<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Last Cast Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Last Cast Life]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/home</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:56:55 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.lastcastlife.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[REVIEW: Fishpond's Switchback Wading System is a Literal Lifesaver ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Several weeks ago, I wrote about a harrowing experience where I was caught off-guard by an unscheduled water release on my local tailwater . Ultimately, I was able to make it to a bank and was no worse for wear than a long walk back to the car. Looking back, a lot of things lined up in my favor. The biggest one was my decision to ditch my sling in favor of an older piece of gear that I'd shelved: the Fishpond Switchback Wading System . Product Summary I'm not going to go into every...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/review-fishpond-s-switchback-wading-system-is-a-literal-lifesaver</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d7b3d54e4fe2e3f72a3d27</guid><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:04:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_e51323221a874bf1bcf2c8759c8b397b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_995,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 27th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's Friday and it's looking like we've got a cold front coming in. So I'm going to fish it. Hopefully less people and more fish for me. Or one, I'll settle for one. Today's Ponderings Last night, I attended a fly tying night put on by one of my local Trout Unlimited chapters. Great time, I learned how to tie a foam hopper and met a couple anglers that seem to have a lot of similar energy. Community and mentorship are things that I haven't really had in fishing, and I think I'm barking up the...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-27th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c6a04da937958fa7dcd834</guid><pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:50:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 26th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thank you for all the wonderful thoughts yesterday. If you can't tell, I am madly in love with my wife and am more than happy to shout it from whatever mountaintop (electronic or otherwise) I'm on. That said, let's get into it! Today's Ponderings: As a follow-up to my last note about Fly Tyer's Dungeon , I got my sampler goodie pack in, and I can confidently say...holy crap all the new stuff is incredible. So just to recap, we're putting together a $50 order from Fly Tyer's Dungeon for...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-26th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c52254bf7953dab527c67e</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:42:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Not-So-Random Thought of the Day - March 25th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lots of random thoughts to share today, but one that is not, so let's start with that: My wife and I have been together for seven years, and today is our anniversary. We met in a fantastic Mexican restaurant. My wife is a fan of all things Canadian, and I had decided to show up in more or less a Canadian tuxedo of denim. I was obsessed with exploring every inch of the mountains I could get my boots on after moving up from South Florida just six months prior. My wife was a walking confluence...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/a-not-so-random-thought-of-the-day-march-25th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c3cfbf653657f03d5c9d1c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:24:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_71267f4c0caf46a9a77c9fb45cbda441~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Mental Stress of Getting Skunked]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's okay, it's no big deal. It's fine...really...IT'S...FINE. "Well that was an incredible waste of time," I thought as I walked back to the bank, my right leg weighed down by a couple gallons of river water I'd taken on from a leak in my waders. Just icing on the cake. A skunk cake where I fished four hours without a single bite. I threw everything I had at the water, knowing there were fish in the area, and had no idea why I wasn't getting any action. I felt like I spent four hours doing...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/the-mental-stress-of-getting-skunked</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c12693e0fc71dfcfdf958e</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:33:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_e8e821f95f94406bbeaa33cd2263d572~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_850,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trip Report -- Striking Out on Pre-Spawn Smallies]]></title><description><![CDATA[You sure there's fish in there? On Saturday, I spent the better part of four hours throwing everything I could think at a quarter mile stretch of water that I was sure held fish of some sort. Did I see any? Not really. Did I get any bites? Not that I could tell. But I'm 99% sure they were there. My first inclination is to blame myself. Surely, I was doing something wrong. On top of that, my waders sprung a leak along a seam, and my right leg had slowly filled up with water. I'm going to write...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/trip-report-striking-out-on-pre-spawn-smallies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c09e836e2d813924910e5b</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:29:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_f6714ac7191a4c6281092558fbe52af8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 20th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Life has been busy the past couple days, but let's get into it. This weekend, I'm heading to check out a new watershed with some supposedly good smallie fishing. I've been tying for that, as well as for an upcoming float trip. Today's Ponderings: A new tyer asked me where they can get a good start on some inexpensive fly tying materials specifically for trout. Without hesitation I pointed them toward the Mad Scientist and his online shop, Fly Tyer's Dungeon . When I ordered from him, there...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-20th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bd327feac6d29286cc6932</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:54:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tailwater Troubles: How a Good Day of Fishing Can Turn Real Bad]]></title><description><![CDATA[That's a pretty tailwater you got there. Be a shame if it turned into a death trap today... This past weekend, I headed out to my local tailwater to put some of the things I learned in the Smokies last weekend to use. It was mostly a good half day of fishing, but the dam started dumping water early, and I almost got swept. Let's get the good stuff out of the way, because I want to talk a good bit about the bad. As promised when I started writing this blog, you're going to read about my...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/tailwater-troubles-how-a-good-day-of-fishing-can-turn-real-bad</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b7edd5faed8c5e63c76ee0</guid><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:18:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_e278f8e388d74d4aae8b7625b2857274~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 13th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today's Ponderings: Need to drum up some plans for the weekend. The dam for our local tailwater has been dumping water nonstop, so that's likely going to be a bust. We'll see if they give us a break for the weekend. If not, I might check out an access point for another river that supposedly has good smallie fishing. Worst case scenario, I've got a small pond in a park near my house that I haven't checked on in over a year, and could take my 3wt out to see how that's doing. I needed to refill...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-13th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b4172c0d1c152c6e6cd408</guid><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:47:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trip Report - Early March Smokies]]></title><description><![CDATA[This past Saturday, March 7th, 2026, I headed into the Smokies to try to catch a BWO hatch. I'd heard that the Quill Gordons were hatching, and with temps on the rise and an incoming storm front, I figured there was a good shot for a BWO hatch. So I spent the week tying up some Parachute BWOs, RS2s, and pheasant tails in a variety of sizes and headed out to the park with my 8' 4wt Fenwick Aetos , along with a couple new things I was testing out. Flies for the day. (Also, this may be the worst...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/trip-report-early-march-smokies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b22005a0b6c504fd073a21</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:08:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_98a6c601d8be47b585c6d34b9032a696~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 11th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm working on a summary of my trip to the mountains this weekend. Today's Ponderings: If I'm out for the whole day, I really don't like carrying around my water. Water's heavy and I'm old. So I usually bring a water filter. I was using a Nalgene with a LifeStraw, but wanted to streamline the process. Enter the Platypus Nalgene Daycap Water Filter . Really great product, makes staying hydrated super simple. The bottle stays empty and clipped to my wading belt on a carabiner, and I just fill...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-11th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b16b1af333f99e51f2bd75</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:06:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 10th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm working on a summary of my trip to the mountains this weekend. Today's Ponderings: Should I start using split shot? I don't have full fly boxes with all the different weights I may need. I could see having a small container of shot being useful. I need to start bring some spools of different nymphing rigs pre-tied onto tippet. This would save me a lot of time on the water. I've also started using some neat leader "cards" for swapping leaders more quickly on the water. I'll highlight that...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-10th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69aad92085de9797d21293cc</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:26:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Random Thoughts of the Day - March 5th, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm thinking about making posts like these a regular occurrence. I think it'd be good to have a place to keep track of the thought process as I'm trying to get better at...well everything. Should I adopt a "multi-use" hook for some of my fly tying? I've had my eye on the Firehole Sticks 718  hook for a while now as a default hook for anything subsurface that doesn't require a short shank. They run a bit large, but have a full range of sizes. On the other hand, the business closed last year...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/random-thoughts-of-the-day-march-5th-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a973dea29c2f98147822de</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:14:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_43dcb16d504246eabb06f458ee8ac22f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_655,h_368,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Just a short update]]></title><description><![CDATA[So in prep for the BWOs, I've got a dozen Parachute Adamseses in light olive ready to go. For my nymphs, I've also started tying Pheasant Tail nymphs. I absolutely despise tying them, but I'm set on getting better at it. This is the best I could do out of 6 flies today. Not great, but it'll get better. I made poor decisions on the hook and bead combo. It's a size 16, but only a 1x long shank instead of the recommended 2x. I'll skip the bead for the next half-dozen. Meh. Mediocre, but it'll...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/just-a-short-update</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a78dafffff75773eb8039d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 01:55:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_2f8f85f9db9842e2b7494aa186e3a7c6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I got a fishing fever, and the only cure is more blue (winged olives)!]]></title><description><![CDATA[An adult BWO (blue winged olive) of the baetis family. (image credit: https://riverrunangling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-19-at-10.37.05-AM-1024x862.png ) Welcome to March! While I haven't seen any BWOs yet, we've seen pretty regular midge hatches as the weather warms. So let's start deep diving! What do they look like? Before I start tying, I want to get a good look at what BWOs look like. For that, I'd suggest checking out the TroutNut page on Blue Winged Olives . This...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/i-got-a-fishing-fever-and-the-only-cure-is-more-blue-winged-olives</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a57cc8a839c751a4d9c723</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 04:28:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_93cf356da8cc408c8812da0b4c9cd7cd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_827,h_827,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tying Leaders - Smallmouth and Carp]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bonefish...here?! I was invited by a friend to fish a local lake on his boat this weekend. So, in typical ADHD hyperfixation fashion, I started getting ready. Over the past two weeks, the weather has been all over the place, along with the atmospheric pressure. No idea what that does to the fish here, but in Florida, that meant either (1) some of the best fishing you could get into, or (2) a total skunk. No in between. So what am I going to be taking? The lake is known for having decent...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/tying-leaders-smallmouth-and-carp</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a10b763a2716aeb2161871</guid><pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 03:52:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_7666771497a9402b8f3e1d39f227e314~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dorsey Indicators - Which Colors to Use?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Whenever I see anglers improvising fly gear from bits and bobs from other materials and not just making it work, but finding a best-in-slot item to use in their toolkit, I get really happy. One of the best examples of this is the Dorsey indicator. Conceived by Patrick Dorsey  of Blue Quill Angler, the Dorsey Indicator is nothing more than a bit of polypropelyne macrame yarn combed out, whipped in the middle with some fly tying thread, and attached to your leader as an indicator by an medium,...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/dorsey-indicators-which-colors-to-use</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699f8fb91e425c151a8e9088</guid><pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2026 01:07:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/72f031_930e46fd10c44b37a2e833e4ef2d4759~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We're Live -- Let's Get This Fishing Sideshow Started!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to Day 1! What are we going to do today? No clue, but we're going to do something! Something fly fishing-related, even! I put together some Dorsey yarn indicators last night, so we'll probably go into that a bit. I'll also see if I can't lay out some more concrete plans and goals for this year, both for my fishing as well as this site.  You'll notice the site is fairly bare-bones. That's because I have no idea what I'm doing, but rather than wait until I do, we're just going to do it...]]></description><link>https://www.lastcastlife.com/post/we-re-live-let-s-get-this-fishing-sideshow-started</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699ede7a91604ab56c346e39</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 11:51:53 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Last Cast Alan</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>