The Evening Hatch - Remembering A.K. Best, Fishing Big Trout Rivers, And Wild Fly Productions in the Catskills

"The Evening Hatch" is a daily dose of anything fly fishing, human interest, and sometimes from left field. It will be short, informative, and entertaining. Enjoy it as an easy way to end the day.

A North Carolina brook trout. | photo by Jasper Taback

In this edition of The Evening Hatch:

- My favorite character in every John Gierach book, A.K. Best was a legend in his own right. - Renowned Colorado Fly Tier A.K. Best Passes Away at 92

- Don't have a drift boat? You can still fish big rivers. - The Big Time: How to Wade-Fish Sprawling Trout Rivers

- Experience a day of trout fishing in the Catskills. - The Birthplace of American Fly Fishing

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Renowned Colorado Fly Tier A.K. Best Passes Away at 92

by Lynn Burkehead - Fly Fisherman Magazine

"Archie “A.K.” Best, the renowned Colorado fly tier and longtime streamside associate of the late John Gierach, passed away on August 20 according to multiple reports, at the age of 92. A native of Iowa, Best was a professional fly tier and signature tier for Umpqua Feather Merchants, a former fly shop owner, a nationally known seminar lecturer, and a longtime Boulder resident, where he resided with his late wife Janet (Jan) for more than 40 years. When his wife passed away in 2023, the couple had been married for 67 years. Born in Iowa in 1933, Best grew up on a Midwestern farm, but he lived in Boulder for many years after moving to Colorado in 1980. While fly tying and writing magazine stories about the craft dominated the later decades of his life—he wrote for most fly-fishing publications out there, including Fly Fisherman magazine—he was also a prolific book author too, eventually penning a total of nine books..." Cont.

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The Big Time: How to Wade-Fish Sprawling Trout Rivers

by Joe Cermele - Field & Stream

"The first time I fished the lower Madison River, I felt small. I was 18 years old and had never been out West—and though I’d grown up trout fishing on the East Coast, I had never done so on a river big enough to accommodate drift boats. In the elevated, post-runoff flows of June, wading was limited. I could take only a few steps out and was quickly overwhelmed by a feeling of inadequacy. The best I could hope for was a willing trout in my casting zone—a meager 30-foot semicircle from the bank. Up- and downstream, as far as I could see, the water appeared to be the same depth and speed. Meanwhile, drift boat after drift boat floated by. Every so often I’d hear a “Woot!” as an angler onboard set into a fish. To say I was jealous is an understatement. At that moment, and at that age, I longed for smaller water. But all these years later, I’ve come to discover that wading anglers have advantages on big rivers that boaters don’t. Unlocking those advantages, however, starts with a willingness to be a little uncomfortable..." Cont.

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The Birthplace of American Fly Fishing

- Wild Fly Productions

"A rainy day in the Catskills with my pals JD & Thomas. "

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Thanks for ending your day here. Tight lines. JT