The SB Beadhead Nymph, short for Simpson-Billmyer, is the best generic nymph pattern that I have yet fished. I have developed it over several years in collaboration with Jake Billmyer, manager of the Orvis Fly Shop in Charlottesville, Va. Typical of all the flies that I continue to tie and fish, it is easy to […]
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Tag: fly fishing
Fly Fishing the Bob Marshall Wilderness
I just returned from a week fly fishing in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, a long sought adventure. “The Bob”, as it is affectionately known by Montanans, is located in NW Montana. It straddles the continental divide for 60 miles, encompassing over one million acres, and is accessible only by foot or horseback. The nearest airports […]
Fly Rod Grips- Much More Than Handles!
I think it’s fair to say that most anglers don’t pay much attention to fly rod grips. They purchase a rod, and accept the grip it comes with. But fly rod grips are much more than mere handles. They affect how the rod is held, how it is cast, and how it fishes. Let’s first […]
Fly Fishing Montana’s Spring Shoulder
Winter is nearing its end here in Montana, although begrudgingly. One day it’s sunny and nearly 70 degrees, and the next it’s 30 degrees with snow squalls. But spring inches its way closer every day, evidenced the trees beginning to sport their spring-green canopies. Stream conditions change quickly as well, vexing fly fishers eager to […]
Use Stream Flow Data to Find Feeding Trout
The weather in Virginia had been horrible. Snow, snow, snow, and cold, cold, cold! Then came the sudden change of warm weather, with snow melt, and increased stream flow. But in Virginia, that doesn’t always mean high, muddy water. Rather, snow melt often leads to a modest rise in the stream flow, with continued clarity, […]
Get Out of the Drift Boat!
For many first-time anglers, the journey begins in a drift boat, on a big western stream. Captivated by their experience, I’m often asked what one can do to learn more about fly fishing. My short answer is, “Get out of the drift boat!” A typical day for beginners in a drift boat consists mostly of […]
Virtues of a Ten Foot Fly Rod
Several years ago, I bought my first ten foot rod. I soon discovered that there are many virtues of a ten foot fly rod. In my opinion, anything that the industry-standard nine foot rod can do, the ten foot rod does better. Sometimes it is difficult to weave it through thick streamside brush, but it […]
Fly Fishing for Brown Trout in Nelson NZ
I just returned from a trip, fly fishing for brown trout in Nelson NZ. Roughly twelve years ago, I visited the Taupo Region of the North Island, and fished several tributaries to lake Taupo. The fishery there was dominated by rainbow trout. This time, I wanted to fish the Nelson Region of the South Island, […]
Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect
I think that Leonard Wright Jr. is one of the twentieth century’s most overlooked fly fishing authors. Well known to his contemporaries, his works have been “lost” over time. I found his first book, “Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect” (1972), in a used bookstore in Ennis, Montana. It had a musty, old-library odor […]
Orvis PRO Trout Line
Orvis acquired Scientific Anglers several years ago. Since that acquisition, the Orvis lines have undergone a complete overhaul. The most recent line upgrade was recently introduced as the PRO lines. This is a review of the Orvis PRO trout line. This fall, I cast and fished the smooth Orvis PRO trout line (https://amzn.to/39VlC9V ). It has a […]
How to Increase Your Catch-Rate of Trout!
Most discussions of how to increase your catch-rate of trout dwell on time-of-day, water temperatures, fishing techniques, or flies. Each of these is important, but two events bring on periods of aggressive feeding by trout. Timing your visit to a stream with one of these events is nearly guaranteed to increase your catch-rate. It is […]
Parachute Flies- It’s All About the Post!
When I first began fly fishing, parachute flies seldom filled flyshop bins. Catskill flies were in vogue then. But I quickly realized that flush floating flies, like comparadun and parachute flies, put more fish into my net. Parachute Virtues I still don’t know with certainty why trout prefer parachute flies. It may be that viewed […]
Fly Fishing Central Idaho
This August, fishing-buddy Reid and I chose to go fly fishing in Central Idaho. From our Montana base in Ennis, we drove west, through the Big Hole Valley, entering Idaho through the Chief Joseph Pass. It is a historical site, paying homage to the famous Nez Perce retreat to Canada. Once in Idaho, we drove […]
The White-Winged Curse; Fishing the Trico Hatch
Since the advent of fly fishing, fly fishers have had their demons. The summer trico hatch is mine. Through the ages it has frustrated fly fishers sufficiently to earn the moniker “white-winged curse”! A few weeks ago, I ventured to a stretch of the Madison River, to once again take on the curse. I arrived […]
Product Review: Simms Intruder Boot
If you like to wet-wade, you should check out the new Simms Intruder Boot (https://www.simmsfishing.com/intruder-boot). It is designed specifically for wet-wading. In years past, I have tried wet-wading sandals, shoes and boots. By far, the Intruder is the best wet-wading footwear I have yet worn! It is built with an integrated neoprene sock. This provides […]
Fly Fishing the Subsurface, Soft Hackles
It has been said by many, that effective subsurface fly patterns have two necessary attributes. They must look a little like many bugs, and they must behave like a living bug. This perfectly describes the attributes of the wet fly patterns generically referred to as “soft hackles”. Despite this, when fishing the subsurface, anglers far […]
Fly Fishing the Subsurface, Tightline Nymphing
Last month, in “Fly Fishing the Subsurface, Suspension Nymphing“, I began a series of blogs reviewing techniques used to fly fish the subsurface for trout. This blog, “Fly Fishing the Subsurface, Tightline Nymphing”, continues the series. I prefer to use the inclusive term, “tightline nymphing”. It lumps Euro, Czech, Polish, Spanish, French, Hewitt, Brooks, and […]
Fly Fishing the Subsurface, Suspension Nymphing
Virtually every fly fisher loves to fish a hatch. It’s hard to beat the pleasure of targeting a rising trout, selecting the right fly, presenting it well, and watching the trout rise and suck in your proffered fly. But most of the time, there is no hatch. Therefore, trout mostly fill their gullets with foods […]
Mental Image of Fly Casting
Learning to cast a fly rod is easy, right? We’ve all read or heard descriptions of the casting motion, “speed-up, stop, and pause”. Or, “ten-to-two, two-to-ten”. But watching beginners trying to apply these scripts, it is clear to me that they don’t lead to a clear mental image of the casting motion. The helpfulness of […]
“Tactical Fly Fishing”- a Book Review
“Tactical Fly Fishing”, by Devin Olsen, is the latest book by a member of the Fly Fishing Team USA. Like previous team members’ books, it details the various methods of Euro Nymphing, or tight-line nymphing. However, this is still a valuable addition to the current fly fishing literature. The real strength of Olsen’s work lies […]
Read Trout Streams Like an Expert, Even if You’re Not
When I take newcomer fly fishers to a stream, one of the first questions asked is where to cast the fly. Teaching newcomers to read trout streams is challenging. More experienced fly fishers are accustomed to breaking down the water into primary lies, feeding lies and holding lies. They look for riffles, runs, pools, tailouts, […]
Global Warming, a Call to Trout Anglers
I was prompted to write this blog after reading an editorial, written by 13 year old Kian Tanner, already an avid trout angler. It was titled “Are There Any Adults in the Room?” (https://www.hatchmag.com/blog/are-there-any-adults-room/7714744). Call it “Climate Change”, or “Global Warming”, I don’t care. But the inconvenient truth is that our planet is warming. Trout […]
“Nymph Fishing for Larger Trout”, a book review
Another of my favorite author’s is Charles E. Brooks. He hales from an earlier era, and wrote several books, two of which I have read. I particularly liked “Nymph Fishing for Larger Trout” (1976). It is illustrated by Dave Whitlock. Although concise, the author summarizes ten nymphing methods employed at that time. In addition, he […]
Fly Fishing, Getting Started, Step ll
For this blog, I’ll assume that you have or will read my January blog, “Fly Fishing, Getting Started“. Hopefully you have had a chance to purchase and try your equipment on a pond as well. The thrust of “Step ll” is to prepare the beginner to take the next step, fly fishing trout streams. To […]
“Trout”, a book review
Ernest Schwiebert is probably my favorite fly fishing author. He began fly fishing at the age of eight. During his lifetime, he fished with most all the famous Catskill fly fishermen. They regarded him as a pre-eminent colleague at an early age. He authored five books on fly fishing, three of which I have read. […]
Fly Fishing, Getting Started
‘Tis the start of a new year! I couldn’t think of a more apropos topic than “getting started” into the sport of fly fishing. I intend the discussion to be helpful both for those interested in starting, and those helping others get started. There are five minimal essentials needed to place an artificial fly on […]
“Moving Water”, a Book Review
In “Moving Water”, Dave Hall, fly fisher, author and artist, combines his talents to reflect upon experiences along his life-long fly fishing journey, shared with friends and family. The verses come in snippets, leaving much unsaid. The accompanying misty, muted paintings portray the peace, tranquility and beauty to be found in nature and friendships. The […]
Fly Line Basics
Many, if not most, fly fishers believe that a good cast is most dependent upon the fly rod and the caster. However, I would posit that the fly line contributes as much to the end result as the rod. In addition, once the cast is completed, the choice of line impacts the presentation and effectiveness […]
Fishing Streamers
As leaves begin to turn from green to crimson and gold, trout anglers begin to think of fishing streamers. While streamers can, and probably should, be fished throughout the year, few question their especial efficacy in the fall. This is particularly true in streams inhabited with fall spawners, that is, brown and brook trout. Exhausted […]
“Fly-Fishing Heresies”, a book review
I recently found another book written by one of my favorite fly- fishing authors, Leonard M. Wright, Jr. Its title is “Fly-Fishing Heresies“. Wright is the heretic in this work, tackling or challenging some of the many fly-fishing dogmas. Referencing a previous work, he begins by refuting the dogma that a dry fly must […]