In today's day and age the population is growing more each year in Michigan and the number of people becoming interested in outdoor activities is increasing. This can cause some over crowding and create less solitude on certain Michigan waters then many of us were accustomed to in years past.

Many years ago the practice of stream etiquette was implemented to create a much more friendly and enjoyable fishing environment in areas where other fishermen were present. Although with the increasing number of people on our waters the need for stream etiquette is more important than ever before, but it seems to be getting practiced less and less. This is contributing to a deterioration of the quality and enjoyment that can be experienced while fishing Michigan.

Unless you are a hard-core cold weather angler, you?ve probably put away your fishing gear, pulled out the fly tying tools and started to re-stock your fly boxes. As you sit and tie, you drift back to the time when that same fly pattern in your vice was used to beckon a nice rainbow from its log sanctuary and trick him to rise for the take. The ensuing fight will live in your memory forever, the rod bent over, you manipulating it from side to side steering the fish away from obstacles, bowing to him when he jumped and finally, bringing it to the net then releasing him to fight another day. All that action from just one little fly that you tied. Now lets take it one step further, just think how satisfying it would have been if you caught that fish not only on the fly that you tied, but with your own personally hand crafted fly rod as well.

Basic Entomology - Why Study Bugs?

By Lefty Kreh - 3M Scientific Anglers

Consider the importance of leaders in the sport of fly fishing. Even in the earliest days, fishermen knew that they couldn?t just attach a fly directly to the line and catch fish. Since then, we?ve learned through trial and error the importance of the proper selection of the leader to match the fly, fishing conditions and the species sought.

In order to better understand leaders and their importance to fly fishing, let?s begin with this "primer" ? a short history and discussion on the evolution and selection of leaders.

Few fly line subjects have been discussed more than which is the better taper ? double taper (DT) or weight forward (WF). The answer, according to Richards, "is neither is inherently better, but one may be better than the other for you.

Richards has designed fly line tapers for Scientific Anglers for more than 20 years. There are not many in the fly fishing industry that possess Richard's knowledge on fly lines ? and he shares the following on the DT vs. WF question.

Let me begin by saying that rod manufacturers design rods for the average person to use under average conditions. So unfortunately, most fly fishermen use only one weight of line on their favorite rod.