year-old Kevin Foley, both seniors at Chapel Hill High School, were fishing in the Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina when their buddy trip nearly took a deadly turn.

As the two walked up the side of a riverbank to find a better spot to fly fish, Shah felt a "prick" above his ankle, looking down to find a timber rattlesnake coiled beneath the log they had just crossed, and a bite mark on his lower leg.

In an instant, the classmates found themselves in a life-or-death situation. Shah said he immediately understood the serious nature of the bite, photographing the snake in case first responders needed to know which antivenom to administer. The teenagers were about two miles from their car, in a remote part of the woods with limited cell service.

"When it happened, I was like super scared because I thought that we were so far out that, like, there's not that much I can do. So I was just trying to keep him calm," Foley said.

Fortunately, Kevin was able to reach 911 and an operator stayed on the line with him for nearly two hours, instructing him to wrap Shah's wound in a towel while first responders could get to them. About two hours later — members of the NCHART, or North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team — a specialized unit that includes North Carolina National Guard members– flew a Blackhawk helicopter into the forest to airlift Shah out.

https://kesq.com/cnn-regional/2025/06/13/teen-bitten-by-venomous-snake-while-fly-fishing-on-end-of-year-camping-trip-i-was-scared/

[Woolly Bugger]

13-year-old fly fishing phenom competing in fly casting

Elias has found his passion in fly fishing, a hobby he discovered during a family vacation to Yellowstone. The young angler is making waves with his impressive casting skills.

"I like watching the loop unroll to the target and being able to have full control of what happens with my fly," said Elias.

Elias, 13, first tried fly fishing when it was the only option available during his trip. This experience opened up a new world of excitement for him.

"When I tried fly fishing, it's a whole other level of excitement," said Elias.


Watch the video

[Woolly Bugger]

Outdoors Bound
Cool water and hot trout: Fishing a Virginia Blue Ridge gem!

BASSETT, Va. (WFXR) — The fly drifted gently about ten feet downstream.

Gulp!

The fly vanished, swallowed by something just under the surface.

"Got him," exclaimed New River Fly Fishing guide Alex Wise as he quickly stripped line.

Soon, a chunky brown trout came to the net.

"Eleven and a half (inches)," said Wise as he placed the fish on a bump board to measure it. "For the Smith River, better than average, right there."

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https://www.wfxrtv.com/news/outdoors-bound/cool-water-and-hot-trout-fishing-a-virginia-blue-ridge-gem/

[Woolly Bugger]

[driver]

Well.. that should help with the crowds..

[Dougfish]

I saw Alex w/2 sports today. Nobody else through old special regs.
At least 25 kayaks and canoes, though.
Most due to boys camp program floats.
Shitshow.
I'm not worried about fisherman.
Most can't figure it out.

[Woolly Bugger]

Reprieve for now: 

The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the proposal, introduced by Senator Mike Lee, violated the Byrd Rule, which restricts non-budgetary items from being included in reconciliation bills that bypass the filibuster. As a result, the plan to sell up to 3.3 million acres of public land across 11 Western states was stripped from the bill2.

The proposal had faced bipartisan criticism, especially from conservationists, hunters, and even some Republican lawmakers, who feared it would open the door to trophy homes, luxury resorts, and other developments on cherished public lands4.

Senator Lee has vowed to revise and reintroduce a scaled-back version that excludes Forest Service land and limits sales to Bureau of Land Management parcels within five miles of population centers. But for now, the large-scale public land sale is out of the bill.

[Woolly Bugger]

Ed Engle: Side channel solitude on the Middle Fork of the South Platte River


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A big part of my plan for this summer is to spend more time fishing small streams with the goal of simplifying my fly fishing. It's easy to have all kinds of expectations when you set this kind of goal. Among them is thinking you'll find less crowded conditions on small streams, but that's not always the case, especially if you can drive straight to the stream, get out of your truck, gear up and walk a few yards to the water.


https://archive.ph/JW4tn


More Ed Engle articles... https://www.dailycamera.com/?s=ed+engle&orderby=date&order=desc

[Woolly Bugger]

Top fly-fishing female, Lucinda van Niekerk, is making a splash in this man's world!


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Only five ladies per country are chosen to compete in the World Ladies Fly Fishing Championship. Lucinda van Niekerk from Dullstroom, is one of the South African team.
In this very masculine dominated sport, it hasn't been easy for female anglers to make their mark. That is until just three years ago, when the ladies received their own World Fly Fishing Championship. Prior to this, the highest level of international competition available to women was the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Tournament.

Van Niekerk proves her abilities quietly, without self-aggrandisement by achieving the position of top fly-fishing angler in Mpumalanga, outclassing not just the other women, but all the men too, including her husband. She stresses, "being able to represent my province and my country is a much bigger achievement for me than a placing or rank."

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-04-top-fly-fishing-female-lucinda-van-niekerk-is-making-a-splash-in-this-mans-world/

[Woolly Bugger]

Teen heads to US for fly fishing world championships

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A Dorset schoolgirl is part of a squad heading to the US to compete in the World Youth River Fly Fishing Championships.

Lydia Thomas, 17, from Maiden Newton is the only female in the Angling Trust's England under-18 Rivers Squad, and is heading to Idaho Falls.

The teenager, who is studying for her A-levels, has been fly and lure fishing since she was 11 years old.

She said she had never fished outside of the UK and it would be her first time travelling abroad.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c628ql4d547o