Fd: How did you start in fly fishing? Who got you interested in the sport? Charles: That’s an easy one. My father. He was an avid salmon angler who, even in the 1950’s travelled the world for fishing – mostly salmo...
Fd: So tell us, who is ATA Lodge and where is ATA Lodge located? ATA Lodge is a family owned and operated lodge on the fabled Alagnak Wild River of Bristol Bay, South West Alaska. Wayne (myself) and Jacob (my son) are t...
As this year draws to a close, Christmas Carols having filled our homes with strains of Holiday cheer, perhaps you are a bit like me and your mind starts to wander with the anticipation for what the New Year will bring. ...
March 1st is the New Year to all the fishermen
in this part of Croatia since it's
the date of the trout fishing season
opening. The fisherman's year here lasts until September 30th, when fishermen
all across Dalmatia pac...
With only 3 months to go before opening day on the Alagnak Wild River of Bristol Bay, Alaska; ATA Lodge is looking forward to another great season. It is about this time we start to get that itchy feeling that starts ti...
On the fly fishing map of the world, Russia is still mostly a white spot. This is especially true of the Russian Far East: this vast region (the size of the North American coast from Mexico to Alaska) is not well known a...
Fd: Where did your love of making watercolors of trout come from?Carol: I moved to Dillon, Montana, a fly fishing paradise, and a friend asked me for fish and landscape paintings for a beautiful little fishing cabin that...
With it's sail-like dorsal fin, iridescent markings and dotted with spectacular patterns, the Arctic Grayling is one of the most unusual and beautiful fish of Alaska.The Arctic grayling comes in a wonderfully wide array ...
The first time I saw a Murrough caddis fly emerge onto the water surface I prepared to defend myself! It was huge. One of the biggest flies I’ve seen on any British water. At over 1 ¼” they are the largest of our ca...
June 8th sees the opening of this fabled river to fishing, and it is one of our favorite times of the year to be on the river. The resident fish have overwintered with limited food available and no fishing pressure for ...
Traditional wet flies are coming back to the fly fishing. In the shadows of nymphs and emergers for a while, this kind of flies that served well for years is today studied again by the finest anglers that find unique sol...
Planina, Notranjska region, Slovenia One of the highlights with my guests was fly fishing on the beautiful river Unica. All day fishing has resulted that we caught countless of big graylings and brownies. And in the even...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future."
- Yogi Bera
One thing we do know...there is a lot of snow in the mountains. As of May 2nd, the Big Wood drainage is 217...
Ketchum, Idaho, United States âOurs is the grandest sport. It is an intriguing battle of wits between an angler and a trout; and in addition to appreciating the tradition and grace of the game, we play it in the mag...
King Salmon, Alaska, United States 2019 Opening Week Trout Bonanza at Bristol Bay's ATA Lodge on the Alagnak Wild River!
Jun 21, 2019
OPENING WEEK OF THE 2019 SEASON STARTED WITH A PROMISE OF GREAT THINGS TO COME WIT...
One cannot feel the fullness of something that it constantly changing or has not indulged it or mastered to perfection his pursuit of happiness. Never the same, the water, the weather, the bugs or the fish, this river ha...
After a few years the world with a few trusted friends we returned to pustertal , the river that we have chosen is the Ahrfor one of the most beautiful places in Italy and perhaps in Europe for the environment , the rive...
Bled, Gorenjska region, Slovenia Dear Fly Fisherman... While here in Europe majority of the Fly fishing audience still waits for the main 2019 fly fishing season opens with April 1st, few already tasted the joys of fly r...
Fd: What is the London Fly Fishing Fair all about?Fergus: The London Fly Fishing Fair is aimed at bringing together different aspects of the fly fishing world to one central place in London. The idea of the fair is to ...
Nymph fly-fishermen from Europe use a kind of fly named Czech Nymph, that was created by polish anglers. The models differ because of their braided abdomen, modified by Czech anglers who mainly use dubbing for this part ...
Ketchum, Idaho, United States âFishing consists of a series of misadventures interspersed by occasional moments of glory.â
â Howard Marshall
What constitutes a âmoment of gloryâ while angling...
Zelezniki, Gorenjska region, Slovenia Selška Sora, is a stretch of water exceptionally well inhabited by trout, predominantly brown trout and rainbow trout. In its upper reaches is more reminiscent of a mountain strea...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States "The angling fever is a very real disease and can only be cured by the application of cold water and fresh untainted air."
â Theodore Gordon
For some, the concept of winter fly f...
Ketchum, Idaho, United States âNobody goes there anymore. Itâs too crowded.â
â Yogi Berra
As one of the few fishable rivers in the state of Idaho, the Creek certainly saw its share of anglers this...
Bristol Bay, Alaska, United States An overview of the guide season in Bristol Bay
I recently finished up my season in Alaska and wanted to reach out to everyone and give a report on my experiences guiding in Bristol B...
All kinds of ants are spread throughout the whole world due to their adaptation skills. This is why fly-fishermen have to take into account that ants are a part of the fish´s diet. We can see this because ca...
This is one of the flies that cannot be missing in the box of any dry fly addict. The attractor pattern is similar to the Irresistible Adams in its design. It has great buoyancy because it is tied with deer h...
Fd: Can you tell us a bit about how you got the idea of setting up a fly-fishing guide service? In the beginning my plan was just to open only fly-fishing school. However, in the end I decided to offer my guests a full s...
The River Swale in North Yorkshire is one of the lesser known Yorkshire Dales Rivers however it has everything you might expect....beautiful countryside, wild brown trout and grayling all in stunning scenery and steeped ...
Ketchum, Idaho, United States ââ¦the fisherman fishes. It is at once an act of humility and a small rebellion. And it is something more. To him, his fishing is an island of reality in a world of dream and shadow...
King Salmon, Alaska, United States The Land of Giants! Recap of the First 2 weeks of the 2021 Season Opener at ATA Lodge on the Alagnak Wild and Scenic River!
After a year of uncertainty due to Covid, we are sure glad...
Ketchum, Idaho, United States "A year of snow, a year of plenty."
â French Proverb
The snow pack in the Big Wood drainage is currently at 172% of average and still has the potential to climb heading into spring....
Christof studied sports science and has worked in conjunction with various companies in the fly fishing business since 1997 and is a full-time professional guide and instructor. He founded Pro-Guides Flyfishing together ...
This is another fly that every fly fisherman must consider when stocking his dry fly box before a trip. The story of this fly goes back to the 40´s when it was named “Algonquin” and used by northern Michigan Indians...
King Salmon, Alaska, United States 2019 End of Season Report from ATA Lodge on the Fabled Alagnak Wild River of Bristol Bay, Alaska
Another Great Season in the Books at ATA Lodge!
After browsing through this blog ...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States "With melted snow I boil fragrant tea.â
â Mencius
The snow keeps coming. As of February 6th, the Big Wood Basin is at 144% of average and the Little Wood and Big Lost are no...
King Salmon, Alaska, United States July 2023 Fishing Report for ATA Lodge on the Wild Alagnak River of Bristol Bay, Alaska!
July Has Been Epic at ATA Lodge! Of course the Sockeye Salmon start to stream in to the Alag...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States âI am haunted by waters.â â Norman Maclean
The first wave of true spring run off occurred during the first week of May causing the Big Wood to peak at nearly 7,000 CFS. ...
Mörön, Inner Mongolia, Mongolia Mongolia has some of the best fisheries in the world for giant taimen and the Delgar-Morron river has been known for many years as one of the best rivers for it. The weather througho...
King Salmon, Alaska, United States Recent mild weather conditions the past few years, combined with record runs of all 5 species of Pacific Salmon bode well for this seasons Trout Fishing on the Alagnak Wild River!
...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States â...perhaps the greatest satisfaction on the first day of the season is the knowledge in the evening that the whole of the rest of the season is to come.â
â Arthur Ransome...
King Salmon, Alaska, United States ATA Lodge End of 2023 Season Fishing Report on the Alagnak Wild River of Bristol Bay, Alaska
As the sun sets on the 2023 season at ATA Lodge, we are proud to share our end of season ...
Fd: How were your beginnings in fly fishing?Andy: I began learning to cast when I was just five years old. My father taught me in a field near our home, just 30 minutes from the river Dove in Derbyshire, England. I was...
Frank Sawyer must have never imagined that this simple nymph, perfected in the River Avon, would become a classic that is included in every angler’s fly box. Sawyer wanted a nymph that made an attractive sound when rea...
Ketchum, Idaho, United States âThere is nothing like the thrill of expectation over the first cast over unfamiliar waters. Fishing is like gambling, in that failure only excites hope of a fortunate throw next time....
The Blue Dun is a classic dry fly pattern that was originated to imitate the early mayfly hatches. This dry fly works for a number of hatches including the Blue Winged Olives, Hendricksons, Blue Quills and Quill Gordo...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States âNo fisherman ever fishes as much as he wantsâ¦this is the first great rule of fishing, and it explains a world of otherwise inexplicable behavior.â â Geoffrey Norman
...
Sun Valley, Idaho, United States âChoosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way...
Arezzo, Perugia, Firenze, Siena, Roma, Tuscany, Italy Tail Water Tevere
Near the town of Sansepolcro, the Tevere flows through the Tuscan countryside (about 1,5 hours south of Florence). Below the Montedoglio Dam, the...
Lepena and Idrija, GoriÅ¡ka region, Slovenia We couldn't wish for a better start of fly fishing season at the rivers SoÄa, Lepena, Koritnica managed by Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia, and Idrijca managed b...
