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...
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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 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.
Why Your Indicator Drags (and the Mends That Fix It)
Most anglers wreck the drift with the mend itself. Here's how to move fly line without moving your strike indicator: reach casts, stack mends, timing.
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.
The Hybrid Nymph Rig: Adding an Indicator to Your Tight Line for Deep, Slow Water
The hybrid nymph rig for deep, slow water: add an indicator to your mono rig leader, keep the low-sag drift, and fish the pools you keep walking past.
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.
Dry Fly Dead Drift: How to Get a Clean Float Every Cast
A clean dry fly dead drift comes from putting slack in the right place. Here is how I read micro drag, build the leader, and cast for a drag-free float.
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.
Mono Rig vs Fly Line for Nymphing: Which One Actually Drifts Better
A guide's honest comparison of the mono rig and fly line for nymphing — sag, contact, wind, range, hook sets, plus how to run both systems on one rod.
Leading vs Tracking: The Tight-Line Skill That Doubles Your Hookups
Leading your nymphs is the tight-line skill that turns invisible takes into hooked trout. Rod-tip lead, sighter angles, drills and the rig that makes it work.
Mending Fly Line the Right Way: Common Errors and Easy Fixes
Late mends, oversized mends and upstream-by-habit mends cost more trout than no mend at all. Here are the six mending errors I see most and how to fix each.
The Distance Advantage: Why Fishing From Farther Back Catches More Trout
Most trout spook before you ever cast. Learn how far back to stand, the approach angle that keeps you hidden, and drills to fish accurately from 35 to 50 feet.
The Only Knots a Trout Angler Needs: A Field-Tested Set of Six
Tired of break-offs and knot cards? These six fly fishing knots cover every trout connection, plus a when-to-use table and a simple practice plan.
How a Fly Leader Works: Butt, Taper and Tippet Explained
Why does your dry fly land in a pile? Learn how the butt section, taper and tippet work together, the 60/20/20 leader rule, and when to bend it.
Why Your Knots Break: Habits That End Break-Offs for Good
Losing fish to curly pigtails and snapped tippet? Six simple knot habits, from lubricating and seating to tippet age and wind knots, end break-offs for good.
Mid-Drift Roll Mends: Reset Your Line Without Spooking the Run
Long drifts going wrong halfway down? The roll cast mend lifts a far belly off fast current and resets the drift without a noisy recast. Here is how.
Sink Tip or Mono? Choosing a Streamer System for Your River
Sink tip or tight-line rig for streamers? A verdict table by river size, depth and boat vs wade, plus the real sink rates behind each line class.
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...