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ALL ARTICLES
Fishing Report — Back to Basics
. . . When the act of fishing becomes something I can really put my finger on to say “Here’s how they’re eating,” I can take that experience into the future, pulling it out to solve a mystery a decade later. The trout hit where they should and how they should, until it became nearly predictable. The casting felt effortless . . . and it felt like home. Anyone who thinks nymphing is inelegant or clunky has not fished this way.
PODCAST: Fighting Big Fish #5 – Side Pressure! – S20, Ep5 (VIDEO and AUDIO)
Side pressure puts real leverage on a fish. It’s where control begins and power originates. All the other skills before this one set us up to maximize side pressure, with the right angles and a great plan for landing the trout of a lifetime . . .
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 . . .”
STORIES
Fish and Film — Home Waters – Terrestrial Dries and Terrestrial Nymphs (VIDEO)
Fishing is a story . . . On a summer morning of fishing, I fish terrestrials in two different ways — first as a dry fly and then as a nymph.
The concepts of terrestrial fishing are largely centered around the dry fly. And I show that in the first half of this video. Target the edges and fish some of the middle stuff along the way. But the terrestrial fishing mindset — the concepts and strategies — are effectively taken over to a nymphing rig as well, often producing more and larger trout.
Fish and Film — One Morning For Versatility (VIDEO)
Fishing is a story . . . On a cool morning in August, I visited a favorite stretch of Class A water, with no plan but to see what the trout wanted to eat. In a few hours of fishing for wild trout, I fooled fish with nymphs, dry flies and streamers. This versatile approach is not only enjoyable, it’s often necessary. Because meeting trout on their own terms is the only way to make the most of a river. Cover water. Find feeding fish. Test theories . . . every day.
The Fish & Film Series Begins – VIDEO Trailer
The Troutbitten Fish and Film series is here. Fishing is a story. It’s the woods and the water. It’s the trout, and the rivers that draw us streamside. And at its best, good fishing is a mystery to be solved with observation, theory and technique.
The new Fish & Film series from Troutbitten aims to tell that story.
TACTICS
Straight Talk About Competition Nymphing (with VIDEO)
A handful of strict competition rules have been passed on to the whole nymphing community. And maybe that’s not such a good thing.
Tight Line Dry Dropper and Fishing the “Y” (with VIDEO)
There’s a lot to be done with this system — many different ways to fish, with presentations that go far beyond what is commonly shown and talked about. This is not Euro dry dropper. And we’re not fishing within the constraints of rules and regulations that stem from the competition scene.
Instead, by taking a broad look at what’s possible with a tight line dry dropper approach, fly choice, leader design, weight position and rigging methods all open up into a set of tactics that are more fun and lead to more trout at the end of the line.
Fish and Film – Micro vs Standard Leader (VIDEO)
Fishing is a story . . . On a spring morning, I took advantage of some good nymphing action to test a Micro Mono Rig against the Standard. Varying conditions provided different challenges, but the good action remained until the end.
NYMPHING
Where’s My Fly?
Understanding the fly’s position — where it is and where it’s going — is the key challenge in fly fishing. And aside from basic casting skills, an awareness of the fly in the current is the most essential skill.
(VIDEO) Sighter Angles While Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
At what angle should we set the sighter? Should it be vertical? Should it be at a 45? Should it be flatter? And should it stay the same throughout the drift or should it change? While tight line or euro nymphing, you can get excellent dead drifts with any sighter angle if you’re attentive to the details and understand the strengths of all angles. There is no better leading angle. It’s a choice based on preference, skill, objectives and river conditions.
Drifting Light Nymphs
Never forget that it’s all about contact — not all the time, and not so much that you’re moving the nymphs. Perfect tracking is just barely out of contact. And throwing a pile of slack into the water only works when you get lucky.
STREAMERS
PODCAST: Streamer Presentations #9 — The Tight Line Dance (S14, Ep9)
We use a visible streamer for the tight line dance. We watch the streamer dip and swoon around rocks, tree parts and the river bank. Wherever there’s good structure, that’s the next target. The concept of the tight line dance allows us to hold the streamer around structure for longer, animating the streamer in every way imaginable to convince the trout.
PODCAST: Streamer Presentations #8 — The Crossover Technique (S14, Ep8)
The Crossover is a group of animations brought into a system, a mindset, or a framework for fishing your streamer.
The Crossover technique is all about getting the streamer low — in the strike zone — and then animating it within a narrow range, being careful not to move the fly out of the strike zone or move it too far.
PODCAST: Streamer Presentations #7 — Speed Leads and Lane Changes (S14, Ep7)
Speed leads happen mostly in one lane, and they go faster than their parent current. Lane changes are exactly what they sound like — the fly is traveling in one lane, and then we deliberately bring the fly over to a nearby lane and travel down that one.
The speed lead is a term coined by our friend, Josh Stewart. Way back in 2017, I published a few articles about low-riding streamer presentations, with streamers tied on lead ball jigs. I’d gotten the idea from Rich Strolis, and it was a bit of an underground thing at the time. I remember that Stewey got in touch after reading my article, and we started sharing ideas and presentation styles with some of these flies. When I described leading low but faster than the current, Josh said he called it a speed lead, and it was one of his best tactics for stirring up big trout . . .
ANGLER TYPES IN PROFILE
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BIG TROUT
Night Fishing for Trout — Fight or Flight
I finally have an honest understanding about what draws me into night fishing. Yes, it’s the fear. And of the serious night anglers I’ve known, it’s the same for all of us. Fear is the crackling spark plug . . .
What does it take to catch a big trout?
For many years, I believed that it takes nothing special to catch a big trout. I argued with friends about this over beers, during baseball games, on drives to the river and through text messages at 1:00 am. My contention was always that big trout don’t require anything extraordinary to seal the deal. They need a quality drift, a good presentation, and if they are hungry they will eat it. I frequently pushed back against the notion that big wild trout were caught only with exceptional skill.
So for all who’ve heard me make this argument, I’d like to offer this revision: I still believe that large trout don’t need more than a good presentation. But what is GOOD may actually be pretty special. Meaning, it’s rare to find the skill level necessary to consistently get good drifts and put them over trout (large or small).
Here’s more . . .
Where to find Big Trout | Part Four: The Permanent Structure
Rivers are built from just a few parts. While the sand and soil of a streambed is fluid, the framework — the shape of a river — is directed by roots and rocks. Time and the tenacity of flowing water changes the shape of the hardest rocks, eventually carving granite into a new form, eroding and molding a riverbank toward a new course. And while nothing is eternal in a river or its floodplain, there’s enough permanent structure in a stream — the immovable objects — that good trout take notice. So does the big fish hunter . . .
NIGHT FISHING
Night Fishing for Trout — Imagination
It’s important to have a mental picture, to feel where you are among the surroundings, so the casts are accurate and the drifts are effective. Otherwise, you’re just flailing around in the dark, hoping for some good luck . . .
Night Fishing for Trout — You’re gonna need a bigger rope
Big trout after dark are never predictable. And they give you everything they have — right now. So your tippet better be strong.
Night Fishing for Trout — Bank Water
On the luckiest nights, large and medium sized trout move to the shallows, searching for an easy meal. Trout visit thin water because they feel protected by the cover of darkness, and because they find baitfish of all types unguarded and ready to be devoured. But this is also when trout are most vulnerable to the skilled night fisher.
I have a bank-first approach on most nights, hoping I may hit it right and find actively feeding fish near the edges. On some rivers I wade to the middle and fish back to the boundary. And where the water is too deep to wade the center, I may stay tight to the bank and choose to either work down and swing flies or work upstream against the bank and drift them. Regardless of the method of presentation used, bank water is my first target . . .
MORE
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