These fishing environments, and the goals and obsessions that come with trout fishing, are good for me. And I think they are good for my boys too. . . . So, while I’m becoming an expert in patching bicycle tires and skinned knees, the boys are learning how to catch wild brown trout. It’s all possible now. This is the summer I’ve been waiting for . . .

(VIDEO) Fly Fishing the Mono Rig — Casting vs Lobbing

Turnover is the fundamental difference between spin casting and fly casting. And all good fly casts, with fly line or otherwise, allow the line/leader to turnover in the air and then hit the water. That’s the difference between casting and lobbing. Without good turnover, we are simply lobbing the line.

Remember this: lobbing is limiting. And a good casting approach, with great turnover, introduces a wide range of options . . .

Podcast: An Introduction to Night Fishing for Trout — S3-Ep14

Ambition is the fundamental characteristic of every good night fisher. We wade into the darkness for the experience. And we quickly realize that the night game is an unwritten book, with just a few clues and an infinite room for learning new things. Each exhilarating hit and every trout in the net is a unique reward, because night fishing requires that you assemble the puzzle yourself.

In this episode, I’m joined by my friends, Trevor Smith and Josh Darling, for an overview on night fishing for trout . . .

Casting and Drifting | Drop Shot Nymphing on a Tight Line Rig — Pt.5

Gaining the bottom, feeling that contact with the riverbed and then gliding over it, tap, ta-tap, tap-a-tap, maybe five to ten times throughout the drift is success. But I’ve noticed that anglers tend to get complacent. Tickling the bottom is only half of the job. And that’s not good enough. We still need to find the right speed for a drift and keep everything in one seam.

Drop shotting puts the angler in ultimate control. Be aware of every element of the drift, and make good choices, because all of them are yours. Control is the advantage of a drop shot rig. Remember this always — your rod tip controls everything . . .

Podcast: The Airing of Grievances — S3-Ep13

Some of the fly fishing industry trends, these habits, these practices, just seem wrong. And the gear, the ads, videos and articles, — a lot of it steers people in the wrong direction.

So we thought we’d have a little fun with this and call out as many issues as we can fit into one podcast. But it’s all in good fun. And quite honestly, most of the things we bring up could certainly benefit from a fair dose of constructive criticism.

Fly Fishing Strategies — Plan for the Hookset

For a moment, let’s consider where the line goes when the hookset doesn’t stick a trout . . .

You strike on the rise and miss a fish. Or, while nymphing, you set when the fly bumps a rock for the forty-fifth time. And the fly goes where?

In wide open meadows and valleys, who cares? With no trees to eat your fly, sloppy hooksets go unpunished. But the rivers I frequent harbor broken tree limbs as earnest gatekeepers. I like dark, shady corners because the trout do. And working around these obstacles forces me to be mindful — to know where every hookset finishes . . .

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 . . .

Tees, Hoodies, Hats
Stickers
and Prints

TROUTBITTEN

FEAR NO SNAG

By Wilds Media
2019

FIND IT HERE

I sunk into the
backcountry
like a ghost
for days at
a time . . .

TROUTBITTEN

Tees, Hoodies, Hats and Stickers

TROUTBITTEN

SHOP

FEAR NO SNAG

By Wilds Media

FIND IT

I sunk into the backcountry, like a ghost for days at a time.

TROUTBITTEN

SHOP

THE TROUTBITTEN SHOP

Welcome, friends. This is the brand new shop side of Troutbitten.

This first generation of the Troutbitten Shop begins with logos and original designs featured on tees, hoodies, hats, stickers and canvas prints.

This is a good start, and it allows me to work out any kinks that may surface. New designs will roll out in the coming seasons. Future generations of the shop may include flies, leaders and who knows what else — everything the Troutbitten crew has asked me to make available for years. All things in due time.

Thanks for visiting, and thank you for your support over the years. Fish hard, friends.

— Domenick Swentosky