Put the Heavy Gear on Your Hips
Net, water and wading staff belong on your hips, not your shoulders. A simple wading belt system that saves your neck and steadies you in current.
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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
How to Balance a Fly Rod (and Why Your Hand Hurts)
A tip-heavy fly rod is why your casting hand aches by lunch. Find the balance point in five minutes and fix it with the reel, not your grip.
What Mark Kurlansky Taught Us About Saving Salmon
Author Mark Kurlansky traced 400 years of salmon history. His biggest lesson: stop looking for one villain and start fixing the whole system.
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.
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.
Wet Wading on a Budget: Shoes, Socks, and When It's Safe
Wet wading is the cheapest way to fish summer rivers. Christian Bacasa covers budget shoes and socks, traction, and the water temperatures that make it unsafe.
Sling Pack vs. Backpack vs. Chest Pack: Which Fly Fishing Carry System Fits How You Fish
Sling, backpack or chest pack? Christian Bacasa breaks down which fly fishing carry system fits how you actually fish, and what to put in it.
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.
Ranking U.S. States for Fly Fishing: The Fantasy Draft Edition
A good-natured, fact-checked draft of U.S. states for fly fishing, scored on public access law, species variety and season length — sources on every pick.
What Does a Fly Fishing Guide Cost — and Is a Guided Trip Worth It?
Real 2026 guide rates from four FFIP Certified outfitters, what a guided day includes, the red flags of a bad trip, and how to vet a guide before you book.
How Often Should You Actually Catch Fish Fly Fishing? Realistic Expectations by Water Type
There is no universal number. What a good day looks like by water type, from pressured tailwaters to hatch-rich technical rivers and trophy water, with guide insight.
Dry Fly Myths vs. Reality: Why Your Hopper Isn't Getting Eaten
Four dry fly myths that cost anglers eats, why a refused hopper is usually a presentation problem, and how podcast guests read rises and stay hidden instead.
Are You Overthinking Fly Fishing? The Few Things That Actually Move the Needle
Most anglers overthink fly fishing. Christian Bacasa breaks it down to the three decisions that actually catch fish, with simplification lessons from podcast guests.
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.
Reading Trout Water: Seams, Buckets and Feeding Lanes Made Simple
That deep pool looks fishy, but trout feed on seams and edges. Here's how to spot seams, buckets and feeding lanes, and the order to fish every run.
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.
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...
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.