One of the unforeseen benefits of the North American dam-building era is all the great winter flyfishing it created in the mountain states for those of us unable or unwilling to wait until spring. These stretches of water that flow beneath dams are known as tailwaters in fishing terminology—as opposed to “freestone” which are undammed rivers.

Some of the more famous tailwaters in the country are the South Holston and Watauga Rivers in East Tennessee, the White River and Little Red in Arkansas, and the Truckee and East Walker in California and Nevada. But for winter and early spring flyfishers, nothing matches the 900-mile stretch of road between Page, Arizona, and Missoula, Montana, where dozens of legendary …

The official start to the winter flyfishing consumer show circuit began in Denver over the weekend, as two competing consumer shows—The Fly Fishing Expo and The Fly Fishing Show—both drew anxious anglers to the Denver Convention Center and The Denver Merchandise Mart, respectively.

Despite some grumblings among attendees and exhibitors regarding the shows being on the same day in the same city, both shows were relatively well-attended, especially considering that it was the first warm day in weeks, when many of the attendees could have chosen to go fishing instead. “It figures that we get our first great day of the year to go fishing, and we …

For flyfishers, the spring months of May and June are the best times to chase migrating monster tarpon in places like Key West or Islamorada in the Florida Keys.

But the fall, especially late October and early November, represent possibly the best time of year to go after baby tarpon on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula–especially in recently discovered hotspots like Campeche or Holbox.

For one thing, the temperatures are often more agreeable in late autumn than in spring, and the crowds–or what little crowds there EVER are in a place like Campeche–are lighter in November that May. Not to mention the fact that airfares are often lower this time of year.

But perhaps the best reason, of course, is the fishing. Unlike the huge …

BOULDER, COLORADO. The 2007 National Flyfishing Championships wrapped up yesterday as three East-Coasters–two from North Carolina–rolled into Colorado and took home the top three spots in the 3-day fish-off. Veteran competitive angler George Daniel, from State College, Pennsylvania, rallied from fourth place on Thursday to earn the individual title, securing himself a spot on the team that will head to the 2008 World Championships in the unbelievably sweet venue of New Zealand.

Josh Stevens, from Robbinsville, North Carolina, and Eddie Pinkston, from Asheville, North Carolina, both edged out regional veteran and Boise resident Pete Erickson to earn guaranteed spots on the team. However, it is likely that Erickson and other top finishers will be appointed to the team by the selection …