ARTICLES

Enjoy the Day

TROUTBITTEN

Troutbitten is built on words. These ideas, these stories, tips and tactics are the roots of a tree that has grown branches.

Troutbitten reads more like a book than a blog. So settle in and find something to read.

Find the category links at the top of every article and the tags at the bottom, because those lead to the archive pages for the topic.

Also within these articles, all text in orange leads to supporting content. Finally, use the search page to find what interests you most.

Thank you for your support through the years.

 

ALL ARTICLES

The Meat Eater Minority — Streamer Fishing Myth v Truth

The Meat Eater Minority — Streamer Fishing Myth v Truth

Rarely does a population of trout fall all over themselves to eat a streamer, no matter how well it’s presented. And I think it’s unfair to advance the notion that fish are out there waiting to pounce on your streamer if you just get the presentation right . . .

STORIES

The Twenty Dollar Cast

The Twenty Dollar Cast

“Okay, Dad,” Joey bellowed over the whitewater. “Here’s the twenty dollar cast . . .”

His casting loop unfolded and kicked the nymph over with precision. And when the fly tucked into the darkest side of the limestone chunk, Joey kept the rod tip up, holding all extra line off the water. It was a gorgeous drift. And the air thickened with anticipation.

We watched together in silence as Joey milked that drift until the very end. And I think we were both a little surprised when nothing interrupted the long, deep ride of over thirty feet.

“Not this time, buddy,” I told him.

Joey flicked his wrist and repeated the same cast to the dark side of the rock. And because the world is a wonderful place, a no-doubter clobbered the stonefly nymph . . .

Nobody Home | Nobody Hungry

Nobody Home | Nobody Hungry

Nobody home means there’s no trout in the slot you were fishing. And sometimes that’s true. Nobody hungry suggests that a trout might be in the slot but he either isn’t eating, isn’t buying what you’re selling, or he doesn’t like the way you are selling it.

Does it matter? It sure does!

New Structure | Old Structure

New Structure | Old Structure

One of my favorite places in the world is a deeply shaded valley that runs north and south between two towering mountains of mixed hardwoods. The forest floor has enough conifers mixed in to block much of the sunlight, even in the winter. The ferns of spring grow tall, and thick moss is spread throughout. The ground remains soft enough here that all large trees eventually surrender to the valley. When they can no longer support their weight in the soft spongy ground, they fall over, leaving a broken forest of deep greens and the dark-chocolate browns of wet, dead bark. It’s gorgeous.

Fallen timber also dictates the course of this cold water stream. The fresh tree falls force the creek to bend away from the hillside. Rolling water carves away the earth and lays bare the rocks — these stones of time, as Maclean puts it. And when water cuts into a neighboring channel, previously dry for centuries, new river banks are undercut and fresh roots exposed . . .

TACTICS

VIDEO: Real Dead Drifts — Up Top and Underneath

VIDEO: Real Dead Drifts — Up Top and Underneath

A dead drift is the most common presentation in fly fishing for trout, because it imitates their most common food forms. We want a dead drift on both a dry fly and a nymph. But what is it?

It’s a one-seam drift that travels at the speed of the current without tension from the attached tippet. That’s hard to achieve, but it is possible by first understanding what a dead drift looks like, both on the surface with a dry fly and below the surface with a nymph . . .

VIDEO: The Only Way to Carry a Wading Staff

VIDEO: The Only Way to Carry a Wading Staff

This wading staff system makes strong waders stronger and fast waders faster. It allows all waders to reach even more water.

If you rig a wading staff the wrong way, it slows you down. But if you rig it the right way, a wading staff opens new worlds and speeds you up.
It gives you access to places that you couldn’t wade before.

But it has to be rigged the right way . . .

NYMPHING

The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing

The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing

Here’s an overview of the essential skills for tight line and euro nymphing. A good grasp and facility for these techniques prepares an angler for all the variations available on a tight line.

These skills are best learned in order, as none of them can be performed without the ones that precede it. So too, these are the steps taken in a single cast and drift, from beginning to end . . .

The Fundamental Mistake of Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Anglers

The Fundamental Mistake of Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Anglers

The critical tight liner’s skills must be learned up close before they can ever be performed at distance. There are no shortcuts.

Your next time out with a tight line, be mindful of your casting distance. Stay within two rod lengths and find a rhythm. If you feel like you have to fish further away, then you’re in the wrong water. Relocate, get close, and perfect your short game. Even for advanced anglers who can stick the landing at thirty-five feet, if the action is slow, fishing short is almost always the best solution. Get back to the basics and refine them . . .

How the Bobber Hurts a Fly Fisher

How the Bobber Hurts a Fly Fisher

Don’t be a bobber lobber. Bobbers are an amazing tool in certain situations. But learn to cast it with turnover first. Avoid the lob.

Instead of using the bobber as a shortcut to getting the line out there, first learn a good casting stroke — with speed, crisp stops and turnover. Then, attach the bobber and see the supreme advantage gained when the fly hits first and the bobber comes in downstream, with the fly and indy both in the same current seam. Oh, hello dead drift. Nice to see you . . .

STREAMERS

ANGLER TYPES IN PROFILE

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

BIG TROUT

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

NIGHT FISHING

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

MORE

With over 900 articles on Troubitten, there’s much more to explore than what you see above.

Use the site menu to navigate through articles collected in series. Click the categories and tags to find the archives pages for each topic.

Everything in orange, sitewide, is a link to more supporting content.

And use the search page to find what you’re looking for.

Also Subscribe to Troutbitten and follow along. (Yes, it’s free.)

Cheers, friends.

 

 

Pin It on Pinterest