Seasonal Fishing and Hatch Matching FAQ
How the fishing changes month to month, what drives a hatch, and how to plan trips around the calendar instead of guessing.
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Alaska Will Change Forever: Go Now
Alaska, a land renowned for its wild, untouched landscapes and abundant wildlife, offers some of the most spectacular fly fishing experiences in the world. But with increasing popularity and looming...
Fly Fishing Insider Podcast Blog
Identifying a March Brown Hatch
The March Brown opens the dry fly season. Why the sparse trickle works in your favour, the two different insects sharing the name, and how to fish cold spring afternoons.
Identifying a Green Drake Hatch
The Green Drake is the hatch anglers plan their year around. Why big trout change their behaviour for it, when it peaks, and how to follow it up the valley.
Identifying a Hendrickson Hatch
The Hendrickson reopens the eastern season. The 50-degree rule that tells you when it starts, the Red Quill confusion, and why afternoons beat mornings.
Identifying a Trico Hatch and Spinner Fall
Tricos hatch overnight and fall spent by mid-morning. Reading the clock, why size 22 on 6X matters, and how to fish the spinner fall that makes the whole event.
Fishing Terrestrials: Hoppers, Ants, Beetles and Crickets
Terrestrials do not hatch, they fall in. How wind, bank grass and time of day decide where trout eat hoppers, ants and beetles through the hottest part of summer.
Identifying a Salmonfly and Golden Stone Hatch
Stoneflies hatch on land, not on the water. Why that single fact means fishing the banks, when the salmonfly peaks river by river, and how to fish golden stones.
Identifying a Pale Morning Dun (PMD) Hatch
Pale Morning Duns are the defining hatch of a western summer. How to identify them, when they emerge by region, and why trout eat the emerger instead of your dun.
Terrestrial Dry Fly Fishing Mastery: Ants, Beetles, and Hopper Techniques
When the Land Feeds the Water: The Terrestrial Advantage Terrestrial dry fly fishing opens up opportunities that aquatic insect imitations simply cannot provide. When ants fall from overhanging trees, beetles...
Why Ant Patterns Are So Successful in Fly Fishing
I still remember that sweltering August afternoon on Pennsylvania's Kettle Creek when I learned to never underestimate the humble ant pattern. The mayfly hatches had long since faded, water levels...
Why Stoneflies Should be a Staple Nymph Pattern in Your Box
Stoneflies from a fly fishing perspective are a staple food. These aquatic insects are essential for river ecosystems and present year round. If you are looking for a basic pattern...
How to Identify a Midge Fly and Hatch for Fly Fishing
Midges run size 20 and smaller, hatch year-round, and are the most reliable food source on most trout water. How to identify one and read the hatch when it happens.
Identifying a Mayfly Hatch
Upright sail-like wings, a tapered body and two or three long tails mean mayfly. How to spot the hatch, read the rise form, and pick the stage the trout are...
Mayfly - Stages of an Insect
Mayflies pass through four stages that matter to an angler — nymph, emerger, dun and spinner. What each one looks like, how trout eat it, and the pattern that covers...
OSSCP Fly Selection Formula for Success
OSSCP is my fly selection formula — Observation, Silhouette, Size, Color, Presentation. Why the first and last matter far more than the pattern in your hand.
How to Fish a Caddis Fly
Caddis give you four fishable stages and each one wants a different presentation. The dead drift, the Leisenring lift and the evening skitter — how to fish each.
Identifying a Caddis Fly and Hatch
Caddis have tent-shaped hairy wings, long antennae and no tails. How to tell one from a mayfly, read the life cycle, and know which stage the trout are actually eating.
How to Fish a Blue Winged Olive (BWO) Pattern
Blue Winged Olives show up when nothing else will, usually on the ugliest days of the year. How to match the stage, drift it clean, and fish the spinner fall.
Identifying the Blue Winged Olive (BWO) Fly and Hatch
Blue Winged Olives are small olive mayflies that come off on cold, grey, drizzly days when nothing else will. How to identify one and read the subtle sip that gives...