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.
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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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Effort on the Water: The Mindset That Separates Good Days From Great Ones
Great fishing days aren't about more hours. Here's the fly fishing mindset that works: real effort on every drift, a steady tempo, and smarter changes.
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.
Tippet Rings Explained: Longer-Lasting Leaders for Less Than a Buck
A tiny metal ring can make one tapered leader last all season. Here's what tippet rings are, which size to buy, how to tie them, and the honest downsides.
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.
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.