Grass Carp vs. Common Carp on the Fly: How to Tell Them Apart and Catch Both
No whiskers, different menu, different fly. Christian breaks down how grass carp and common carp differ, how to fish each on the fly and why the rules vary so much...
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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
Best Carp Flies: The Carp Fly Box Patterns That Actually Get Eaten
What carp eat, the traits every good carp fly shares, who really designed the Backstabber, Headstand and Hybrid, color by bottom type, and a starter carp box.
The Drag-and-Drop Method for Carp, Step by Step
Cast past the fish, skate the fly into its lane and let it fall beside its head. Guest-tested steps, a carp reaction table, fly weights and a park practice drill.
Catching Carp You Can't See: Fly Fishing Murky, Brackish and Off-Color Water
Can't sight fish your carp water? How to find carp by their mud, bubbles and wakes, fish tides and brackish flats, and choose flies and tippet for low visibility.
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.
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...
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.
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.
When to Move the Fly: Induced Takes vs the Perfect Dead Drift
Dead drift or active drift? How to read refusals, time the Leisenring lift, and add the movement that turns following trout into hooked trout.
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.
Six Reasons Trout Refuse Your Dry Fly (and the Fix for Each)
When a trout looks at your dry fly and swims away, it is telling you something. Here are the six fixes for dry fly refusals, in the order I check...
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.
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.
What Big Trout Really Eat: Picking Flies for Trophy Fish
Big trout eat small bugs far more than most anglers admit. Here is the forage-first way to pick flies for trophy trout, and when big streamers pay off.
Big Streamers for Big Browns: How to Size Your Fly to the Forage
Big browns eat smaller prey than you think. Here's how to size streamers for trophy brown trout, when a big meat fly pays off, and when to go smaller.
Light, Standard or Heavy: Picking the Right Dry Dropper Rig
Light, standard or heavy dry dropper rig? Compare dropper length, fly weight and water type, plus how to keep the dry fly floating all day long.
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.
The Western Trout Fly Box: 10 Patterns That Work From Utah to Montana
Ten western trout flies, the sizes to carry, when to fish each one, and a Utah and Rockies season table, with in-stock links to build the whole fly box.