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.
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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 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.
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.
10 Essential Nymph Patterns for Tailwater Trout
Ten tailwater nymph patterns that earn a spot in the box, from zebra midges and scuds to worms and eggs, with sizes, colors and rigging notes for picky trout.
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...
Where to Put the Fly: Leading Cruising Carp, Head-On Shots and Spotting the Eat
Which carp shots to take and which to pass, how much to lead cruisers, sink-time math for 2 vs. 4 feet, a quiet approach, the tells of an eat and...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.