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...
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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 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.
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.
Euro Nymphing or Indicator? A River-by-River Decision Guide
Euro nymphing or indicator? The river decides. A decision table by depth, distance, current and wind, plus how to fish both rigs without two rods.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Trippin On Trout: The 15 Most-Watched Videos, Broken Down
Alex's 15 most-watched Trippin On Trout videos, ranked by views, each with a breakdown of the New Zealand backcountry tactics behind it.
Fly Fishing the Big Hole River, Montana: Salmonflies, Grayling, and the Rules Nobody Mentions
Big Hole River hatch timing, the catch-and-release rules below Dickie Bridge, weekend nonresident float closures, hoot-owl risk and real lodge costs.
Identifying a March Brown Hatch
The March Brown opens the dry fly season. Why the sparse trickle works in your favour, the two different insects sharing the name, and how to fish cold spring afternoons.
Identifying a Green Drake Hatch
The Green Drake is the hatch anglers plan their year around. Why big trout change their behaviour for it, when it peaks, and how to follow it up the valley.
Identifying a Hendrickson Hatch
The Hendrickson reopens the eastern season. The 50-degree rule that tells you when it starts, the Red Quill confusion, and why afternoons beat mornings.
Identifying a Trico Hatch and Spinner Fall
Tricos hatch overnight and fall spent by mid-morning. Reading the clock, why size 22 on 6X matters, and how to fish the spinner fall that makes the whole event.