How To Fly Fish
The category “How to Fly Fish” includes a broad array of information. In contrast to the category “Fly Fishing Techniques”, an effort has been made to provide information most helpful to fly fishers at the entry level.
Are Cutthroat Trout “Pushovers”?
Cutthroat trout have a reputation for being "pushovers". The word on the stream is that all you need do is ...
Is it Fly Selection?
Many (? most) fly fishers obsess over their fly selection. They carry more than a few boxes of flies at ...
When it Isn’t Working
We've done our research, come to the stream, looked about, maybe looked at some streambed stones, tied on our fly(s), ...
Summer Flyfishing in the Rockies, 2021
The West is in the midst of an unprecedented heatwave, with daily ambient temperatures running 10-15 degrees above normal. In ...
A Fly-fisher’s Simple Bug Guide
In my last blog, I emphasized the helpfulness of recognizing the bug order(s) of a hatch. It has since occurred ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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, ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
Fly Line Basics
Many, if not most, fly fishers believe that a good cast is most dependent upon the fly rod and the ...
Fishing Streamers
As leaves begin to turn from green to crimson and gold, trout anglers begin to think of fishing streamers. While ...
Fly Fishing Spring Creeks
When I began fly fishing for trout, I was fortunate to be living in Virginia. The Blue Ridge mountains in ...
Reaching the Next Level of Fly Fishing for Trout
Fly fishing is becoming ever more popular. Most people try it once or twice, while a few make it an ...
Fly Fishing Tough Conditions- Catching Trout Despite Them
Before I retired, I tried to fish two or three times a month. Working Monday through Friday and sharing a ...
Fly Fishing Season Transitions- Strategies for Trout
Over the past several years, I have written separately about the four seasons of fly fishing for trout. Done in ...
Ten Tips To Catch More Trout and Have More Fun
Although I have previously written in more detail about many of the topics below, it seems that most fly fishers ...
Fish Tandem Flies and Catch More Trout
Many's the occasion that I have been asked how many flies I fish with at a time. In truth, I fish with as many ...
Fly Fishing Small Streams
Most trout anglers who take up fly fishing get their start by fly fishing small streams. What is it about ...
Extending the Drift for Better Presentation
Almost every fly fisher loves to fish dry flies when the opportunity presents itself. The game is of course to ...
Fly Fishing Freestone Streams
Every fly fisher has favorites, whether it be a rod, a fly, a lucky shirt or hat, a certain stream, ...
Fly Fishing Tricos – a Great Summer Hatch
Fly Fishing Tricos - a Great Summer Hatch Fly fishers who live near a stream boasting tricos are indeed fortunate ...
Fly Fishing Emergers
It's my observation that the average fly fisher does not understand and utilize the varied opportunities to fish emergers. Emergers are ...
Fly Fishing the Riffle
Whenever I'm scouting a new trout stream, one of the types of water I look for is the riffle. Why? ...
Fly Fishing Tips: How to Find More Trout
Fly fishing magazines frequently publish articles with titles like "Six Steps to Better Fly Fishing", or "Ten Tips to Catch ...
Reading the Water – Secondary Trout Lies
Earlier this year, in "Reading the Water - Prime Trout Lies", I reviewed the habitat requirements for trout survival: cool ...
Reading the Water – Prime Trout Lies
In April, I discussed fishing during a hatch (Fly Presentation - Fishing a Hatch). For all but winter steelheaders, a ...
Summer Fly Fishing- Strategies for Trout
Summer Fly Fishing- Strategies for Trout I have previously written about fly fishing for trout in the fall, 10/14, winter, ...
Presentation- Fly Fishing a Hatch
a Bit of History The first description of the concept of presentation appeared in 1676, in "The Universal Angler", the ...
Fly Fishing Midges in Winter
It's winter, the first day of January, the first month of the year, and in Virginia, the coldest month of ...
Seeking Trout- when streams are low
After spending the summer in Montana, interrupted by a two-week trip to Kamchatka (see September article), I knew that when ...
Fall Fly Fishing- Strategies for Trout
Fall is a time of transition, from summer to winter. Many changes occur in watersheds during this time which will ...
Spring Fly Fishing- Strategies for Trout
It’s April, a month of transition in the Virginia Piedmont region. For the trout fisherman, it's a time of transition ...
Fly Casting Basics
It’s almost March, yet here in the Piedmont it is still winter this year. I can hear Western fly fishers ...
