Since returning from Alaska and taking a semi-deep unguided dive into the world of fly fishing, I’ve had a lot of trout- and tarpon-centric material show up in my feed. Eventually I started to realize that a surprising percentage of it overlapped with Grateful Dead. While I still can’t quite figure out the connection, I decided to compile much of it here for those of you who are Deadheads, fly freaks, or both.
It turns out that Flylords Magazine beat me to it. In 2021 they ran a contest looking for reader art that they could use for a future apparel collaboration. Here are some of the top-faring entries:
Richard Blanco of SlackerTide is a one-man band who produces lots of popular culture fishing crossover gear, including plenty of Dead-themed apparel and decals.
If you don’t like the ones currently available on his site, plenty of Blanco’s Dead artwork is alternatively available at Fly Slaps.
In the cool little town of Wimberley, Texas, there’s a Grateful Angler fly shop and guide service.
They shouldn’t be confused with the Grateful Diver, which was co-founded by the Dead’s drummer Bill Kreutzmann. They also have some Grateful Angler shirts.
Abel Reels, which produces tons of gorgeous and highly-coveted fly reels, has produced Grateful Dead themed reels as well as drag knobs. Other music-themed reels celebrated AC/DC and Johnny Cash.
TCO Fly shop in Pennsyvlania, has an entire Grateful Dead collection of apparel and ephemera.
Dead Drift in Wyoming obviously has “Dead” in their name, and they celebrate Jerry and company with some of their gear.
Moving east to Massachusetts, they like the Dead on the Cape, too.
Swinging back down to Georgia, the Cohutta Fishing Company in Blue Ridge is all-in, too.
And up in the land of Favre, Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company celebrates the fly rod on the big lakes
Finally, artist Tim Phelps introduces us to Salmo jerrygarcia.
For many of us, the Improved Clinch Knot was the first one we learned. Some of us still use it. It may not test stronger than some other, but it’s remarkably easy to tie correctly. You can improve your chances of landing big fish to the boat with the Double Clinch Knot.