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ALL ARTICLES
PODCAST: Learning From Other Species and Other Styles | S19-Ep8 (VIDEO and AUDIO)
Here’s a good talk about other styles and other species, and how using a spinning rod or baitcaster can open up your fishing world to a more complete set of skills and a better understanding of . . . fishing.
Patience vs Persistence
Patience and persistence — in some ways they are opposites. Patience is waiting for something to happen. And persistence is making something happen.
And all you need is a full day spent with a persistent fisherman to know that your patience isn’t really getting anything done.
Over time, patience has been pinned to fishing, as if the two go hand in hand. And I think that’s a mistake. It’s an attached stigma that doesn’t fit — not for Troutbitten anglers, anyway. So once again, it’s apparent that words themselves change the way we think about things. Words and meanings change how we do things. New anglers are taught that fishing is a quiet, patient sport. And so they wait. And they are content when nothing happens.
PODCAST: Tech Talk About Boots, Waders and More – In Deep with Kevin Sloan – S19,Ep7
Over the last few decades, fishing apparel has undergone a dramatic evolution. Today, we expect more than ever from our boots, waders, jackets, and shirts because we’ve grown accustomed to the advantages of purpose-built gear that’s ready to deliver.
Comfort, support and durability are the hallmarks of great fishing gear. So I sat down with Kevin Sloan, the founder of Skwala fishing, for a look at where the industry stands now, a look back at where we were and a forward look at where we’re going.
STORIES
Who Knows Better Than You?
Anglers cling to the stories and accounts others. We believe in the experts. We want masters of this craft to exist and to tell us the answers.
Sure, you might have a group of wild trout dialed in for the better part of a season. Maybe it’s a midge hatch every summer morning, or a streamer bite on fall evenings, for one hour on either side of dusk.
But it will end. That’s what’s so special about chasing trout. Like the wings of a mayfly spinner, predictability is a fading ghost . . .
Lessons from the Salt (2022) — Strike Zones, Sensitivity and Persistence
The churning waves, the cuts, troughs and sandbars of beach water mimic the flows of a good river that is full of structure. And tearing apart the differences to find the similarities between the two water systems is a challenge that’s renewed with each trip to the salt . . .
The Hard Truth About Why You Can’t See Your Dry Fly
“Your first job is to find some accuracy. You’ll see the fly every time, once you can hit your targets.” I nodded at the fly again. “There’s enough visibility built into that fly that you can find it quickly, as long as the fly lands where you’re looking . . .”
TACTICS
Fish and Film – Fish It Anyway (VIDEO)
Fishing is a story . . . It was early summer, in a high water year, where rain for two days pushed the already-full creeks over the banks. But I had time to fish, so I needed a spot and an approach . . .
VIDEO: Riverside — Fishing Direction — Should You Work Upstream or Downstream?
The way you approach the river and the angle that you fish influences everything about the way you present the fly. Should we work upstream or down? The decision should be based on a number of goals and conditions . . .
VIDEO: Trout Strikes and Hook Sets: #8 of The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line Nymphing
Think about how a trout eats a real nymph. Then think about how you are drifting your flies. What will a take really look like? Then set fast, not far . . .
NYMPHING
PODCAST: Feed Drop — Troutbitten On The Untangled Podcast
I was happy to be a guest on the Untangled Podcast with Spencer Durrant. We talked mostly about Nymphing tactics for beginners. We also talked a little about a fishing life and the fly fishing industry. You can listen to that full episode in the Troubitten Podcast feed . . .
Patagonia Nymphing
I don’t know another time when I approached a slot with so much confidence. Better. Slower. This was it. At the end of the fishless drift, my certainly wasn’t questioned, it was simply re-informed. “Need more weight,” I said. It was an unforgettable, prove-it kind of moment . . .
Troutbitten Shop Spring Sale ’24 — Leaders, Hats, New Trail Merch, Stickers and More
The Troutbitten Spring Sale ’24 is here, with all leaders, hats and stickers back in the Troutbitten Shop. With this round, we have a few special items to offer, from the Troutbitten and New Trail Brewing company collaboration. There’s a Fish Hard / Drink Beer hat, sticker and t-shirt. The Troutbitten Shop is fully stocked. Hats, leaders, stickers, shirts, hoodies and more are ready to go.
STREAMERS
Streamer Presentations — Let Them Eat It
“Let them eat it. Don’t take it away from them.” I’ve burned that simple message in my brain. For many years, I focused obsessively on the motion I would give to a streamer, I now focus equally on where and when I will pause it.
Attract them with motion. Then let them eat it. Streamer fishing for trout really is that simple. But the variations within the framework are where artistry arises . . .
Streamer Presentations — Your First Move
Streamer anglers will tell you that most of their hits happen within the first few seconds or strips. Trout see the fly enter, and their decision whether to attack, chase or ignore your fly is often determined by your first move after entry.
. . . Trout don’t miss much in their field of vision, and they surely notice anything the size of a streamer landing in their zone. Therefore, what that fly does next either entices, dissuades or spooks the fish . . .
Q&A: Streamers — Sinking Line or Tight Line?
The sinking line does a few presentations very well. And a tight line streamer rig can do many things well. While the sinking line approach gains me more distance and longer retrieves, the tight line system is great for a targeted approach, with more casting and shorter retrieves.
Tight line systems provide direct contact and direct control, where sinking line systems put a weighted fly line in between me and the streamer. Two different styles.
There are many things to consider, but start with this: What is the water type? And what are your goals?
ANGLER TYPES IN PROFILE
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BIG TROUT
We watched daylight race the river downstream
The best thing about a float is seeing miles of water as if in one frame. It’s like a filmstrip that you can take out and hold in your mind for a while. If you’ve done this long enough, then every rock around every bend carries a memory. The best island channels hold a group of those stories and offer them up as you float by. It’s a photo album: the river is a flowing film of your best and worst times on the water — moment by moment passing by. And if you’re lucky, you might create a new highlight for the reel . . .
Modern Streamers: Too much motion? And are we moving them too fast?
Is a big, articulated streamer with marabou, flashabou, rubber legs, polar chenille, rabbit strip, hen hackle and a lazer dub collar actually moving too much? Are there too many elements in motion for a trout to reject? And might we do better with streamers that...
Anything at Anytime | Meet Honey Bunny
. . . There wasn’t much adrenaline this time either. I’ve learned from prior mistakes, and I now fight fish with calculations instead of blind instinct and luck.
I miss the way it was fifteen years ago, but I don’t know how to get that back. I don’t think I can. Knowledge and experience have permanently dulled the emotions of these times — even for a moment this rare.
NIGHT FISHING
Night Shift – The Thicket
Friday night I wrapped up my gig at the Phyrst with my buddy Noah, then made the transformation from musician to fisherman again. I've done this a bunch of times now, and the thorough contrast in venues is remarkable: from the noise and chaos of the State College bar...
Night Shift – Christmas Lights
I decided to fish close to home and in a section that rolls through a small neighborhood. No, it's more like a series of cabins. It was an odd choice. A great choice during the day, but at night I always try to stay away from light sources because I've learned that...
Night Shift – One of These Days …
One of these days I'm going to file an amazing night fishing report . . . I started about an hour before dark, and action was crazy good on nymphs. Basically, I was Frank Nale-ing it, but just imagine what I could have done with a gold bead white spinner. Right before...
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