Good beer is good. Craft beer can be great, and it can also be three steps below Milwaukee's Best — so let's pair a few of the better ones with foam flies.

Today we're exploring how to enhance your fishing with the perfect combination of foam patterns and craft beers. Whether you're streamside or in the backyard, here's how to match your tactics with a refreshing beer. Pick your local craft brewery, draw the lines, and whet your appetite.

Foam Beetles & oatmeal stout

The foam beetle is as resilient and appealing as a well-crafted oatmeal stout. Known for robust profiles, both the beetle pattern and this stout enhance cool-weather trips. The beetle's effectiveness at luring fish complements the stout's rich coffee and chocolate flavours, making for a perfect fireside companion.

Beetles are a great changeup during any major hatch, though not an everyday affair.

Chernobyl Ants & American IPA

The bold Chernobyl Ant, with its striking presence, is perfectly suited to an American IPA's hoppy intensity. Ideal for anglers who appreciate a bit of flair in their fly and their brew, this pairing promises a complex experience full of citrus and floral notes, reflecting the audacious spirit of both.

Foam fly patterns laid out beside a craft beer

Foam Poppers & American pale ale

The foam popper, known for exciting surface splashes, pairs wonderfully with an American pale ale. The beer's balanced hops and subtle malt mirror the popper's dynamic action on the water, perfect for warm, active days.

Both are staples for any outdoor enthusiast looking for reliable and enjoyable choices. Nothing like sitting in a john boat ripping poppers. Ours is the Micro Popper Assortment.

Grasshoppers & Belgian witbier

Capture the essence of summer with a grasshopper foam fly and a Belgian witbier. The fly's lifelike appearance and the beer's refreshing hints of coriander and orange peel complement each other beautifully, enhancing warm weather adventures.

It's a light, airy pairing designed for sunny days and gentle rivers. The Hopper Dropper Assortment covers the rig, and it's the single best searching setup of late summer.

Gurglers & pilsner

For anglers who favour simplicity and efficiency, the Gurgler and a classic pilsner are the ideal match. The Gurgler's straightforward topwater action and the clean, crisp taste of a pilsner offer a dependable and refreshing experience, suitable for any condition.

This pairing is about enjoying the basics at their best. The Backcountry Gurgler Assortment is the fly.

Enhance your fishing with craft beer

By integrating these foam patterns with selected craft beers, you're not just fishing — you're creating an experience. The best fishing trips are those where every element, from the fly to the final sip, is thoughtfully chosen.

The obvious caveat: save the beer for after the wading. Foam flies float. You should not have to.

Building a foam box

Foam patterns are the workhorses of summer topwater fishing. Beyond the ones above, the First Cast Beginner Dry Flies Assortment rounds out the surface box, and for warmwater work the Bass Taper fly line is what actually turns over big air-resistant foam — a trout taper simply won't. See all fly pattern assortments.

Cheers to a successful day of fishing and savouring craft beers. Tight lines and tasty brews.

Try these next: dry flies and fine wines, streamers and whiskey, or nymphs and rum.