9 Winter Fly Fishing Mistakes (and the Fix for Each)
Starting too early, drifting too fast, fishing flies too big, stepping onto shelf ice: nine winter mistakes I see on trout water, and how to fix each one.
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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
The Suspended Animation Technique: Mastering the Art of Fishing Suspended Fish
Those marks suspended over open water are fish, and most anglers never reach them. How to find their depth and put a fly right in it.
The Insect Factory Approach: Finding and Fishing Bug Production Zones
Most of a lake's insects are born in a small fraction of its water. Find those shallow production zones and you've found the feeding fish.
The Ambush Predator System: Fish Like You're Hunting Bass in Structure
Big lake trout hunt structure the way bass do. Borrowing bass tactics — precise casts, aggressive retrieves — to target them where they ambush.
Sight Fishing Cruisers: The Stillwater Stalking Game
Watching a fish, timing the cast and seeing the take — stillwater sight fishing turns lake fishing into a hunt.
The Thermal Highway Method: Finding Fish Superhighways in Stillwater
Fish move along predictable thermal routes in a stratified lake. How to find those lanes and fish them instead of guessing at open water.
10 Ways to Stay Warm Fly Fishing in Winter
Winter fishing is great until your toes go numb. Here are 10 ways to stay warm on a cold river, from merino layers and wader fit to mittens and a...
13 Wading Safety Tips Every Fly Angler Should Know
Thirteen wading safety tips for fly anglers: belts, staffs, footwork, boots and studs, felt rules, dam releases, cold water, falls and fishing alone.
12 Fall Fly Fishing Tips for Trout That Actually Work
Twelve fall fly fishing tips for trout: timing, BWO hatches, low-water leaders, streamers for pre-spawn browns, redd etiquette, layering and staying safe on short days.
Shoulder Season Fly Fishing Trips: What You Save and What You Give Up
Shoulder season is not the off season. It is the week or three on either side of peak, and whether it is a steal depends on what peak was built...
Fly Fishing Trip With a Non-Fishing Partner: What to Ask the Lodge
The competition writes destination lists. This one is about the structural question that decides the week - fishing lodge that tolerates non-anglers, or resort with a fishing program - plus...
Flying With Fly Rods and Gear: Airline Rules, Rod Tubes, and Bush Plane Weight Limits
Most guides stop at "rods can be carry-on, check with your airline." This one walks the three rulebooks in order — TSA, the commercial carrier, then the float plane that...
How Physically Demanding Is a Fly Fishing Trip? An Honest Look at Wading, Walking, and Long Days
A trip-type-by-trip-type look at what a fly fishing week actually asks of your body, from a drift boat seat to eight miles of loose rock, and how to book a...
Is This Trip Right for My Skill Level? An Honest Fly Fishing Self-Check
Almost no destination fly fishing trip needs an expert — but some need one specific skill. Here is how to test yours at home, and which two trips a guide...
Booking a Fly Fishing Trip Solo: Single Supplements and Sharing a Boat
Solo anglers are a big share of destination lodge bookings and almost nobody writes for them. Here's how single supplements actually work, how lodges pair anglers in a boat, and...
How Far in Advance Should You Book a Fly Fishing Trip?
Lead time is set by how few weeks a fishery fishes and how few anglers a lodge takes - not by price. Christian Bacasa gives the ratio, a trip-type timeline,...
23 Questions to Ask Before You Book a Fly Fishing Lodge or Guide
A printable, six-part question list for vetting a lodge or guide, built around the one thing other checklists skip: how to tell a straight answer from a brochure answer.
Tipping at a Fly Fishing Lodge: Guides, Staff, and What to Budget
The guide envelope, the back-of-house tip pool, and the cash logistics nobody writes down for a remote lodge week. Grounded in gratuity guidance four real operations publish themselves.
Deposits, Cancellation Policies, and Trip Insurance for Fly Fishing Trips
Deposits hold a week, not a credit. Balance dates land 60-120 days out. Here's what standard trip cancellation, Cancel For Any Reason, baggage delay and medical evacuation actually do for...
Before You Book: The Fly Fishing Trip Questions Anglers Actually Ask
The hub for FFIP's Before You Book series. Christian Bacasa walks the eight decisions every destination fly fishing trip runs through, with an 18-month booking timeline you can work from.