What can we do when the rains come, when the snow melts, or when the floodgates open? Rivers rise in many different ways. From quick and heavy summer thunderstorms, to the steady light rain that remains for days at a time. There’s the gradual release of melting snowpack and then heavy rains on that same snow that pushes high volumes of cold water into the rivers. Then too, there’s the generation of hydroelectric dams where the river might triple in flow, on a schedule. In all of these ways, rive...
Apr 30, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 7Ep. 4
We have a fun conversation for this episode, about what’s more difficult — nymphs or dry flies. This is not a talk about which tactic is better. And this discussion isn’t even about which one we might like more. What is more difficult? Nymphs or dries? This is a valuable exercise and an important discussion . . . Just because nymphing might usually produce more trout, doesn’t mean it is easier. And how many trout we catch on each style is not the point. Try getting true, convincing dead drifts o...
Apr 23, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 7Ep. 3
This is the second episode of our two part discussion on angler pressure. Last time, we talked about how fishing pressure affects the fish — how they respond to more fishermen placing more casts and drifts in the waters around them — how trout change, both short term and long term. And now, we’re building on those thoughts and offering some solutions. Because if trout are adapting their habits in response to us, then we must modify our own approach to stay one step ahead of the fish. I used that...
Apr 16, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Season 7 of the Troutbitten Podcast begins with a two-part discussion on angler pressure. This is a big one. It’s a topic that everyone in the fishing world loves to talk about. People complain about angler pressure, and they have theories about how it changes things. In this episode, we discuss how angler pressure affects the fish. And for the next episode, the topic will be how angler pressure affects the fishing. One topic sets up a good conversation of the other. Angler pressure probably isn...
Apr 09, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Troutbitten is about the pursuit of fishing tactics. It’s about discovering new techniques and improving our skills. We don’t want to hope something will happen out there. We try to make it happen. And that element of fly fishing, where there’s always something new to try, is what is so attractive to those of us who dedicate much of our lives to the river. But there’s another side to this love of pursuing trout. And I once wrote it down in an article this way: "There are two sides to every fishe...
Mar 26, 2023•12 min
Season Seven will begin on April 10th. But in between seasons, I want to catch you up on a few things that are going on with Troutbitten. Just a few years ago, Troutbitten was the website only. I wrote and published articles three times a week. Now it’s a multi-media company with many branches — there’s the podcast, the videos, the online shop, hosted events and, of course, the guide business. Here's what's going on in the Troutbitten world . . . Resources VIDEO: Troutbitten | Mono Rigs and Euro...
Mar 19, 2023•13 min
Here we are at the end of Season 6 -- the Troutbitten Winter Skills Series. This is episode 8 of the series, and I’m here with a full crew of friends to wrap things up, to hear some stories and dig into a few more tips for fly fishing in the winter months. This is a great conversation with my best fishing friends. And this discussion is a nice endcap on a full season dedicated to fly fishing in the winter months. We Cover the Following More streamer tips Rigging Access issues Winter preparation ...
Mar 05, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 6Ep. 8
My good friend, Austin Dando, joins me to address many of the troubles with winter fishing. In this Winter Skills Series, we’ve been through the tactics, with dry flies, streamers and nymphs. We've talked about how to stay warm out there, and we’ve saved this topic for last. There are a host of reasons that anglers stay home in the winter. Some are legitimate -- there's no good solution for the problem, and you learn to deal with it the best you can. We talk about some of those. But other percei...
Feb 26, 2023•56 min•Season 6Ep. 7
With this Troutbitten skills series on winter fishing. We’ve covered locations and expectations, where to find trout, and their wintertime habits. We did two full podcasts on staying warm from head to toe. We talked about fishing nymphs in these waters, streamers in these waters, and now we’re ready to talk about dry flies. Specifically, this conversation is dedicated to what is different or unique about fishing dry flies in the winter, versus other times of the year. My friend, Austin Dando, jo...
Feb 19, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 6
A streamer is not only a great change-up in the winter, it can be the best fly in your box - if you fish it well. There are some changes to make for a wintertime streamer approach, versus the warmer seasons. And those nuances in presentation make all the difference. In this episode my friend, Austin Dando, and I share our best tips for fishing streamers in the winter. We Cover the Following Why, when, where and how Gear for winter streamers The flies and the lines Benefits of fishing streamers i...
Feb 12, 2023•58 min•Season 6Ep. 5
In this episode, we dive deep into winter nymphing strategies. Specifically, we highlight what is different and what is unique about nymphing in the winter versus other seasons. With fewer hatches and with trout that are less willing to move for a fly, presenting a nymph to winter fish is often our best strategy. But having success requires a refined approach, and winter nymphing can seem like the toughest of the year. However, with a great presentation and a good understanding of where fish fee...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Here's a full podcast dedicated to staying warm, from head to toe. Because sometimes, staying warm and functional in the winter is far more important than the tactics. The cold becomes our biggest challenge. This episode is about keeping the cold out, the heat in and fishing hard — all day long, in even the roughest weather. More specifically, it's about regulating your body heat while on the river. In This Episode, We Cover the Following How to regulate heat with layers and zippers Staying mobi...
Jan 29, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Cold. That is what defines winter fishing. We acknowledged in the last podcast that the cold — or really the inability to deal with it — is one of the main reasons anglers stay home. So that’s why I think any in-depth discussion about winter fishing really has to start with how to stay warm. If you’re so cold that you can’t function normally, you just won’t fish well. In next week’s podcast, we’re going to get deep into all of it — keeping your whole body warm, from head to toe. And not just war...
Jan 22, 2023•52 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Season Six of the Troutbitten podcast begins. This is an eight part Skill Series about fly fishing in the winter months, and episode one is an overview of the series, along with details about where to find trout and in what water type we should expect them to eat. This episode is about our approach, with advice on time of day, fly strategy, covering water to suite the river and reading what the trout want for the moment. I'm joined this season by my co-host, Austin Dando. This Skills Series form...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 6Ep. 1
For the finale of Season Five of the Troutbitten Podcast and to wrap up 2022, we’re closing the curtain with an episode about fishing buddies — why we need them, how to find them and how to keep them for a lifetime. We talk about what makes a good, bad or great fishing companion and share some experiences about a few would-be friendships gone wrong. We Cover the Following What qualities are needed in a great river companion? How to meet new fishing friends Why do we need fishing friends? How man...
Dec 18, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 12
One of the most captivating aspects of fly fishing is the seemingly endless variety of approaches, tactics and strategies that are available with a fly rod in our hands. There are so many things to learn that put trout in the net. And we quickly understand that there’s a lifetime of education for us if we want it. So we combine our time on the water with conversations that we have with friends. We read books and articles. We watch videos. Maybe we listen to podcasts. And yes, we might even learn...
Dec 11, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Wind challenges our cast and changes our drifts more than any other element. It forces us to adapt our presentations, and it makes some of our favorite styles impossible. But there is always a way to beat it. There’s always a way to make things work. And no matter how rough the wind, there are strategies not just for fighting through it, but for fishing well and catching trout. That’s what this episode is about. Here are our best strategies for fly fishing in windy conditions. Wind does not need...
Dec 04, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 10
The Troutbitten crew answers questions from podcast listeners. These questions range from gear talk to ethics, from fly selection to reading a trout river. And while most of our podcast episodes are narrowly focused on one theme, this one is spread out across topics. This is an entertaining conversation, with both stories and tactics. We Cover the Following How far do trout move for a fly? Stories about bad days on the water Carrying two fly rods The Mono Rig from a boat Tippet protection as a f...
Nov 27, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 9
The longer we toss around streamers, the more we realize that it’s the most subtle changes in presentation that make a difference. Faster or slower? Sure. But how about letting the fly free fall in the current? What about a slight cross lead before reestablishing a strike-zone path in one seam? Or let’s try sliding a streamer off the bank with a broadside look, because that often draws a strike when nothing else does. I think most anglers start fishing streamers by casting and stripping, keeping...
Nov 20, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 5Ep. 8
The Troutbitten guys and I sit down to share a few stories — moments and experiences — from a life on the water. There’s no layout for this episode and not much direction other than to share some of the remarkable things that have happened to us while fishing — the things we’ve seen, places we’ve been and the stuff that has happened, simply because we were there, on the river, with a fly rod in our hand. From the beginning, Troutbitten has been about tactics, sure, but also about the experiences...
Nov 13, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 7
In this episode, my Troutbitten friends and I talk about one of the toughest conditions we face — fishing in low, clear water. It’s something that can happen in any season and in any trout river. Many anglers shrink from the challenge. They walk away or never string up the fly rod, using the excuse that trout are simply too spooky or they just aren’t eating. But I promise you, that is not true. Trout are eating in these conditions. It just takes a calculated approach to bring them to hand. The t...
Nov 06, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Is catch and release a good idea all the time or just some of the time? In this episode, we consider the ways that the practice of catch and release changes the experience of fishing for us — how our approach shifts when the goals are different. A lot has changed in the last fifty years. Releasing the trout we catch has become commonplace, especially in the world of fly fishing. In many regions, on many rivers, C&R has become the expected norm. We’ve come a long way. And it’s fair to say tha...
Oct 30, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 5
In this episode, we talk about weight and fly fishing. Because if you’re not fishing a dry fly on the surface, then weight, in some form or another, is part of the presentation. There are all kinds of weight options, of course, from wire ribs on a wet fly and heavy wire hooks, to lead wraps and tungsten beads on a nymph or coneheads on a streamer. Sinking lines, sink tips and even poly leaders will get you down. And of course there’s split shot, in a few different forms, along with drop shot. So...
Oct 23, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Success on the water starts with finding fish and not spooking them. No one ever caught a scared trout. All the tactics, the flies and the habits of river trout that we focus on mean nothing if the fish are on high alert and out of the mood to eat. Don’t spook the fish. Achieving that is different from season to season. It’s different in various water types. And acceptable distances from the trout change even with the angles by which you approach them. Being cautious, being aware and being atten...
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 5Ep. 3
This episode of the Troutbitten Podcast is about tying flies. It's about the way that aspect of fly fishing changes everything for us. Most of us wish to be a complete angler -- one who is well rounded, ready for anything and versatile. By tying flies, we get closer to that goal, because tying flies engages us in a deeper way. We’re more connected, more invested in what we tie to the end of the line. With a few turns of monofilament through the hook eye, we are attached to our own creations and ...
Oct 09, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 2
The Troutbitten Podcast is back for season five. My full crew of friends returns, joining me for some great conversations about fly fishing for river trout. We’ll tackle a little bit of everything this season — with streamers, nymphs, wets and dry flies. And while there will be plenty of tactics talk, I’m sure we’ll get into some good stories and experiences on the river too. Episode one kicks this season off with a discussion about fly fishing through the fall season, from the late summer turn ...
Oct 02, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 1
This is our full crew review of dry dropper styles. And it wraps up this Troutbitten Skills Series on dry dropper fishing. Because, as we’ve seen, what seems like a pretty simple thing — just adding a nymph under a dry fly -- actually creates some complex situations. You can absolutely fish a dry dropper and keep your life easy. Fly fishing does not have to be complicated . So dangling a nymph from a buoyant dry and casting it to the river without much thought will catch trout. But for many of u...
Sep 09, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 5
This episode covers an extremely effective style for presenting both a nymph and a dry fly -- I call it tight line dry dropper, and this may be favorite way to fish. I like methods that provide excellent control. And a tight line rig -- with direct contact as the primary feature -- is built for exactly that. It feels like we can make something happen rather than hoping to get lucky with a trout. With tight line dry dropper, we get the contact and control of a tight line nymphing rig and the exci...
Sep 04, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Standard Dry Dropper is the industry standard for a reason. Because it’s what you get when you simply add a nymph on behind the dry fly. Sometimes, that pairing is perfect, and with a good cast and even better mending skills, this standard setup catches trout all day long. But other times, the addition of the nymph, without some planning and attention to detail, creates a situation where neither the dry nor the nymph is setup to fish very well. And we are stuck with hoping something will happen ...
Aug 28, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Fishing a nymph under a dry fly is rarely as simple as adding a nymph and casting it out there. Some forethought into what your objectives are, measured against your options for rigging and fly selection, goes a long way toward filling the net with trout. Do you want to fish the nymph or the dry? That’s the first question to ask. Each dry dropper style allows for the opportunity to catch trout on both flies, but only Light Dry Dropper is tuned for fishing the dry fly at its best. While Standard ...
Aug 21, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 2
