We’ve had a lot of rain this spring, so the rivers are full. I love it, because trout like water, and so do I. More flow offers more opportunity, and I had a few hours of fun, picking my spots in some favorite water, narrowing down trout tendencies, and pushing upstream. I had plans, and I adjusted them. I fished nymphs and streamer on a tight line and had some great surprises, with good fish in the soft water edges.
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.”
After the initial surge and downstream run, my big trout turned. He was forty feet below me and angled to the far bank. I was in no position to wade much further without going for a swim, but I needed the trout above my position — upstream — so I could finish the fight and land him quickly. At the critical moment when he slowed, my trout and I worked out an agreement . . .
The Troutbitten Shop Spring Sale ’25 is here, with all leaders, hats, stickers and apparel back in stock.
There is not just just one way to dead drift a nymph. There are real bugs down there, doing different things. And by really thinking through what our goals are with a nymph, our possibilities for how we present the flies — in a dead drift — are almost limitless.
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. 🙂
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. Trout become picky for a variety of reasons, both natural and artificial (as a result of angler pressure). The Troutbitten crew tackles the topic, what makes trout so selective?
I guess I’ve been searching for something . . .
For months now, I’ve spent my limited opportunities on the water fishing progressively more remote locations. Turning down offers to float and cast over abundant wild brown trout on our major rivers, I thought I was looking for solitude. What I’ve found is a companion so powerful it cannot be passed off as simple memory. It’s my own history, and I’ve felt it so presently that it seems at times my flat shadow may take form and rise from the leafy ground to start a conversation.
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 . . .
A big river is one that you can’t wade all of. And fishing a big river requires discipline. Don’t fish what you can’t fish well. It’s about planning and following through.
The strike zone is a cushion of water near the bottom, and it’s where all good things happen in a river. The concept of locating the strike zone is absolutely game changing for a nymphing game.