Put the Heavy Gear on Your Hips
Net, water and wading staff belong on your hips, not your shoulders. A simple wading belt system that saves your neck and steadies you in current.
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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
How to Balance a Fly Rod (and Why Your Hand Hurts)
A tip-heavy fly rod is why your casting hand aches by lunch. Find the balance point in five minutes and fix it with the reel, not your grip.
How to Fish the Portland Hitch for Atlantic Salmon
Newfoundland guide David Hartlin breaks down the Portland hitch, the century-old wet-fly trick that turns sunk flies into explosive surface takes for Atlantic salmon.
Hot Water, Hoot-Owl Closures, and When to Stop Fishing for Trout
When is water too warm for trout? Thermometer thresholds, how hoot-owl restrictions work, and the heat-day routine that keeps released fish alive.
Trout Rising but Refusing Your Fly? A Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Checklist
Rising trout refusing every fly? Read the rise form, fix the drift, then change size, stage and tippet - the checklist that ends refusal evenings.
Tippet Rings: When They Help, When They Don't, and the Knots to Use
Tippet rings save your tapered leader - but not on every rig. Where they help, where they hurt, and the clinch and Davy knots that hold them.
Reading Trout Water: Seams, Buckets and Feeding Lanes Made Simple
That deep pool looks fishy, but trout feed on seams and edges. Here's how to spot seams, buckets and feeding lanes, and the order to fish every run.
Casting in Tight Cover: Bow-and-Arrow, Roll and Sidearm for Brushy Creeks
Losing flies in the willows? Here are the four casts that work on brushy creeks, plus how rod length and approach angle decide which one to use.
Cast Farther by Aiming Higher: Line Speed, Hauls and Trajectory
Aiming at the trout is why long casts die short. Here is how line speed, a high stop, the double haul and a clean release add real fly casting distance.
Drifting Streamers Dead: A Cold-Water Presentation for Big Browns
In cold water, big brown trout follow a stripped streamer and refuse it. Here is how to rig and dead drift a sculpin so they eat it instead of watching...
The Hopper Leader: Turning Over Big Dry Flies Without Hinging
Your hopper keeps landing in a pile of slack. Here is the leader taper, tippet X size and tippet length that turns a size 8 foam fly over on every...
Two-Fly Nymph Rigs: Tandem Setups That Cover Twice the Water
Tandem nymph rigs let you test two depths and two patterns on every drift. Here's how to build one, space it, weight it, and keep it from tangling.
Mono Rig Leader Formula: Build One Rig You Can Fish All Day
Build one 27-foot mono rig leader and swap only the bottom six feet. Full diameters, lengths, knots, and four technique modules for a whole season.
Why Your Indicator Drags (and the Mends That Fix It)
Most anglers wreck the drift with the mend itself. Here's how to move fly line without moving your strike indicator: reach casts, stack mends, timing.
Tight Line Nymphing: The Mono Rig Setup That Finds Fish in Any Current
A mono rig replaces fly line with 28 feet of monofilament. Here's the build sheet, the sighter read, and how I adapt tight line nymphing to any current.
The Hybrid Nymph Rig: Adding an Indicator to Your Tight Line for Deep, Slow Water
The hybrid nymph rig for deep, slow water: add an indicator to your mono rig leader, keep the low-sag drift, and fish the pools you keep walking past.
Bottom Bounce, Strike Zone or Tracking: Choosing Your Nymph Depth Strategy
Dead drift is three techniques, not one. Bottom bounce, strike zone and tracking — how each is rigged, when each wins, and how to pick the right depth.
Dry Fly Dead Drift: How to Get a Clean Float Every Cast
A clean dry fly dead drift comes from putting slack in the right place. Here is how I read micro drag, build the leader, and cast for a drag-free float.
Leading vs Tracking: The Tight-Line Skill That Doubles Your Hookups
Leading your nymphs is the tight-line skill that turns invisible takes into hooked trout. Rod-tip lead, sighter angles, drills and the rig that makes it work.
The Only Knots a Trout Angler Needs: A Field-Tested Set of Six
Tired of break-offs and knot cards? These six fly fishing knots cover every trout connection, plus a when-to-use table and a simple practice plan.