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Podcast: Tight Line Dry Dropper — Dry Dropper Skills Series #4
With tight line dry dropper, we get the contact and control of a tight line nymphing rig and the excitement of a dry fly rig. It’s very different than the other styles of dry dropper because it’s built on a Mono Rig. And the catch rate, for where this rig applies, is often doubled or even tripled.
Where to Find Big Trout | Part Three: The Special Buckets
Somewhere in your favorite stretch of a river there’s a depression at the bottom. It’s wide enough and long enough to hold a trout, nose to tail. It’s as deep as the trout is tall — or a bit deeper. The river flowing over this depression in the riverbed is fast enough to bring a continuing buffet of food. And the water comes with the right shade, ripple or depth to offer good protection. This is a special bucket. Let’s break it down . . .
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 . . .
STORIES
Spring Camp 2015
The fishing brings us together. If our annual spring trip to the mountain wasn't planned, what chance is there that my dad, my uncle, my two sons and I would all end up in the woods together for four days? None. These trips provide us the reason to make time for one...
Welcome Back
Every spring, after the relative solitude that I enjoy on the water for most of the winter, it takes me a couple trips before I adjust to the presence of other human beings in the same woods and water again.
I guess I re-calibrated yesterday . . .
The Stinky Bass
Pat and I wanted to float, but after the recent rains all of our local options were too high and/or muddy. I'm not complaining about it. Fish like water, and I'd rather see a creek bank-full than find the streambed half sun-dried. At high levels, the ideal conditions...
TACTICS
Are You Spooking Trout?
All trout continuously adapt to their surroundings — they learn what to expect, and they spook from the unexpected.
So, stealth on the water and understanding what spooks a trout is foundational knowledge in fly fishing. Trout are easily scared. Are you spooking fish?
Why Are Summer Trout Harder to Catch?
Many anglers hang up the fly rod when the days grow long. As spring surrenders its sweetheart days, summer signals the conclusion of trout fishing season, and new interests take over. The streams are fished out, the water is too warm and trout are off the feed. It’s not worth the effort, they say. Summer water surely presents a challenge. But good trout fishing can be had all summer long by accepting the difficulties and understanding the roots of the problems faced . . .
Euro Nymphing: What you’re missing by following FIPS competition rules — Part One
Using competition fishing standards for the average angler is extremely limiting. And following FIPS Mouche rules makes little sense for most dedicated fly fishers. (FIPS is the governing body for international competition.) Comp rules strip away too much of the versatility and efficiency offered by long leader systems in the first place . . .
NYMPHING
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STREAMERS
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ANGLER TYPES IN PROFILE
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BIG TROUT
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NIGHT FISHING
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