Welcome to the first post for New England on the fly, a blog about fly fishing, with a focus on New England.

Why am I writing this? And why should you listen to me? Good questions. Let me address each.

I am writing this blog because I love fly fishing. Because I love New England. And because the winters are long here, leaving many months in which we can reflect on the season past and the season to come. it is the season in which we try to sneak new gear into the house, and, upon being successful, look for a place to hide it. It is the season in which we dust off our vices and remind our fingers how to tie a half hitch. It is the season in which our friends down South send us mocking photos of warm winter temperatures and big fish.

Looking out my window, the snow is piling up on the lawn. The forecast calls for temps cold enough to make the deer hide. A few weeks ago I caught a Brown on an elk hair. Now, that fish is under ice, and if you’re like me, you are tying with elk hair, not fishing it. It’s in these months that I write, think, tinker, and talk about fishing. All to feed the need to catch fish – any fish, really – on the fly.

I have kept a diary about fishing in which I record all my fish caught, as well as observations about weather, water temps, flies, people, places, and ideas. This process has taught me a lot. But it is limited by my own ideas and experience. And so it recently occurred to me that, by sharing these scribbles – my experiences, frustrations and questions – with others I could only stand to learn.

It’s my hope that people will comment, sharing their ideas, advice and experience (All in a generous and respectful spirit, of course.) and that the result might be that we all learn. And when we’re not learning, that we might have some fun.

In these posts, I plan to cover a lot of terrain. I’ll cover fresh and salt water, big migratory fish and small locals, fly shop, gear, techniques, artists, writers and contemporary issues. In addition to my writing, I’ll post videos, photos, and other media. And someday, if someone ever reads this, I’ll even respond to your questions.

But why listen to me? To that, I can only ask that you read a few posts, or more about me, to decide for yourself.

I hope you’ll read, subscribe, comment, and drop me a line. Keep coming back. And keep fishing New England on the fly.