VIDEOS
Fish Hard
I published the first Troutbitten video in the spring of 2017, in an effort to show the things that cannot be written or photographed.
Years later, I brought Josh Darling, owner of Wilds Media, into the project. His art, his eye and his film expertise make Josh the perfect partner for this work.
In 2022, Josh and I began the Troutbitten Tips series on the Troutbitten YouTube channel. These are short, helpful and unique tips for a life on the water.
We’ve also added a series called, Fly Fishing the Mono Rig. This ongoing collection of videos highlights the versatility and the nuances of this hybrid fly fishing system.
A dedicated Gear Review series just launched on the channel, and who knows what’s next.
Troutbitten videos teach tactics and share stories that keep the river in our minds and in our hearts.
From the video, The River Doesn’t Owe You Anything. (Fall, 2020) Photo by Josh Darling
WHERE TO WATCH
All Troutbitten videos are found on the Troutbitten YouTube channel.
Explore the playlists. Subscribe to the channel, and Leave a comment.
Every Troutbitten Video also has a companion article, with more information and an embedded video link.
Thanks for watching.
Mono Rigs and Euro Leaders — Micro Thin or Standard? (with VIDEO)
This is an absolute keystone to understanding all the information out there about long leader systems. I hope you enjoy it.
Just like the fly lines that these long leaders substitute for, the range and variety of leader formulas leads to a lot of confusion.
Mono Rigs, euro rigs, tight line or contact rigs: Yes, there’s a difference in those terms. But everything we’ll consider here applies to them all. Basically, if what is outside of your rod guides is the leader only (or even just a thin euro fly line), then it helps to understand how the leader build affects our possibilities for how we might fish . . .
15 Knot Tying Tips (with VIDEO)
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.
Troutbitten Fly Box — The Craft Fur Jig and The Craft Fur Streamer (with VIDEO)
Some flies do one thing really well. Other flies are your workhorse on the water, lending solutions to river problems by being adaptable. These are the flies we reach for over and over. These are the flies we tie first and keep well stocked. This is the Craft Fur . . .
Five Keys to Reading the Sighter (with VIDEO)
Control. Options. Precision. These are the most attractive aspects of fishing a tight line system, and the sighter is the key to it all.
A sighter is more than a strike indicator. It also shows depth, angle, speed and contact. It points to our flies and takes away the guesswork. For an angler who learns to read all of this on the sighter, that colored line above the water provides a most significant advantage to the underwater game . . .
(VIDEO) Finding Your Best Fishing Angles
Choosing your casting position based on visibility, working with the light rather than fighting against it, is not an intuitive decision. But by simply moving our body, by wading up, down or over, we change the light, the highlights and the glare on the water. In this way we can see through a section of river from the left side that was under impossible glare from the right . . .
(VIDEO) The Tight Line Advantage for Nymphs, Indicators, Streamers and Dry Dropper
For effective, convincing underwater presentations of flies to a trout, the tight line advantage is the cornerstone concept. Nothing else is more important.
Because a river is composed of changing and moving seams, defeating that unwanted drag is the nymph angler’s ongoing battle. How do we defeat that drag? With the tight line advantage. Watch this video to see it in action.
Troutbitten Fly Box — The Blue Collar Worker (with VIDEO)
Show up on time, do your job and have a little fun while you’re at it. Then go home and do it all over again tomorrow. That’s a blue collar worker. It’s a Pheasant Tail with a CDC collar. It has a little disco for the rib and a hot spot collar. It’s simple, reliable and effective . . .
(VIDEO) Three Great Ways to Create Tag Droppers
With three good solutions for creating tag droppers, there’s a method for every moment. And by getting each of these under your fingers, by practicing them and being comfortable, you’ll find uses for all of these methods as you work up a river.
100 Day Gear Review: Smith Creek Rod Rack (with VIDEO)
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 rigged and ready to fish presents some challenges.
For years now, the Smith Creek Rod Rack has been my perfect solution. The Rock Rack stores up to seven rods inside the vehicle, keeping them secure and away from passengers — from kids, dogs or mishaps. Attachment is easy, the design is smart and the Smith Creek build is solid.
(VIDEO) Four Moments to Shoot Line
Part of what distinguishes fly fishing from other styles of fishing is retrieving line by hand. But then we need to get the line back out there. When should we shoot the line back through the rod guides? No one ever seems to talk about these options. But there are four of them.
We can shoot line on the pickup, on the backcast, on the forward cast and on the forward cast following the power stroke . . .
(VIDEO) Fly Fishing the Mono Rig — You Need a Line Hand
Fishing a full Mono Rig system allows for abundant versatility — but not without the line hand. You have two hands, so use them both. Get that second hand off your hip, and use it for slack recovery, opening up a range of options, adjustments and efficiencies.
Don’t Hate Split Shot — Have a System (with VIDEO)
You need the right tools, the right shot and the right methods for using all of it. None of this is complicated, but simplicity in fishing is often elusive, until time on the water eventually reveals what is best. Honestly, I believe there’s no better way to carry and use split shot than what is shown here . . .