Ken Baldwin

Charleston

Editor/Writer/Photographer at Sports Illustrated

Contributing Editor/Writer for The Endless Season - A Men's Journal Pursuits Channel

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Articles

Fly Fishing Gear – A Dryer Designed in Norway That Is Perfect for Drying Waders and Boots

1 week ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

If you own waders, at some point, they are going to leak, or you will take a spill, and they will fill up with water. Either way, having to put on wet waders is a miserable experience. I'll tell you about another miserable experience: drying out your waders. You have to turn them inside out, or if you are in a hurry, use a handheld hair dryer, which takes forever to dry one leg at a time. You don't have to do that anymore. A Hedgehog dryer will take care of it for you.
Fly Fishing Myth or Wisdom: The Curse of the Silver Fly Reel?

1 week ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

As I write this, I am fully aware that this could be "much ado about nothing." I'm only telling you what I heard when I was a young angler, and then what happened on a river years later. I'm not the message in this one, I'm just the messenger. The "message" or myth I'm referring to is that silver isn't a good color for fly reels because it easily reflects sunlight and can spook fish.
Fly Fishing Extreme Weather During the Spring Can Be Your Best Day of Fishing

3 weeks ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

I had a choice to make. Go out in cold, miserable weather to fish for steelhead, or continue lying in a warm bed in my hotel room. It was early spring in Grand Rapids. When I booked the trip, I understood the weather could be poor, but snow and sleet weren't part of the deal. So I called guide, Capt. Max Werkman, to see what his thoughts were. "Nope, we are going fishing," Max said, with zero hesitation. "There is an upside to this weather.
Fly Fishing for Char: Why the Beauty of This Freshwater Fish Hooks Anglers

3 weeks ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

Arctic char in Alaska can get big. My biggest to date on a fly rod is thirty-four inches. But their size isn't what attracts me to them—it's their beauty. Depending on the time of year, char can range in colors from blues to greens, pinks, oranges, yellows, and reds. In the spring and early summer, I've caught char sporting shades of blue that I've rarely seen in a freshwater fish. It always makes me take pause and shake my head when I catch a char that is blue with pink spots.
Catch More Fish by Adding This One Skill: Learn to Fly Fish Sinking Lines

3 weeks ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

I've written about this before, but it is worth repeating. If you're not comfortable fishing with a sinking line, I highly recommend getting comfortable. It will pay off for the rest of your fly fishing days. I just got back from a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I went to fly fish for steelhead and smallmouth bass. We had an exceptional two days, but if I hadn't used a sinking line, there's a very good chance we would have caught at best one or two fish. Both days were cold and damp.
Yeti Rolling Duffel Comes Through Big for Fly Fishing Travel

1 month ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

I'm heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for some Steelhead and Smallmouth bass fishing next week. The steelhead are in the rivers, and the smallies are becoming active. Chasing two species of fish means I need to bring more than one size fly rod. I'm bringing one each in a six-weight, seven-weight, and eight-weight. The Yeti 72L Roller Luggage is making my life easier with fly fishing travel because I can fit single-hand 9' fly rods in it if I lay them diagonally.
Curious About Fly Fishing? Learn How With Free and Low-Cost Quality Classes.

1 month ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

You want to learn how to fly fish, or maybe you are just a little bit curious about what fly fishing is. You want to see if it's a fit but are unsure where to start. The internet is a good beginning, but a better beginning is a free class with hands-on instructions. What I'm talking about here are old-school, in-person lessons, where you show up to a class and are taught by an instructor who answers questions and gives examples in real time.
Bear protection while fly fishing wild waters. The Video that changed my mind.

1 month ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

The realities of fly fishing Alaska, whether you are a guide or doing a DIY trip, are that you need to equip yourself with bear protection. What that bear protection is is personal and up to the individual's comfort level. The two popular choices for protection are a firearm and bear spray. There is an ongoing debate about which is better. In my years of guiding, I've seen bear spray fail and people I wouldn't trust with a firearm in their hands. This article is not about which is better.
A Beaufort, SC Vacation-Fly Fishing, Historic Sites & Southern Coastal Charm

1 month ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

I run into this problem all the time. I fly fish, my wife doesn't. That by itself is not a problem, but when it comes time to pick a destination for a vacation, it becomes a problem. Where can we go where I can get some quality fly fishing and have her enjoy what she enjoys—shopping, cafes, museums, spas, and working out? It is a dilemma; most of the time, the two don't go hand in hand. If you aren't familiar with Beaufort, it is a coastal southern town just South of Charleston, SC.
Ross Reels and Coors Team Up Again for Another Winning Fly Reel

1 month ago | si.com | Ken Baldwin

In 2024, Ross Reels and Coors knocked it out of the park with their collaboration on the Ross Animas fly reel and Coors Banquet Beer. The reel sold out quickly, and the two companies were able to raise money from the sales for Trout Unlimited. Because of the success and demand, Ross and Coors have picked another reel and are doing it again. For this new collaboration, the Ross Cimarron fly reel merges with the colors and logo of the Coors Banquet beer.