Spencer Durrant

The rain was coming down by the bucket and I huddled under a pine tree, praying that I wouldn't get too wet. My proprietary waterproof system had utterly failed, and I wasn't too surprised. An old ski parka layered on top of a fleece vest wasn't exactly the bastion of water-repellence technology I hoped it would be. As a result of being wet and cold, I was...

I've always been fond of winter fishing. It's peaceful in a way no other season can be, and it's certainly less crowded. The trick to truly enjoying this fishing, though, is learning how to stay warm. Not even big fish are exciting enough to ward off hypothermia, as I found out this January here in Wyoming. Over the years I've developed a system I really...

I've had the chance to talk with a lot of beginning anglers over the past year, and one question I keep hearing is how to pick the right fly box. This isn't a topic I've ever given much thought, but I decided it'd make a good post in our series here at MidCurrent where I go over how to pick gear that's best for you and your fishing situation. As that...

Back when I started fly fishing, someone told me I needed a nice pair of polarized sunglasses. At the time, I could barely afford gas in my truck. I wrote off polarized sunglasses as just another piece of overpriced gear that I didn't really need to be a good angler. Fast forward to today, and I can't leave the house without a pair of sunglasses. They've...

My dad and grandfather both tied flies, and I grew up surrounded by tinsel, feathers, hooks, and thread that I was under strict orders to never touch. I remember sitting for hours watching my dad tie streamers and dry flies (he never tied nymphs because he didn't fish nymphs), entranced by the whole process. I begged and begged to learn, but it wasn't until...

While fly rods and reels tend to get all the attention when a new model is announced, we tend to overlook what I think is arguably more important—fly line. The right fly line can coax the best performance possible from a fly rod. Other than your casting skills, fly line is the biggest variable in fly rod performance. Just like fly rods, fly lines are...

Sling packs are pretty popular among anglers and for good reason. They offer a ton of storage room that's easily accessed without taking off the whole pack. For those who are loathe to leave tackle back at the truck, slings can be the way to go. Slings also tend to distribute the load more evenly than a vest or backpack, and they're fairly light, too. All...

With summer fishing in full swing, it's time to take a look at some of the new gear that's hit the market in the past few months. Ranging from fly caddys to apparel, there's something in this Gear Roundup for everyone. As is always the case with these Roundups, we're focused on providing anglers with the information they need to make informed choices on...

My first pair of wading boots weren't exactly high quality. The soles wore through in a few weeks, the laces didn't cinch tight enough, and they offered no support up through the ankle. I quickly ditched them for the best I could afford at the time, which made a huge difference in how comfortable I felt while on the water. A good pair of wading boots can...

For the longest time, I never carried a net while on the water. Once, while skipping class in high school, I walked across a field to a river when the net hanging from the back of my fishing vest snagged on some barbed wire. The retractor wire snapped and I fell backwards into the barbed wire. I swore off carrying a net after that. Of course, as I learned...