Articles in the Category Fighting Fish

PODCAST: Fighting Big Fish #7 – Everything All At Once – S20, Ep7 (VIDEO and AUDIO)

The season 20 finale covers small water, shallow water, drag settings, strip sets, locations, and using the rod to control the fish.

PODCAST: Fighting Big Fish #6 – The Last Ten Feet, and In the Net – S20, Ep6 (VIDEO and AUDIO)

This podcast is all about the the end of the fight, where the fish is within range and just about ready for the scoop. A lot can go wrong at the end of a fight, so there’s a lot that needs to be done right . . .

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 . . .

PODCAST: Fighting Big Fish #4 – Planning, Positioning and The Fighting Stance – S20, Ep4 (VIDEO and AUDIO)

Fighting trout in a river, creek or stream is all about the currents. So for this episode of our seven part skills series on fighting big fish, we talk about fighting fish upstream, downstream or across. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each angle? And what about current depth? Should we aim to fight the fish in the lower, middle or top part of the water column? And finally, we talk about the fighting zones in a river, meaning, what types of water are a safe choice for fighting the biggest trout of your life?

PODCAST: Fighting Big Fish #1 – The Hooks Set and What Comes First – S20, Ep1 (VIDEO and AUDIO)

Jul 26, 2026 | Announcements, Catch and Release Safely, Fighting Fish, The Troutbitten Podcast

For Season 20 of the Troutbitten Podcast, we have seven episodes lined up for a Skills Series that’s all about how to land the biggest fish of your life.

Because, when you do hook the big one — that one you’ve been waiting for — a Whiskey, a Namer or the best fish of your life, you want the skills for fighting big fish with confidence. You want these habits to be engrained into your muscle memory, because you don’t have time to think about this stuff when the biggest fish of your life shows up . . .

VIDEO/AUDIO: Riverside — Fighting Big Fish — Keep ‘Em Down

Oct 16, 2025 | Big Trout, Fighting Fish, Tactics

A top-tier river trout is a beast. The inherent nature of a river, with the endless obstacles, rocks, tree parts, current breaks, high gradient runs and undercut banks challenges the angler at every bend. So when you finally hook up with a Whiskey, a new game begins. It’s a match up between trout and fisherman. Who will win that fight?

Bringing a trout to the net requires a series of accurate calculations, thoughtful moves and a good dose of luck. But with a few guiding principles and a bit of experience, you can minimize the luck required and get a good handle on the outcome. One of the best of those principles, is to keep ’em down . . .

VIDEO: The Casting, Drifting and Fighting Position – It’s All the Same

Jul 17, 2025 | Fighting Fish, Fly Casting, Tactics, Videos

Some very common ways of doing things out there are just wrong, in the sense that doing it that way hurts the angler’s effectiveness. There are a few of these bad habits that stand out to me every day.

Hanging your arms out there is the worst of them.

When casting, drifting, stripping, hook setting and fighting fish, the arms should be in, with the elbows in a natural position. Think of it as your fighting stance. It’s an athletic position, your baseline posture, and you’re read for anything. Arms extended is a bad way to spend any day. It limits your range of motion, changes your reaction time and put’s you in a tough spot to land a fish.

Hookset Direction — Downstream

Jul 12, 2023 | Big Trout, Fighting Fish, Tactics

A good fight starts with a solid hookset. We want it fast, sharp and — here’s the key — downstream, as much as possible . . .

Podcast: How to Fight Bigger Trout — S3-Ep4

Apr 17, 2022 | Announcements, Big Trout, Fighting Fish, The Troutbitten Podcast

Something electric happens when we hook into the fish of the day, the fish of the season or maybe the fish of a lifetime. Our hearts beat faster. The adrenaline pumps because the stakes are raised. This is the fish we’ve been waiting for, and we don’t want to lose the opportunity.

Fighting Big Fish With Side Pressure — What It Is, How To Use It

May 23, 2021 | Big Trout, Catch and Release Safely, Fighting Fish, Tactics | 37 Comments

The art of a good trout fight is in taking them to the point where we have more control over their body than they do. Side pressure pulls the trout from its lane. While the fish faces the current and tries to hold a seam, side pressure moves that trout from its comfort zone and forces it to work against the force of our bent fly rod — all while keeping the trout low. And while we never want to play a trout to exhaustion, the art of a good trout fight is in taking them to the point where we have more control over their body than they do.

Troutbitten on the WadeOutThere Podcast

Mar 31, 2021 | Announcements, Fighting Fish, Nymphing | 3 Comments

I had the pleasure of talking shop with Jason Shemchuk of the WadeOutThere podcast. It’s a tactical but casual conversation that digs deep. I probably talked too fast and too often, and I got excited about the material, as usual. But those who know me will tell you that this is about as much DOM as there is anywhere on tape. That’s a tribute to Jason, because he’s easy to talk with and steers an interview with grace . . .

Lost Trout Are Your Fault — Streamer Fishing Myth v Truth

Nov 5, 2020 | Fighting Fish, Streamers, Tactics | 11 Comments

A good streamer bite comes with a shot of adrenaline, especially when the strips are fast and aggressive. As we see a wild trout attack the fly, our natural reaction is one of excitement. We set the hook, and all too often we continue the fast and aggressive motions of our retrieve. The trout never has a chance to get back down through the water column, and we mistakenly fight the fish fast and near the surface. Unfortunately, that’s the worst place for a trout, if you want it to stay attached.

Fighting Big Fish — How Strong Are Your Tools?

Nov 24, 2019 | Big Trout, Catch and Release Safely, Fighting Fish, Tactics | 24 Comments

It takes about five minutes to feel the flex of a rod and learn the breaking strength of our chosen tippet. And a simple experiment is all that’s needed. Once you’ve tested both the tippet and the rod’s strength, a new confidence follows. Then, when the fish of your dreams shows up, you are ready.

When you know the maximum pressure available from your fly rod and tippet , you can put more pressure on a trout and bring him in quickly . . .

Fighting Big Fish — Keep ‘Em Down

Jun 30, 2019 | Big Trout, Catch and Release Safely, Fighting Fish, Tactics | 19 Comments

Fly Fishing Quick Tips — Put the fish on the reel

Jun 24, 2019 | Big Trout, Fighting Fish, Tips | 3 Comments

With a ten inch trout, none of this really matters. The little guys don’t challenge your tackle or fish-fighting skills. But with a trout longer than your arm, if you don’t put the fish on the reel, problems are right around the corner.

Whether you have a high-end disc drag or you palm the spool with an old-school click-and pawl, getting the line on the reel is the first order of business. It’s the only reliable method of fighting fish . . .