How a Fly Leader Works: Butt, Taper and Tippet Explained
Why does your dry fly land in a pile? Learn how the butt section, taper and tippet work together, the 60/20/20 leader rule, and when to bend it.
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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
Mid-Drift Roll Mends: Reset Your Line Without Spooking the Run
Long drifts going wrong halfway down? The roll cast mend lifts a far belly off fast current and resets the drift without a noisy recast. Here is how.
Two-Streamer Rigs: How to Fish a Big-and-Small Streamer Combo
Two streamers on one leader move more fish than one. Here is how I rig the lead fly and trailer, the pause that gets the eat, and the regs to...
Matching Your Streamer Retrieve to Current Speed and Water Temperature
Fast water needs short strips. Slow, cold water needs long pauses. Here's the current-speed and temperature table I use to pick a streamer retrieve.
Why Trout Refuse Your Nymph: Diagnosing Drift, Depth and Lane
Refusals are data. Here's the four-variable checklist I use to tell whether trout are rejecting your drift or your position, and what to change first.
The Swap-Out Euro Leader: One Nymphing Leader Built From Interchangeable Sections
Two tippet rings turn a euro nymphing leader into three swappable modules. Swap sighter or tippet in 30 seconds without ever shortening your leader.
Less False Casting, More Fishing: How to Keep Your Fly on the Water
Stop false casting and fish more: the time-on-water math, water-loaded casts, roll cast pickups, and when drying a dry fly justifies one extra false cast.
The First Two Seconds: What to Do the Moment Your Streamer Hits the Water
Most streamer anglers lose the eat in the first two seconds. Here's how to trap slack, match your first move to the cast angle, and strip set every time.
Suspended Nymph, Floating Sighter: A Tight-Line Approach to Dry Dropper
How to fish a tight line dry dropper: build the Y, hold the dry, steer the nymph, and read the three strike windows trout give you in pocket water.
Tailing Loops and Weak Casts: Fixing Creep and the Early Stop
Creep and the early stop are the fly casting mistakes that kill loop energy. Spot both from the side with your phone, then rebuild the stroke at 20 feet.
Tight-Line Dry Fly Fishing: Using Your Mono Rig on the Surface
Fish dry flies on a mono rig: the leader conversion, the lobbing stroke, the mid-drift reset, and the honest limits versus a floating fly line.
How to Get Nymphs Deep in Fast, Heavy Water
Weight on the fly, weight on the leader, or weight in the line. Three deep nymphing techniques for heavy water, plus how far upstream to start the cast.
The Dead Drift Myth: What Drag-Free Really Means Under the Surface
Most dead drifts die to micro drag you never see. Here's what a true drag-free drift looks like underwater, why yours fails, and how to diagnose it fast.
Fishing Dry Flies Downstream: The Fly-First Approach for Spooky Trout
Spooky trout refusing your dry fly? Fish it downstream: fly-first delivery, built-in slack, and the low hook set that turns flat-water refusals into eats.
Change the Tippet Before You Change the Fly: Fixing Drift at the Leader
Trout refusing a matching fly? It's usually drag. Here's why tippet length and diameter matter more than pattern, and my step-by-step diagnostic order.
Building an Indicator Nymphing Leader: The Formula I Actually Fish
The three-section indicator leader I fish: real butt and tippet diameters, a tippet ring for fast depth changes, and how to set your indicator for any run.
Short and Stout: A Leader Formula for Brushy Small Streams
Long leaders collapse in the brush. Here's my 6 to 7.5-foot small stream leader formula for brook trout creeks, plus shortcuts if you'd rather not tie one.
Small Creek Streamers: Big-Fish Tactics for Skinny Trout Water
The biggest trout in a small creek eats other fish. Here is how I approach, cast, and swim small streamers upstream into tight cover without emptying the pool.
Nymph Weight Guide: Bead Sizes, Split Shot and Sink Rates by Water Type
Stop guessing at nymph weight. Bead sizes in millimeters, split shot in grams, and a water-type chart that tells you exactly how heavy to go in every run.
Micro-Leader Nymphing: The Ultralight Mono Rig That Replaced My Euro Leader
Micro-leader Euro nymphing swaps your fly line for level mono straight off the reel. George Daniel's stripped-down rig, built and fished step by step.