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Welcome to the fourth annual Airing of Grievances on the Troutbitten Podcast. Buckle up. Because it's time to clear the air about a few things, to complain about some other things and get all the frustrations out in the open.We look forward to this episode every year, because honestly, it's a lot of fun. I know that listeners anticipate this one as well, and just like last year, we have a bunch of guest grievances to add to the mix.We're here to complain. Why? Because acknowledging the absurdity of some stuff in the fly fishing world can do a lot of good. And because it's fun and probably healthy to get things out in the open once in a while. And we start to realize that the stuff that bothers us, seems to bother a lot of other people too. The truth is, we've seen a lot of good changes in our industry in the last few years as well. And some of that is about topics that made it into our grievances podcasts three or four years ago. Most people really are being more discreet about spot burning, for example. I think the message is out there, that hey, spot burning isn't cool, and it kind of shows your inexperience if you do it. I honestly see better angler etiquette out there as well — all the way around. Sure . . . I know, not everywhere. But overall, I think the messages about giving other anglers space, about how to hold a trout and other ethical guidelines are starting to hit home. Good things are beginning to stick. This is the best part of social media and the large community of anglers. The truth is, most people really want to do the right things — or at least, they don't want to harm others or ruin another angler's fishing experience. And a podcast like this can really help to give voice to some of the supposedly unspoken or unwritten rules of fly fishing.So yeah, we think that airing of grievances really is beneficial to the overall scene.This all started because most of us are big Seinfeld fans. And part of Frank Costanza's Festivus holiday is what he calls the airing of grievances, where the whole family sits around the dinner table and lists what they don't like about one another. “I gotta lotta problems with you people, and now . . . you're gonna hear about it . . ."VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

We talk a lot about our frame of reference in fly fishing. Wherever you get into the game, a lot of your baseline is set by whatever is popular or widely accepted at that moment in time. My friend, Matt Mickey, recently argued that Gen X anglers are uniquely positioned, that this generation has experienced development and had a wide variety of influences that will never be duplicated.We've learned through every form of media. We grew up in a time where good information was sparse, and most of us are largely self-taught. So it makes me wonder, will that kind of experience ever happen again? Meaning, fifty years from now, when the twenty-somethings are seventy-something, will they have the same depth of experience? Sure, they'll have time on the water, but will they be missing some important things? And if, let's say, modern anglers new to the game are missing some things, is it possible to go back and get them?That's what this episode is all about.My friends, Trevor Smith and Matt Mickey join me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | How To Stay in the Fly Fishing Game for a LifetimeREAD: Troutbitten | Life On the WaterVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

So . . . how was it? How many did you catch? This is always the question for every fisherman, right? Whether I'm talking to my friends about a fishing trip from last week, or as I walked in the door this evening, my wife asked the same question — how many fish did you catch?It's a fair question. Because that's the goal out there (usually). We go fishing to catch fish. But the answers we give can also reveal a different story.“Well, I caught eight this morning, but I missed another handful underneath. And when I was fishing dry flies, I had a few refusals. While fishing streamers, another three fish slammed my fly but didn't eat it. And I lost the biggest trout of the day when he popped off during the fight.”Every angler has these same kinds of stories.So I think we'd all agree that the primary goal out there — the first and most important goal of fishing — is to fool a fish. To make that trout believe that what you're offering is worthwhile — to trick a trout. Honestly, I think that's a large part of why most of us choose trout fishing in the first place — because as a species, they're picky and hard to fool.So we convince a trout or make them curious enough to eat the fly (or at least almost eat it). But then . . . as we all know, what happens next is variable. Sometimes we're late on the hookset, sometimes trout reject the fly at the last second, or maybe the fish wins a quick battle and spits the fly. But all of those incidentals don't change the fact that we fooled a fish, even though it didn't end up in the net. We achieved that primary goal.I think everyone here counts fish to some extent. But what are we really keeping track of, and why? I like to say that every fisherman counts. I mean, you know if you catch zero, one or two trout, right?I keep track of things as a measurement of what's working and what is not. And to me, the stats are a lot more detailed than just fish to the net. What a trout ate, where he ate it, how he took the fly and how was I fishing the fly when he ate it? Those stats matter too.Long ago, while night fishing, I started keeping track of trout caught, trout lost, and trout missed. I still do this, and as I said a few minutes ago, I think most anglers do this to some extent. The count doesn't need to be perfect or precise. But when we miss a trout, that's good information, because we fooled a fish. And when we lose a trout, we can be even more sure that we gained their interest.So caught, lost and missed. Why do we catch ‘em. And why do we miss or lose some trout? More importantly, what does that tell us, or how does it inform our next change?That's what we're here to talk about tonight.My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell and Josh Darling join me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Nobody Home, Nobody HungryPODCAST: Troutbitten | Why Do We Miss Fish, and Why Do We Lose Fish on a Fly? S3, Ep11VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

When you fish long enough, things break. That's the nature of life, really . . . things fall apart. But if you're resourceful, you put them back together.Sometimes it's out of necessity. Honestly, a couple decades ago, I simply couldn't afford to go through gear as fast as it was wearing down, so I learned to patch waders, fix a fly rod, mend a fly line, resole my boots, sew tears in my fishing vest and fix my landing net.Likewise,  we've all run into those moments on a fishing trip where we need a quick fix for a broken rod tip or a wader patch . . . whatever it is.We all spend a lot of time, money and effort to get to the river and go fishing. But as we all know, even the simplest gear failure can change the day — it can ruin your trip. But by carrying a few things like zip ties, electrical tape, tension straps, Dacron and maybe a sewing kit, field repair or maybe just fifteen minutes spent at the tailgate can save the day.Also, part of a life on the water is the maintenance and preparation — doing what you need to do — to keep your fishing gear stocked, functional and ready to go.Being a versatile angler, like we talk about so much, requires a lot of stuff, and if you don't think it through and keep on top of it, gear failures can hold you back.That's what the guys are here to talk about tonight.My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell, Dr. Trevor Smith and Steve Sawyer join me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | All the ThingsPODCAST: Troutbitten | Versatile Angler - S3, Ep15VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

This episode is all about breakthroughs. For each of us, as a personal account, what have been the biggest changes, or the biggest steps forward, in our fishing?I call these breakthroughs because they're the landmarks or discoveries or changes, along the way of learning, where we can look back and say, “Now that, really made a big difference.”We talk a lot about a life on the water. And really, each of us here at Troutbitten has fished for most of our lives. And the truth is, it's not really been a hobby or a pastime as much as it's been part of our lives for a long, long time. Fishing fills our thoughts and plans. Other fishermen tend to be our closest friends. All of this means a lot to us.I've written articles and the guys and I have talked about how to stay in the fishing game for a lifetime. And we all agreed that the mystery, the problem solving, that active nature of fishing — of making things happen — rather than a passive way of fishing, has been a main driving force behind our long term interest.And precisely because we're always working on improving, we're often looking for that next big breakthrough — the next tactic, the next style, the next fly, maybe a leader, the influence of a friend, some other piece of gear, some knowledge about the trout themselves, maybe a new river . . . whatever. And I know as I look back on my own years of fishing, I can put my finger on a half dozen landmarks — things that, for me, changed everything.I'm also constantly searching for that next breakthrough. And that's where so much of the enjoyment of fishing begins for me.So these landmarks, or these breakthroughs are surely different for everyone. This is another favorite question I ask of new anglers that I meet. I love hearing their stories. So that's what we're here to do with the Troutbitten guys tonight.We're just here to talk. There's no real tactics here, nothing instructional, just a conversation about some moments in time or the discoveries that have kept us fishing and kept us motivated throughout a life on the water.My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell and Josh Darling join me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | How To Stay in the Fly Fishing Game for a LifetimePODCAST: Troutbitten | Why We Fish - S13, Ep6VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

For our Season 15 Intermission, my wife, Becky, joins me for a lighthearted look at what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (May 23rd).We talk about the New Trail Troutbitten beer, the upcoming book on Fly Fishing the Mono Rig and a bunch of videos on the Troutbitten YouTube channel.Becky also covers a couple favorite fishing terms near the end. :-)ResourcesVIDEO: Troutbitten | Fish and Film - Tight Line Tracking, Nymphs in the WindSHOP: Troutbitten | Category | LeadersVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

The trout is prized as a gamefish because it's picky. It's selective. Often, it requires a refined presentation to fool a wild trout. And in large part, that's the draw toward fishing for them.In every region, in every stream, trout habits can differ from others in neighboring watersheds. And across the fishing landscape, we find places and even moments when trout are more picky — more choosy — about what, where and how they want to eat their food.We've all seen fishing change in just a few minutes. We've happened upon bite windows, or periods of time with trout feeding more regularly, where we happen to have the right fly and the right presentation to meet the preferences of those fish. Likewise, we've all had a good thing going, where we're catching trout quickly, and it all just shuts down.So there's a lot to this idea of selectivity.And in this episode, we dig into what makes a trout selective. The quick answer is the theory that angler pressure makes trout more picky. There is no doubt about it. For sure, our fishing, our presentations educate the already picky trout what not eat, where and when.But many other reasons for selectivity are natural. Meaning, they have nothing to do with anglers fishing for trout. These factors, like low water, stable water temperatures and the prevalence of one easy food form, can also make an already picky, tough to catch fish, even tougher.This is a good topic.My friends, Matt Grobe, Dr. Trevor Smith and Austin Dando join me for a great discussion.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | Angler Pressure ONE - What it Does to the Fish - S7, Ep1PODCAST: Troutbitten | Angler Pressure TWO- What it Does to the Fishing - S7, Ep2READ: Troutbitten | We Don't Want Easy FishingVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

There are two ways to tell the experience of an angler: how he holds a fish and how he keeps his secrets. The latter is probably more important.A seasoned angler intuitively understands the vulnerability of a river. Spot burning is a real thing with real consequences.Good anglers understand this concept. Good people understand this concept.Every piece of river is someone else's favorite place. So we respect the spots — for others, if not for ourselves.Here's the article:READ: Troutbitten | Respect the Spots! A Fisherman's Thoughts on Friendship and Spot BurningHere's the Riverside Video on YouTubeVIDEO: Troutbitten | A Fisherman's Thoughts on Friendship and Spot BurningThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

Let's talk about fishing big rivers. For the most part, all of us here at Troutbitten are river anglers, meaning not much stillwater. Furthermore we're mostly wade anglers. We spend most of our time wading rather than floating, because we enjoy it, and because in a lot of cases, wading gives us the best chance for success.But over the years I've noticed some misunderstandings about where and how we fish. I hear from a lot of reader, listeners and watchers of Troutbitten stuff. And one thing that frequently comes up is an assumption that all of our waters are small to medium sized. But that's not true. Each of us spends plenty of time on big rivers. We all have our favorite rivers outside of this region. We've all traveled. And even around here, we have opportunities to fish big rivers.So, what's big? I'll say a big river is one that you could float. And it's probably the kind of river where you can't wade all of it.So we're here to talk about fishing big water. In previous podcasts, we've spent some time talking about specific tactics and strategies for fishing small water, so let's do the same for big rivers.Each of us has a few tricks and some plans for getting the most out of a big water trip. We've made the mistakes, and we've all shared among ourselves how we eventually learned to not only manage big water but have some of the best days of the season.I always say that fishing big water and fishing it well takes a lot of discipline. We talk about all of that and a lot more in this podcastMy friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell, Austin Dando and Josh Darling join me for a great discussion.ResourcesVIDEO: Troutbitten | Reading Water in Levels, Lanes and SeamsREAD: Troutbitten | Never Blame the FishREAD: Troutbitten | Fishing Big Water -- One Key TipVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

We spend a lot of time thinking about tactics and working on techniques. We devote our energies toward finding fly patterns, tying up our confidence flies and testing new flies. We research new waters and explore unfinished sections in familiar waters. We spend a lot of time doing fishy things. This is a life on the water.The guys and I have been talking a lot about reading water. It's one of the biggest deficiencies we see while guiding — just choosing the right piece of a river for your next cast. It's about understanding what water should receive the most attention and what water gets gets a pass.As an angler, reading the water really comes down to understanding what a trout needs. We read water for depth, speed and structure, in reference to what a trout prefers. And when we talk about reading water, we're thinking about it all from an angler's perspective. If you're kayaking down a river for recreation, then how you read water will be pretty different.Everyone can pick out hydraulics and learn to read current seams. Those are the elementary building blocks of reading trout water. Then we take that knowledge and combine it with what a trout needs. And we eventually have a truly specific, knowledgeable approach to reading a river. Day to day, across the world, wherever trout live in rivers, creeks and streams, their needs are the same.My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell, Dr. Trevor Smith and Austin Dando join me for a great discussion.ResourcesVIDEO: Troutbitten | Reading Water in Levels, Lanes and SeamsPODCAST: Troutbitten | Reading Water, and Cherry Picking vs Full Coverage S1, Ep6READ: Troutbitten | Reading Water - Finding the Invisible PotholesVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

Here's  a topic that starts with an interesting question: What puts more trout in the net? Is it knowing your water or knowing your tactics?Of course, the easy answer is . . . both. Refine your skills and learn your rivers. Then put all of that together, and you have a great formula, not only for catching trout but for having a lot of fun.The truth is, as frequent anglers we're always involved in improving. It goes way beyond filling the fly box with new patterns. We know our deficiencies, and we're working to fix them. We also know you can only really tackle one thing at a time. So if you're out there fishing, or maybe even on the way to your next fishing trip, what are you working on? Really, what will put more fish in the net? Is it better to focus on the tactics and techniques, or is it better to learn the river itself? Basically, that means reading water better and finding fish.So we're looking forward to this discussion. It's a good concept, and we all have some opinions.My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell and Austin Dando join me for a great discussion.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | How Woodsmanship Catches Fish - S11, Ep6VIDEO: Troutbitten | Reading Water in Levels, Lanes and SeamsREAD: Troutbitten | Read Trout WaterREAD: Troutbitten | Fish Familiar Waters VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Here are twelve tips for delivering a fly into waters that are heavily canopied, with greedy branches, ready to grab your fly and make life difficult. The best small stream fishing happens in these places. We call it brush fishing.Learning to cast a fly on small streams forces an angler into proper form. There is no forgiveness, and every error comes with consequences.But the reward is there. Small streams demand real accuracy. We learn to punch the fly under limbs and around tree stumps. And we learn to finish the cast with intentional placement of the leader, most often with slack, sometimes laying the line over a log, rock or gravel bar.Small stream trout are often forgiving, but the environments are not. The brush demands our full attention and excellent form.Here's the VIDEO version of this podcast:VIDEO: Troutbitten | Riverside -- Twelve Small Stream Fly Casting TipsHere's the ARTICLE:READ: Troutbitten | Twelve Small Stream Fly Casting Tips VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Across the country, there are rivers, creeks and streams stocked by the state,  often referred to as put and take (they put trout in, you take them out). And especially early in the season, opportunities for stocked trout can be a solid choice. Other places stock fish under catch and release regs or delayed harvest. Also, some rivers, for various reasons, cannot support wild trout populations and they are entirely reliant on hatchery trout. In other places, it's a mix of wild and stocked.Troutbitten has always been primarily focused on fishing for wild trout. Because most anglers would more often choose a wild or natural experience over a manufactured one. So I use the word, experience, because not only are stocked fish produced or raised in a hatchery, once they're in the river, the experience of fishing for stockies is usually pretty different than fishing for wild trout. And that . . . is what we want to talk about in this conversation.In other podcasts, we've already talked a lot about the value differences between wild vs stocked trout. We've gone through the hierarchy of river trout, as we put it.So upon that foundation, in continuation of those discussions, let's talk about how our approach changes when the trout are stocked and not wild. Let's think about water selection, patterns, strategies, and the other things that make fishing for stocked trout more successful. What changes and what is different compared to targeting wild trout?My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell and Trevor Smith, join me for a great discussion.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | Wild vs Stocked - The Hierarchy of River TroutREAD: Troutbitten | When Fishing For Stocked Trout, It May Not Pay to Be AmbitiousREAD: Troutbitten | Natural vs Attractive Presentations - Convinced or Curious VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

What's your favorite fly rod? This most frequently asked question now has its answer in the Troutbitten Riverside Series. Riverside is a place for sharing and presenting stories and articles from the Troutbitten website. And one of the most popular articles at Troutbitten has been about the qualities to look for in a rod well suited for the Mono Rig.This past winter, I wrote the manuscript for my upcoming book, Fly Fishing the Mono Rig. And I adapted the fly rod article into a full chapter for the book. And as I was finishing that chapter, I knew I wanted to present this as a Riverside video.Here it is . . .ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | The Best Fly Rods for the Mono Rig, Tight Line and Euro Nymphing — My Favorite RodsVIDEO: Troutbitten | RIVERSIDE: The Best Fly Rods for the Mono Rig VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

This season has been all about options for moving the streamer. Our focus has been on the animations available to attract and then sell the trout on the streamer presentation. In this season finale, we talk about river scenarios and share some tips and strategies that help tie all of the previous episodes together.We discuss the following:How different fly designs suggest fishing them different waysShould all streamers have flash?How to adapt to big riversDiscipline in approach and following throughAre trout attracted by randomness in the presentation or turned off by it?How to adapt when we know big trout are in the areaDoes matching the baitfish type matter?Blending presentation stylesHow to convert trout that won't commitMy friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a great discussion.Thanks to everyone out there who supports the Troutbitten Project. Your enthusiasm for this endeavor and your kindness are always appreciated.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Cross Current StripREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations - Quick of SmoothREAD: Troutbitten | Cover Water, Catch Trout  VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The tight line dance is another collection of movements to the streamer loosely grouped together into a system or framework for covering many water types and gaining reactions from the trout. It's all about taking the advantages of a tight line, Mono Rig system to the streamer game and using contact to control every aspect of the streamer's course through the river.We use a visible streamer for the tight line dance. We watch the streamer dip and swoon around rocks, tree parts and the river bank. Wherever there's good structure, that's the next target. The concept of the tight line dance allows us to hold the streamer around structure for longer, animating the streamer in every way imaginable to convince the trout.My friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Tight Line DanceREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations - The Super Pause VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

With episode seven of this Troutbitten Skills Series, we've finally come to the point where we've covered all the different ways to move a streamer and give it some animation. Now it's time to put all of that together.This whole series has been about what motions might sell the presentation. Because how we move the streamer fools the next trout. And there's such a wealth of options that it can be very helpful to break things down into individual parts.So we talked about jerk strips, glides, slides, speed leads, lane changes, jigs and head flips. We've talked a lot about the position or orientation of the fly in the water. Is it drifting with the current, crossing currents or swinging against them? Is the streamer near the surface or is it deep? And within all these animations, are we moving the fly quick or smooth, and are the motions long or short?Now, for the last three episodes of this streamer presentations skills series, we're ready to talk about putting a group of these animations into a system, a mindset, or a framework for fishing your streamer.In this episode, we introduce the concept of the Crossover Technique, which is all about getting the streamer low in the strike zone and then animating it within a narrow range, being careful not to move the fly out of the strike zone or move it too far. It's a really fun presentation style, if you can get your brain around the small, often minor animations necessary. The Crossover is also extremely effective, and it results in a much lower refusal percentage than most streamer tactics.So, we can go out and choose only to swing flies or to strip them cross current — or to slow slide, jerk strip or jig. The point is, each of the presentations we talked about in the previous episodes stands alone as a great way to show the streamer to a trout.But we also like to spend time combining these presentations — because it's fun. Because fishing streamers like this is a creative, fluid process of working with what the river gives you and adapting to new situations, moment after moment.So the real trick with something like the Crossover is to be disciplined enough to stay within your framework while also using your creativity.My friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Crossover TechniqueVIDEO: Troutbitten | Fish and Film -- Crossover ShiftsREAD: Troutbitten | How Big of an Ask?VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Speed leads happen mostly in one lane, and they go faster than their parent current. Lane changes are exactly what they sound like — the fly is traveling in one lane, and then we deliberately bring the fly over to a nearby lane and travel down that one.The speed lead is a term coined by our friend, Josh Stewart. Way back in 2017, I published a few articles about low-riding streamer presentations, with streamers tied on lead ball jigs. I'd gotten the idea from Rich Strolis, and it was a bit of an underground thing at the time. I remember that Stewey got in touch after reading my article, and we started sharing ideas and presentation styles with some of these flies. When I described leading low but faster than the current, Josh said he called it a speed lead, and it was one of his best tactics for stirring up big trout.The Speed Lead is a big part of what we do with streamers. It's another animation to mix in while reading and working the water, searching for the best way to present the streamer. Lane changes are the perfect compliment for a speed lead. My friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Speed LeadREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Endless RetrieveREAD: Troutbitten | Troutbitten Fly Box -- The Jig StreamersVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We've covered many animations in these series. We've talked about the streamer head position and its direction, about cross current movement vs holding one lane. We've covered jerk strips, glides, slides, fast, slow, quick or smooth, we talked about drop rates and a lot more.And now, we're here to talk about one of the most basic movements performed on any fly, lure or bait — jigging.Moving the fly up and then letting it drop — it's such a simple motion that it might seem silly to spend much time on the topic. But like so many other good things in fishing, jigging is a world of its own. And there are, in fact, a multitude of variables to consider and to play with.In this episode, we talk about angle, depth and speed of the jig, cross current or one current jigs, free falls or pendulum drops, and more.My friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a great discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Jigging the StreamerREAD: Troutbitten | Troutbitten Fly Box -- The Jig StreamersVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook 

This steamer presentation is what streamer anglers probably do most — swinging the flies. From what I see on the water, what I read in articles and watch in videos, I think it's fair to say, swinging is a pretty popular look.But it's also fair to say that swinging is what we do the least. I think part of that is regional.Swinging streamers is a good tactic. It's not our preferred method, but that might not matter to you and to the trout in your waters. That's kind of the point to this whole Streamer Presentations series — I think it's best to be armed with a wide range of tactics — or presentations. Try them all, and then let the fish decide.I mix in swings every day that I fish streamers. I give swings a chance. Sometimes a swing suits the moment better than anything else. And sometimes I let a slow slide or cross current strips finish out below me, allowing tension to change the head angle, and I finish by letting the fly swing out.Swinging is arguably the easiest presentation on a streamer. That also might make it the most relaxing. It's a great way to cover a lot of water, and it's an easy way to stay in rhythm.We get more refusals with a swing than with most other tactics. We also average smaller trout to the net. That might have a lot to do with a swinging presentation being more attractive than natural. And when we do get a solid take on a swing, clean hooks sets can be challenging and we're in a bad place to start fighting a good fish.My friend, Austin Dando, and I cover all of that and more in this episode.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Natural vs Attractive PresentationsPODCAST: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout - Swinging and DriftingVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook 

For us, streamer fishing is best when we actively and intentionally move the fly. But with glides and slides, our animations are often subtle, because sometimes these are the most natural or convincing looks.Rolling the bottom, gliding mid-current along a knee-deep riffle or slow-sliding off the bank — all of these maneuvers are just as enticing, and they catch just as many trout as flashy retrieves (sometimes). But we tend to forget them. Or rather, we might not have the discipline to stay with an understated look for very long, because the modest stuff isn't as exciting — maybe it's not as much fun either. Gliding the fly is drifting it downstream in one current. Sliding the fly starts with a glide and then brings it across currents. My friend, Austin Dando, and I dig into all the possibilities. ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Deadly Slow SlidePODCAST: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout - Swinging and DriftingVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook 

The Head Flip is a pivot. It's a simple change of the streamer's head angle, from down and across to up and across, or from upstream to downstream. This pivot doesn't necessarily move the fly out of its area, but the motion might seem pretty dramatic to a trout. The Head Flip shows trout an opportunity for an easy meal, and it might signal a moment of vulnerability. It's one of our favorites animations to a streamer.We Cover the FollowingWhat it is and why it worksBest water typesAngles to changeBest lines and leadersBest fliesDepthSpeedCombining the Head Flip with other animationsAnd much more . . .ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Head FlipVIDEO: Troutbitten | The Head FlipVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The ability to move the fly with the rod tip and not just the line hand is a fundamental skill that opens creative options for the streamer angler.Almost two decades ago, Kelly Galloup's first streamer book changed the way anglers thought about moving a streamer. All these years later, the jerk strip isn't just one way to move the streamer. It's a technique for using both hands, in concert, synchronized, for presentations that are impossible to achieve any other way.Move the fly with the rod tip and then recover with the line hand. In this way, the Jerk Strip sets the table for everything else to follow in this Troutbitten Skills Series on Streamer Presentations.We Cover the FollowingAngles, speeds, cadenceDepth and distanceFast vs smoothFlies and fly rodsTroubleshooting the mechanicsJig Strip, Glide Strip, Twitch StripGood slack and bad slackStrip sets and hook setsAnd much more . . .ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Jigs, Jerks and StripsVIDEO: Troutbitten | The Jerk Strip -- Streamer PresentationsVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

This season is a ten-part Troutbitten Skill Series, all about Streamer Presentations. We've been looking forward to this one for a long time.We spend a lot of our time dead drifting dry flies and nymphs. But with streamers, we're trying to make them look alive. Instead of no motion, we move the fly. And this is exactly why we love to fish streamers. Because we get tired of dead drifting. And we love to think about everything  we can do with a streamer to make a trout eat the fly.A lot of angler say that streamer fishing is salesmanship. That's a great description of the process, because we need to convince the fish that what we're offering is worth the effort.But how do we sell it? What are the animations? What are the things we can do with a long fly, to make it look like a baitfish, like a crayfish, a sculpin, maybe a small trout or a fall fish?This Skills Series will highlight a number of these ways to move the fly. We'll talk about the Jerk Strip, the Head Flip, Jigging, Speed Leads, Lane Changes, the Crossover Technique, Swinging, Drifting, Gliding, Sliding and more, with dedicated episodes for each.But, what can we control? Within all of those different presentations, what are the elements that make up a Head Flip, for example? How deep is a streamer during a slow slide? How fast is it going during a Speed Lead? While swinging or drifting, what elements can we adjust and which ones are actually out of our control.Covering those elements is our goal with this first episode on Streamer Presentations. We're here to put some details around the things we can control on a streamer.Head Position (the direction of the fly)DepthSpeedAnd whether we're holding one seam or crossing seamsNotably, we won't talk much in this series about flies or even lines and leaders. Because the point is, you can get these motions, these presentations on a wide variety of lines — sinking line, floating line or a Mono Rig. You can use short leaders, long leaders, poly leaders or standard. You can fish it all. But the real question with streamers . . . is how do you want the fly to move?The joy of streamer fishing is that everything works sometimes. Trout respond to many kinds of presentations out there, and trying to dial that in is a fun way to spend your day.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Jigs, Jerks and StripsPODCAST: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- All About the Head of the FlyVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We're talking about  how to shorten your time at the tailgate or the trunk. Just get your waders on, your boots laced, and get to the river. It  should be as simple as that, but it's not uncommon for anglers to waste a half hour or more just getting ready to go fishing.Most anglers hate this wasted time. In fact, all of this preparation just to go fishing puts a lot of anglers off in the first place. And the colder it is, or the longer you plan to be out there fishing, or the more tactics you plan to use the more all of this pre-trip prep is required.We want a system for minimizing the time between cutting the car engine to walking away from the vehicle with our fly rod in hand.Basically, we all just want to go fishing. And the other stuff holds us back.The full Troutbitten crew is here with me tonight. I've fished a lot with every one of them, and I know first-hand that they get out of the starting blocks pretty fast.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | All The ThingsREAD: Troutbitten | Tip - Don't Rig Up at the TruckVIDEO: Troutbitten | Splitting The RodVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We're here to celebrate ten years of Troutbitten.December 8th was the tenth anniversary of the first article ever published on Troutbitten. All those years ago, I never expected this Troutbitten business — this media company — to become what it is. Honestly, I had no intentions other than to write and publish stories about fishing, simply because I love the process of writing and I enjoyed fishing. I like being creative.In this episode, we talk about history and upcoming plans. Where has Troutbitten been, and where are we going? We' reflect on the past, take a look at where we are in the present and talk about some ideas and plans on the horizon.This whole project has defined my life and career for the last decade, and I know that each of the guys here has their own connection in their own way.The Troutbitten guys join me, along with the Troutbitten OG, Sloop John B.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | The Last Good IslandPODCAST: Troutbitten | A Troutbitten GlossaryPODCAST: Troutbitten | This is TroutbittenVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

This discussion is about the differences between trout species. How are the habits of brown trout different than rainbow trout? Where do brook trout tend to hold and feed vs brown trout? What about cutthroat? Do they have different tendencies or habits than their counterparts?Because the habits of these trout are different, our target water changes too, as do our fly patterns and our approach.The guys from the Troutbitten crew join me for a great conversation.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | How To Handle A TroutPODCAST: Troutbitten | Strategies for Fishing Low and Clear WaterVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

For our Season 13 Intermission, my wife, Becky, joins me for a look at what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (December 6th). We talk about upcoming podcast and video plans, books, fly rods and more. ResourcesSHOP: Troutbitten | Category | Leaders VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

I fished for two decades before I finally realized that not every river, not every creek or stream has big fish. For most of my early days of fishing, I thought there was a different class of fish in some of my favorite waters that I simply never encountered. And I liked to think that if I fished certain ways at certain times, I would finally catch those fish.But many years later, after more experience and after finally fishing all of the ways that are supposed to help you find the biggest fish — night fishing, streamer fishing, etc. — I also met many like minded anglers and became friends with enough obsessed fishermen whose stories and accounts I could trust. And I realized, no one catches big trout out of some of these waters.Why do some rivers hold big trout? This is a topic that has come up between all of us on long drives, around the tailgate, and on long walks along the riverbank. Why is it that some rivers just do not have any size to the fish, and then, maybe just the next valley over, not only is the average size larger, but the top tier fish is bigger too?We're here to talk about it . . .ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Wild vs Stocked -- The Hierarchy of River TroutPODCAST: Troutbitten | The Hierarchy of River TroutPODCAST: Troutbitten | Why We All Love Big TroutVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Tonight we're here to talk about why we fish. It's a simple question. Why do we commit so much of our free time and efforts, our thoughts and our daydreams . . . to fishing?Why, after all these years, do we keep coming back?Why, when we could do hundreds of other things — with three hours on a weekday evening or every daylight hour on a Saturday, from dawn to dark — why do we choose to lace up the boots and string up the fly rod?In all the seasons of this Troutbitten podcast, we've often said that fishing, for us, isn't about hoping to get lucky out there. It's about making something happen. And surely, the act of fishing is a wonderful draw. But as I talked with the Troutbitten guys a few days ago about this topic of why we fish, it was clear their most important answers really didn't have that much to do with the actual fishing.So what we'll talk about tonight are more of the intangible qualities of fishing. It's what I think many anglers imagine when they decide to pick up a rod and venture into the woods. Yes, all of us are quickly captivated by the details, the flies, the flows, and the tactic necessary to catch trout. But perhaps for most anglers, it's that elusive, almost transcendental experience that draws us in today, yesterday and tomorrow. And it's the same natural pursuit that brought us all down to the water from the beginning.We're here to talk about it.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | How To Stay in the Fly Fishing Game for a LifetimeREAD: Troutbitten | We WadeREAD: Troutbitten | Lost Fishing FriendsVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We're halfway through Season 13, and tonight we have a discussion that's been on our backburner for quite a while -- barbed hooks or barbless, and does it really matter?Should we always fish barbless? Maybe not. The answer isn't that simple. So the Troutbitten guys are here for a conversation and a few thoughts about barbs on hooks.Each one of us has fished for long enough that we've used both barbed and barbless flies. We've also used barbs on lures and bait hooks, because we all grew up fishing in different ways. Some anglers who jump right into the fly fishing game — especially for trout — are exposed to a another sentiment. So their reference points are different. And like anything else, what might seem almost outlandish to one person can seem like no big deal to another.So . . . barbed hooks or barbless? And does it really matter?ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout Too Far?READ: Troutbitten | Category | Catch and Release SafelyREAD: Troutbitten | Fight Fish FastREAD: Troutbitten | Nymph Hook Inversion and the Myth of the Jig HookPODCAST: Troutbitten | How To Handle a Trout - S1, Ep2VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Every angler needs a set of flies to call their own. Among the thousands of patterns, options and choices out there, eventually, we sort out a handful of confidence flies.Our faith in these flies gives us conviction when choosing them and tying the knot. We'll fish THIS fly in THIS water. That's what will catch the next trout. And if it doesn't, then we'll change something — maybe the water type, maybe the presentation, maybe the rig. Or maybe we'll reach for the next confidence fly.Some anglers have a dozen go-to flies. Others might have fifty patterns, and some carry just a few. But a good set of confidence flies is adapted for the angler, for their water, for their season and their preferences. Most importantly, these flies catch trout.But how do we find the right flies? How do you find your confidence flies? That's our topic for tonight, season 13, episode 4.The Troutbitten guys join me to break all of this down.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten: Category | The Troutbitten Fly BoxREAD: Troutbitten | Troutbitten Confidence Flies -- Seventeen NymphsREAD: Troutbitten | Pattern Vs PresentationVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

What's right and wrong? That's what ethics really boils down to. Certainly, there are nuances about how much space to give other anglers on the river or how long we should hold a trout out of the water for a picture. But doing the right thing and being an ethical angler is probably best achieved by asking ourselves one question: Does this action makes things better or worse? And are you helping or hurting the woods, the water, the fish and other anglers?The best ethics probably happen when no one is looking. And holding ourselves accountable to do the right thing is a reward based in the satisfaction of self-discipline.There is no handbook for ethics in fishing, of course. And much has been written and discussed on the topic through the years. In this podcast episode, the Troutbitten crew holds a philosophical discussion about ethics in fishing. It's not a list of concrete examples or rules. It's an interesting, thought provoking conversation.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | The Ethics of Guiding -- More Harm Than Good?READ: Troutbitten | Category | Catch and Release SafelyREAD: Troutbitten | A Fisherman's Thoughts On Spot Burning VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The Troutbitten guys are here to talk about two flies. Why do we fish two dry flies, two streamers, wets or nymphs? Why don't we? Why might we fish with just one fly instead? Multiple fly rigs are a common solution to fishing problems, but extra flies on the line can certainly create more issues than they solve.The one or two fly debate, across fishing styles -- this is our topic. What works, when and why? What's the upside? What's the downside?ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Tangle Free Tandem RigsREAD: Troutbitten | Q&A: Why Do Multi-Nymph Rigs Tangle, and How to Avoid ItREAD: Troutbitten | Three Styles of Dry Dropper VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The full Troutbitten crew is back for season thirteen. In this fall and early winter season, our theme is casual conversations. After three years of podcasting, we've recorded many episodes that go deep into the weeds on one specific topic. We've also dedicated full seasons to the Skills Series format, where a topic like night fishing or tight line nymphing is broken into multiple episodes to try and cover it well. But this season, we're ready to hit record and just riff on a topic.For episode one, our topic is . . . Why do we catch trout in patches? Because when we get to the end of the day, we often look back to remember catching three trout in one spot, then nothing for a while. Maybe we missed two and landed five in another spot. We had three at the best undercut bank and another handful at the tailout . . . but in between, there were often long periods of inactivity. Why is that?That's our topic for episode one.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Find Feeding FishREAD: Troutbitten | Cover Water, Catch TroutREAD: Troutbitten | Cherry Picking vs Full CoverageVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

For this final episode in the dry fly skills series, we work through some scenarios that anglers frequently encounter. Because, just like nymphing, fishing streamers and fishing wets, we fish dry flies for many different reasons and in many different ways.We addressed some of this in episode one, and in this final episode, we complete the bookend by thinking about how things layout and going through some strategy and thought processes. Now that we've spent a good bit of time on leader design, fly selection, casting, building in slack, we consider these four scenarios:Head HuntingFishing TerrestrialsSmall Stream StuffWorking a HatchMy friend, Matt Grobe, joins me to put a cap on this Dry Fly Skills series.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Two Ways to Spat a Terrestrial Dry FlyREAD: Troutbitten | Twelve Small Stream Fly Casting TipsVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

In the last couple of weeks we  talked a lot about choosing the next fly, when to change, and what informs our decision about what to change to — basically, how do we develop that next theory about what fly, water type and presentation style we want to test.Last week we talked about watching how trout are rising to naturals, how they are taking our fly or even how they're rejecting it. That information goes a long way. It's often the predominant factor for choosing an appropriate fly style — a low rider, an emerger or maybe one that rides high and rolls on the surface.So when you fish long enough, you start to notice these kinds of details, and like anything else worth pursuing, you realize that there's an endless world of data out there for you to pick up on. The trout are telling us a lot — even by not rising. We learn by not catching trout too. If you get a great presentation in a spot that you know holds trout, but no trout eats it . . . fair enough. And you start to consider the next adjustment.It's all a lot of fun when you realize that good fishing isn't luck. It's attention to detail with an open mind and a willingness to dive into the mystery.This podcast is all about rise forms and hook sets.My friend, Matt Grobe, joins me for this discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingPODCAST: Troutbitten | Set The Hook! All About Different Hook SetsREAD: Troutbitten | Hook Set Direction --  DownstreamVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Here we are at the part of the season where we address everybody's favorite question — what fly are you using?We've argued for years that the leader is the most consequential element in the system — much more important than the fly. That said, the fly must be reasonable.Most anglers are so focused on the flies because it's the easiest thing to change. We're quick to blame the pattern. And it's a lot easier to clip off one fly and tie on another than to really break down your approach, your cast and your dead drift.The better approach is to perfect those elements and then . . . maybe change the fly.I carry a box of dry flies, just like I carry a box of streamers and a box of nymphs and wets. The flies matter. But more than anything, it's about matching the moment, the water type, the lifecycle of the bug - and even the wind conditions. For us, those conditions -- those situations -- dictate our next fly choice. We don't guess on patterns. Instead, we think about things, develop a theory and test it with the next fly choice and (hopefully) a great presentation.My friend, Matt Grobe, joins me for this discussion.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingVIDEO: Troutbitten | The Perfect Parachute AntREAD: Troutbitten | When Should You Change the Fly?VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Our discussion here is about casting dry flies, and that's where all good fly casting starts. With a dry fly, there's no weight at the end of the line to help us out. No split shot, no tungsten bead, conehead or bobber. Refining the dry fly stroke truly teaches us what the fly rod is built to do.Ten and two. Acceleration and crisp stops between two points. Pause and allow turnover to happen. Feel the rod load and watch it all happen with the fly line in the air. Once you have that timing, your baseline is set, and you can take that same stroke to any rod angle, punching the fly around and laying things out just how you want them with a few adjustments.Good mending is setup by good casting. Put the two together, and you can feed slack to a dry fly for perfect drag free drifts.Having command over all of that . . . is a lot of fun.My friend, Matt Grobe, joins me to for a great discussion on casting and mending dry flies.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Ten and TwoREAD: Troutbitten | Put More Juice in the CastREAD: Troutbitten | Five Tips for Better Mending VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

For our Season 12 Intermission, my wife, Becky, joins me for a lighthearted look at what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (August 21). We talk about the New Trail Troutbitten beer, the event and the video. And we talk about the Fish and Film series on YouTube.Becky and I also answer a bunch of fun questions from listeners.ResourcesVIDEO: Troutbitten | Fish and Film - One Morning For VersatilityVIDEO: Troutbitten | Beer and Friends -- Good Times and Good Stories with New Trail and TroutbittenSHOP: Troutbitten | Category | LeadersVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The leader should match the moment and match the angler. It should match the fly, the river and the wind conditions. Adjustments are necessary, and when they're performed often enough they become intuitive.An objective look at real goals for the dry fly, along with the true capabilities of the leader materials at hand, will lead anyone down the path toward a great leader formula for dry flies.While many anglers might consider the leader as an afterthought, we believe the leader is the most consequential element in the system. The leader always matters, but it's most important while trying to achieve dead drifts with a dry fly.My good friend, Matt Grobe, joins me to discuss dry fly leader design. Like me, Matt looks for every opportunity to fool trout at the surface.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | The George Harvey Leader DesignVIDEO: Troutbitten | The George Harvey Dry Fly Leader -- Design, adjustments and tipsREAD: Troutbitten | That's Not a Dead DriftVIDEO: Troutbitten | Real Dead Drifts -- Up Top and UnderneathVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The drag free drift -- a high percentage of the time, that's what catches trout on top. So aiming for perfection on a dead drift sets the baseline. And if you get those great drifts, but they won't eat it, try some animation. Think slight, small and subtle for those movements to the fly, and you just might fool some trout that are keyed in on motion.Everything works sometimes. So we're ready to try anything. But we spend the most time with tactics that produce with the highest rate of return. That's just common sense.Whatever fly you're fishing, whatever bait, lure or fly you're presenting across the spectrum of fishing, it pays to watch the food form you're trying to imitate. In this case, watch how a mayfly rides on the water. Set up and watch rising trout for a while, and see if they're eating caddis that are dapping and skittering, or if they're eating something unseen, perhaps just under the surface. Also, get close to the water and see how a carpenter ant or a hopper behaves once it's made the mistake and found itself on the water. How do these bugs move, and how do the trout respond? Imitate that with your fly.My friend, Matt Grobe, joins me for this second episode in our dry fly skills series.VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Season twelve begins. It's a seven-part skills series dedicated to dry fly fishing. My friend, Matt Grobe, joins me to build the framework — a method and a system — for presenting dry flies to trout.In this first episode, we ask when and why we fish dry flies. What's the reason we might choose to fish dries over streamers, wets or nymphs?We argue that dry flies are the heart and soul of fly fishing. The visual aspect is fun and exciting. And the pleasures of top water fishing should not be missed.Also, presenting dry flies is what makes fly fishing unique. And learning the skills to cast a dry teaches you everything about what a fly rod can do.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | If You Can't Fish Dry Flies, You're Missing the PointVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvisThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

 Prospecting is a strategy for covering water. It's about pace. A lot of what we do, day to day on the water, is searching. We're looking for activity. We're trying to find feeding fish. Sometimes we're looking to find the fish themselves, and other times, we know the trout are there, but they won't eat, so we're faced with the choice to change tactics or change flies . . . or we can move on and look for the next opportunity.All of that can fairly be called prospecting. But for this discussion, we want to think about how covering water and looking for the players — for the hungry ones, is a unique strategy. It's a lot different than settling in over risers or even working a hundred yards of some pocket water with nymphs.The truth is, we're searching for something on every cast, no matter what our approach is. But what we call prospecting is a bit different. It's about canvassing an area, casting a wider net, searching for that next fish and then the next one. Then we take that data about where and how trout are feeding, and we use it to inform our next decision.Often we might dedicate a whole day to prospecting. And on other days, it's a prospecting approach that helps us dial in the rhythms of trout. So we'd like to find where trout are feeding and what they're feeding on most. Then we might sort of change gears to a more targeted approach and do the opposite of prospecting.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | Cover Water, Catch TroutPODCAST: Troutbitten | Cherry Picking or Full Coverage VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

The third annual Airing of Grievances on the Troutbitten Podcast has arrived. Some of this is playful and some is serious.Complaining's not a bad thing if it accomplishes something productive -- or if it's kinda fun. Or if it draws attention to some of the absurdities around you.Some things need to change. Because there are plenty of influences and influencers leading us all down a road to nowhere, or really, to a place that loses the depth of this fishing experience — of what we love about the woods and the water in the first place.So let's be a voice for that stuff too. Let's complain a little more against those things that are pulling us all in the wrong direction. Keep fishing fun. Keep it pure. Keep it a simple match between fish and a fisherman, surrounded by mystery and embedded with the wild, unpredictable nature of the outdoors and everything it holds for us.Whatever you believe, take a stand for it. That's what we try to do here with the Airing of Grievances.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | The Airing of Grievances (One)PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Airing of Grievances (Two) VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten Facebook Thank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

There are many different ways to set the hook while fly fishing for trout, because there are many different ways to fish for those trout. One size does not fit all. So we adapt our hook sets to suit the situation.In this episode, we cover what is meant by a trout set. We address the differences between hook sets for dry flies, wets, streamers and nymphs. We talk about setting distance, setting speed, setting direction, whether we should pause before a hook set, and many other broad and finer points about setting the hook.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Set the Hook at the End of Every DriftREAD: Troutbitten | Don't Guess -- Set the Hook and Set HardREAD: Troutbitten | Hook Sets Are Not Free VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Here's a story about the solitude that so many of us seek on the water — how the full experience of planning for a trip, driving before dawn, walking in and exploring a river valley provides a respite from our daily life. It's a chance for a clear mind and for renewed energy. "The Further You Walk, the More You Leave Behind" is about what we recover when we commit to full days and long distances, and how even after we return, we are changed.In this episode I also share information about the New Trail Troutibtten beer and the release event on June 29th.I also announce the next Troutbitten Live Stream event on YouTube, which is Wednesday, June 5th at 8:00 pm, EST. Our guest is Tom Rosenbauer. Our topic is stocking and club water.I also ask for emails to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission supporting their efforts to stop stocking over wild trout. Here is the information for that:ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Be a Voice for Wild Trout -- Your Most Effective Conservation Measure is Also the Easiest** Send the Pennsylvania Fish Commission a simple email of support for eliminating stocking on wild trout waters. **ADDRESSRA-pfbcregulations@pa.govREAD: Troutbitten | The Further You Walk, The More You Leave BehindVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We're here for a tough conversation. This one's about fishing the pay-to-play setup of a club.These are the troubles with club fishing . . .One club leads to the next. One private stretch invites another down the road. So clubs lead to the loss of public water for the average angler. And that's not good.The manufactured fishing scenario of most clubs can teach anglers the wrong things, with easier fishing that does not translate well outside of the clubs. That then leads to unrealistic expectations or even a generous self-assessment of one's skills.But why does that matter? Because anglers begin to favor easier fishing and (often) stocked trout scenarios. All of this feeds into the hatchery trout system, and that's something this country should be moving away from wherever possible.Stop stocking over wild trout. This really should be our universal message, anywhere that wild trout can thrive. But how many clubs deliver that message? Let's be honest about it — very few.Not all clubs stock fish, and not all clubs are a bad choice. But in short, we believe things can be better.This is an important episode. Please pass it around.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Posted - Club Fishing - 2065READ: Troutbitten | Wild vs Stocked -- The Hierarchy of River Trout In PennsylvaniaPODCAST: Troutbitten | S1, Ep4 -- Wild Trout or Stocked -- The Hierarchy of River TroutVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

There's an intangible quality built into the best anglers. It's about being comfortable and natural around the water. It's about having an instinct and a guiding intuition on a river that informs decision without even giving it much thought. It's an innate knowledge of the environment and what will happen next. Knowledge of the woods, water, weather and the trout comes together with ease and adds up to something that is hard to identify.In this episode, we call it woodsmanship, outdoorsmanship, riversmithing and being river smart. Some might just call it being fishy.Regardless of the word to identify this quality, it's something every angler wants. This episode is about what it is and how to attain it.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Fish HardREAD: Troutbitten | It's All About Time on the WaterREAD: Troutbitten | Life on the WaterVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We're here to talk about floating down a river, about why we like boats, how floating is so much different than wading, how some opportunities are uniquely available and how others are shut off too.It's the companionship and teamwork, along with the effort and commitment required to get down the river. It's about a good lunch and friendly banter as much as the novel approach to tactics and the pure advantage of accessing more water.From the put in to the take out, boating changes everything. It's a wonderful way to learn a river and to connect with friends. ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | We Watched Daylight Race the River DownstreamREAD: Troutbitten | Slow FloatVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Like anything else in fishing, you can take the emerger concept just about as far as you want. You get technical, or you can spin up a couple wet flies, float them in the film, and keep things simple.I've often argued that you don't have to match the hatch when fly fishing. I think it's a fun approach, but having exactly the right shade of dubbing to match the most prevalent insect is rarely necessary. Most often, you can fish caddis imitations during a mayfly hatch and do pretty well, because there's a lot more food in a river than what our eyes see at the surface.But we don't ignore the hatches either. Far from it. In fact, we look forward to these events, anticipating the response from the trout, observing their behaviors day to day, and often using flies and tactics that imitate the emergence. From the bottom to the top, when the bugs transform from water born to airborne, meeting them with an emerger often sells the presentation.Our conversation in this episode covers those emergences.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | You Don't Have to Match the HatchPODCAST: Troutbitten | Night Fishing and the Mouse Emerger ConceptPODCAST: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis