Articles in the Category Tactics

Q&A: Split Shot Tangling Issues?

Split shot doesn’t create tangles. Bad casting and bad rigging does. Don’t blame the shot. Have a plan and learn the system.

Troutbitten Shop Fall Sale ’23 — Leaders, Hats, New Trail Merch, Stickers and More

The Troutbitten Fall Sale ’23 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.

How We Cover Water (with VIDEO)

Here are a few ideas and guiding principles that work for me every day on my rivers. I don’t try to cover everything. I don’t make grids, but I do make plans. I like to stay creative and follow the signs that trout give me. And for my wading approach, I break things down into three simple strategies: the typewriter, the zig zag and following up one lane . . .

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 . . .

Leaders, Hats, Stickers Back in the Troutbitten Shop (Spring Sale ’23)

Apr 26, 2023 | Announcements, Nymphing, Streamers, Tactics, The Mono Rig

Troutbitten leaders are back in the Shop. There are some unique features to Troutbitten leaders that make a big difference. These are hand tied leaders in four varieties: Harvey Dry Leader, Standard Mono Rig, Thin Mono Rig, and Micro-Thin Mono Rig. Standard Sighters are also available, and they include a Backing Barrel. The Full Mono Rig Kit contains each of the three Mono Rig leaders, three foam spools and a twenty-inch Rio Bi-Color extension.

All Troutbitten leaders come on a three-inch spool, making long leader changes a breeze . . .

A Good Fishing Pace

Apr 18, 2023 | Commentary, Tactics, Tips

A good fishing pace need not be fast, but it should flow and be efficient. And it might be the most important thing out there.

It comes from intention, from having a plan and following through. Surely, adjusting our plan along the way is part of the fun, but pace remains an element that every angler can set, every day . . .

Reading Water in Levels, Lanes and Seams (with VIDEO)

Apr 13, 2023 | Reading Water, Tactics, Videos

Reading water is a base level skill for every river angler. While mystifying at first, finding the features of moving water becomes second nature in short order. Then, the river opens up and reveals itself, signaling where trout hold, where to cast and how to achieve the necessary presentations.

Levels, lanes and seams are not the structure of a river itself. Instead, the structures of a river — a wide gravel bar, a small island or a midstream boulder create the lanes and seams — the features of your favorite water.

This is how we read a river . . .

How Many Effective Fishing Minutes?

Apr 5, 2023 | Tactics

In an eight hour fishing trip, how many minutes does your nymph spend in the strike zone? What percentage of your time on the water keeps the dry fly in a pure dead drift? And how long is your streamer in great water, looking like something that a trout might want to eat?

If You Can’t Fish Dry Flies, You’re Missing the Point

Apr 2, 2023 | Commentary, Tactics

The fundamental kernel of fly fishing lies in the angler’s ability to cast and manipulate line, leader and tippet, to send not just a fly to the target, but to also control what that fly is attached to, both in the cast and throughout the drift. This is what separates fly fishing from conventional tackle. And nothing teaches or trains an angler better in this concept, revealing the options inherent, better than fishing dry flies . . .

15 Knot Tying Tips (with VIDEO)

Feb 28, 2023 | Tactics, Tips, Videos | 30 Comments

Being a versatile angler comes down to changing things. And on the river, that means tying knots. Good anglers need the facility to tie knots, with ease. This is my best advice for tying quick, clean, strong knots.

Streamer Anglers — Be Like the Drift Boat

Feb 15, 2023 | Streamers, Tactics | 13 Comments

Keep moving. That’s the key to streamer fishing. And moving downstream with the currents makes it possible for hours at a time. Wade down and fish up . . .

Leaders and Hats are Back in the Troutbitten Shop

Feb 10, 2023 | Announcements, Nymphing, Streamers, Tactics, The Mono Rig | 17 Comments

All Troutbitten leaders come on a three-inch spool, making long leader changes a breeze . . .

Let’s Stop Kidding Ourselves — The Bead on a Hook Challenge

Feb 1, 2023 | Commentary, Nymphing, Tactics | 94 Comments

Testing rigs and flies on the water is fun. It provides the next reason to get back out there, and it center-focuses us on something new. Testing also takes the pressure off. You’re not out there to catch every trout. You’re out there to experiment — to investigate and assess results against a theory.

Do trout eat the bead-on-a-hook better than a nymph with dubbing or micro-tubing behind it? Maybe . . .

Mysteries, Mistakes and Misunderstandings | Drop Shot Nymphing on a Tight Line Rig — Pt.6

Jan 25, 2023 | Drop Shot Nymphing, Nymphing, Tactics, The Mono Rig | 15 Comments

Too heavy, clumsy casting and tangles. None of this is true. Drop shot on a tight line is a finesse approach when set up right and fished well.

This article covers strike detection, feel, frequency of bottom contact, weight mistakes, lazy fishing, casting errors and more.

When Gear Gets In the Way

Jan 17, 2023 | Commentary, Tactics | 12 Comments

No matter what we’re into, there’s a time when the learning of skills reaches a critical mass, when it’s time to do rather than read more about it and buy more gear.
. . .There’s a time for learning. There’s time for preparation. And then there’s time for doing — for putting all of it into practice, making the casts, covering water and catching fish . . .