** Here is a VIDEO version of the following article. (Part of the Troutbitten Riverside Series) ** Leading nymphs through a great dead drift is a complex endeavor. It seems simple enough at first — throw the fly upstream and recover the slack. But after some time...
The Troutbitten article, We Wade, now has a video companion. You can find it here. We Wade Enjoy the day. Domenick Swentosky T R O U T B I T T E N domenick@troutbitten.com
Today's article is a favorite from the archives. You can find it here. Everything Has a Flip Side Enjoy the day. Domenick Swentosky T R O U T B I T T E N domenick@troutbitten.com
Nothing turns a good fishing day into a great one like efficient casting. Consistent accuracy puts the fly, leader and line just where we plan. Over and over, great presentations start with a cast full of intention, a cast with purpose, that leads to an effective...
After months of work and preparation, I’m pleased to announce the launch of Troutbitten One-On-One Virtual Skills Sessions. This latest arm of the Troutbitten Project allows for greater connection with more anglers, readers, listeners and viewers than ever before.
These one-on-one skills sessions are held in our Troutbitten online studio, where we record the Troutbitten Podcast. Conversations are tailored to fit your interests, your questions and curiosities. These sessions are recorded (for your use only), and afterward, you’ll receive a video of our meeting, along with notes and links to more Troutbitten resources to help you keep learning.
How can we keep our stuff with us, make it easily accessible and not be slowed down or fatigued by extra weight? Answer: Carry the heavy things on your hips.
Most anglers focus on whether to choose a chest pack, vest, sling pack, hip pack, lanyard or something else. We think of carrying fly boxes, tippet, leaders and other incidentals. But what about the net? What about water, a wading staff, a camera or anything else with extra weight? Carrying these items should not be a secondary consideration. As the heaviest things among your gear, how you carry them is of primary importance.
The heavy stuff is best carried on your hips, so the most critical part of your carrying system is probably the wading belt. And most wading belts are not up to the task.
This is one of the most amazing times to be on the water. Fishing through a snowstorm rekindles memories, ingrained from the novelty of tracking flies and fly line through the optical mystery of falling snow.
. . . This morning, I’m leaning on my favorite set of forgiving flies — just a handful of patterns I’ve noticed that our notoriously picky trout are more willing to move for and eat. These are patterns that draw attention and perhaps curiosity, but also don’t cause many refusals.
You can usually spot the ancient sycamore teetering bank-side, leaning over about thirty degrees, patiently waiting, month after month, year after year, for the day when it slips the bonds of its streamside earth and crashes into the water.
. . . And oh my, those roots. Underneath the massive sycamore sits an exposed tangle of underground limbs — wet, flexible pipes as thick as your leg, with a shadowy cover where no sunlight penetrates.
No forgiveness. No freebies. Just wild trout that require your best effort and then some. From our best trout rivers, we’re dealt a fair game. We know what trout want. They look for something safe to eat. Something familiar. Something easy with a positive calorie reward for their effort. Something natural, with maybe just a little spark.
. . .The fact is, keeping it simple only works when trout agree to your narrow terms.
. . . All those adjustments sounds complicated, right? What happened to simple? Well, it didn’t work so well. And it might actually be simpler (or at least more efficient) to make a few leader adjustments than to fight with dragging dry flies and short drifts all afternoon.