Dispatches

I've Always Wanted To Try: Fly Fishing

New hobbies can be intimidating, especially those like fly fishing, which have been made, in our humble opinion, to seem more complicated than it is in practice. And, like most things in life, the...

A Pilgrimage of Sporting Perfection

Every President’s Day weekend since the inaugural event in 1983, a congregation of the sporting faithful have amassed in Charleston for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. They flood this histori...

One Quail of a Day: A Guide

There’s only two things (ok, maybe three) that can get you in deep when it comes to bird hunting - the land, the guns, (and dogs).  But for those who would prefer to stay married or don’t own a mon...

Chaps vs. Britches: What's Better?

We’re here to start-slash-settle the debate and-slash-or help you determine what’s best for you in the field this season. We’ll start with the highlights and upsides to each and, hopefully, you can...

A Father's Tale

My grandfather was a WWII hero that had a bag full of jokes, a handsome smile, and a reputation for making friends with farmers. He was known to knock on little farm house doors and with a polite c...

The Bird Man Prophecies | 50 Words or Less | Vol. 1

  The Dog snores from under the desk, part of which is covered by the vice and the detritus of it’s accomplices. Sunscreen has reclaimed its spot in the center console and the rod tube lolls back ...

The Longtail: Getting your sh*t together in 2023.

Let’s shift focus for a moment to fall 2023 and steer you along the path toward your best season yet. Here are three core areas to help get your sh*t together for next season. 

A Bootlegged History of Appalachia

The hills of southern Appalachia are (were) home to some of the finest spirits ever made.

Bamboo: A TSG Guide to "Why?"

Suddenly there is bamboo everywhere! Bamboo coffee filters, toilet paper, tissues, bedding, my backyard, and towels are now commonplace in households looking to support a renewable lifestyle while ...

Angle[rs] of Attack: Bow & Arrow Cast

Amongst the rhododendrons in Appalachia, casting lanes can be hard to locate and are often not where the cover-comfortable fish hang out. Roll casts can help in some situations but you’ve gotten yo...

Dove Szn: Essentials To Make Your Next Dove Hunt a Blast

Whether it's your first dove hunt or your fiftieth there are some essential field items for a great hunt. The following is our checklist for a successful day of shooting birds.     

Angle[rs] of Attack: Farm Ponds

Attacking a pond is like a therapy session. Once the truck is in park and your poles are in hand all the problems of the world drown underneath the orchestra of frogs. The familiar smell of sulfur ...

Brown Water Ramble: Free Bird Coffee Co.

"Even with language barriers, if you share a drink with a man, it’s a sign of mutual respect that every tradition and ritual can get behind! For many, whiskey and coffee are a universal language." ...

FPM: A Dove Letter to Opening Day

It's been a mighty hot wait for your date to appear on my calendar but it's almost here. I have cleaned my bucket of mulch and fish scales in preparation for ice and feathers. The rotating seat now...

Front Porch Musings: One Quail of a Day

A life in the Carolina piedmont can lend to  an unconscious sense of the borderline, abruptly pronouncing itself in the asphalt of  backroads, the trees, the terroir: a different Southern accent. ...

Goin' Out West: Our Complete Checklist

Summer time in the American Rockies is a true right-of-passage for any angler, especially for those of you who choose to make it your first foray into the world of fly angling.  Welcome to the Moun...

Angle[rs] of Attack: Creeks

Attacking small water is closer to hunting than it is fishing. Skittish creek trout must be stalked rather than waded up on. Due to the limited space, your sounds and movements as you approach can ...

The Women of TSG

Often clichéd, but nonetheless true, we love to joke with our female guests that our nickname is “it’s my husband/brother/son’s birthday.”

A Beginner's Guide to Fishing along the Blue Ridge

Barring one more cold snap, we’ve made it. Spring is here and the fish activity along the Blue Ridge Mountains is on! To make the best of your time on the water, we here at The Sporting Gent bring ...

Fish the Blue Ridge Mountains: Prep and Ready for Spring Fishing 2022

Despite one (hopefully last) blast of winter weather in the High Country last weekend, signs of spring are all but here. Warmer temperatures mean that birds, bugs, bears and fly anglers alike will ...

Brown Water Ramble: Jeff Parrott of Blade and Bow

Just in case you found yourself participating in Dry January and/or February, we held off on the Brown Water content, but with March in full swing and warmer weather on its way, we bring you anothe...

Cupid Quick Shots

The chubby cherub of love is not the only one knocking arrows this February, aim for our quick shot picks below for the best variety of items to gift your Valentine this year: TSG Performance Covey...

Happy Valentine's to Me (and She)

In the dead of winter, the grind of the work week can make everything feel like a blur, and that’s how you might find yourself with a Super Bowl Sunday hangover utterly unprepared for Valentine’s D...

Snow-mageddon 2022

The frenzied murmur of the frozen white stuff has descended upon us here in the area and whether you are a distraught southerner in search of bread and milk or an annoyed/amused northerner, there’s...

The No-Brainer Guide to Field Day Apparel

This is what we work for--day-in, and day-out. The field day. Memories are made out there and the gear we use to help us be successful in the field means something as well. Quality hunting, shooti...

Fall Fishing

Fall fly fishing for much of North America means slow subsurface swings and constant hookups with fallen foliage, but for us here near the Southern Appalachians it is some of the best fishing of th...

Brown Water Ramble: First Pour

Just behind the solid wood counter at The Sporting Gent one might assume that each purchase of a pair of twill-field pocket pants includes one free swig of our growing display of spirits, but truly...

Eye Candy: Troutfecta Trip to Pisgah

What a wild weekend...Temps are picking up and the lower waters are becoming less fishable. It’s time to gain some altitude, and we did just that over the weekend on our trip to Pisgah. This is how...

Picking the Right Combo

When the topic of fly fishing comes up with our customers and visitors here at the shop, we usually begin by asking: “How often do you fish?” “What weight rod do you have?” And since 70% of the ...

Eye Candy: The Last Hunt

Reposted from Red Clay Soul This was one of those days. Some hunting buddies, who also happen to be dear friends, closed out the quail season at an undisclosed location in upstate South Carolina la...