Good anglers catch more trout. So let’s get that out the way. There is no substitute for your desire to work hard and solve the daily river puzzles. Put in your time, put out some great presentations, and trout will eat the fly — the price tag on your rod doesn’t...
I field a lot of questions about leaders and fly rods. Those two pieces of gear, along with fly choice, seem to make the top of the list for every angler. We all have our terms and conditions for comparing things like a fly rod. And one of the descriptions I find most...
** Note ** Links for buying the Smith Creek Rod Rack are after the video and at the end of this article. (Your support is appreciated.) Transporting a fly rod is not as straightforward as it may seem. But it can be. For many of us, our preference to keep the fly rod...
This article has a newer version It was updated in 2025, and you can find it there: The Best Fly Rods for the Mono Rig, Tight Line and Euro Nymphing -- My Favorite Rods Enjoy the day. Domenick Swentosky T R O U T B I T T E N domenick@troutbitten.com...
Rod tip recovery is the defining characteristic of a quality fly rod versus a mediocre one.
Cast the rod and watch it flex. Now see how long it takes for the rod tip to stop shaking. Watch for a complete stop, all the way to a standstill — not just the big motions, but the minor shuddering at the end too.
Good rods recover quickly. They may be fast or slow. They may be built for power or subtly, but they recover quickly. They return to their original form in short order.
Here’s why . . .
Here is part two of a short Troutbitten series answering frequently asked questions about the Mono rig.
What rods and reels are a good choice? Why choose one over another? How do we cast these long leaders anyway? Are there certain crucial techniques to use for gaining accuracy and distance? What about sighters? And can we use split shot in addition to weighted flies?
This winter I’ll begin writing a book about the Mono Rig, compiling much of the material written here on Troutbitten, organizing it into a cohesive presentation and filling in the gaps. As I look ahead to that writing, I’ve been reading back through all the questions I’ve received about the Mono Rig. Many of the same queries pop up time and again.
This short series of articles separates those common questions into groups. All of these questions and answers will eventually make their way to a full FAQ section on the Mono Rig page.
This first article is about lines, rigging and skeptics: What lines? How long? How to change? And what should all this really be called anyway? . . .
The fly fly rod quick dip is a problem-solving essential. Some things in fly fishing are obvious right away. The concepts of casting and drifting a fly are intuitive for most anglers after just a bit of instruction and a few trips of experience. And a lot of what we take for granted or think is obvious has become second nature only after fishing for a long, long time.
Specialized rods are exactly that — special rods for particular circumstances. Such rods make sense when I’m in a boat, where I can easily switch from one rod to another, or if I’m planning a short one-hour trip where I’ll fish only one tactic. However, my day to day...
Leave it to Devin Olsen of Tactical Fly Fisher to make a physics equation out of the length of a fly rod vs the actual reach of the fly rod. No, really. Leave it to Devin. I’ve often wondered and commented to friends that the 10 foot rod seems to reach a lot further...