RIGGINS, Idaho — The bright orange and brass spoon wobbled only for a few seconds along an eddy line in the Salmon River when it stopped dead. Then, line began peeling off my level-wind reel at a ...

In theory, fly-fishing is a simple sport: Pick a body of water, choose a fly-fishing rod, select your “fly” (or bait), tie a secure knot, cast your line and, hopefully, land a fish on the other end.

, spotted, and even some smallmouth bass become susceptible to these chunks of metal as fish move offshore and look for a reprieve in cooler, deeper waters. Here, schools of bass will group up on ...