Knotted Leaders, Furled Leaders, Braided Leaders—and Favorite Knots, with Brian Flechsig

I've wanted to get Brian Flechsig of Mad River Outfitters [49:59] on the podcast for quite a while and we finally made it happen. Brian is the star of many great YouTube videos and he loves to get into the details of tackle rigging. He's a knotted leader expert and he explains his simple three-part system for tying saltwater and bass leaders. He also talks about his use of furled leaders and the now-extinct Orvis Braided Leaders. Brian and I also discuss our favorite knots and a philosophy for choosing your own knots—always a hot topic.

In the Fly Box this week we have these questions and tips: When does it make more sense to modify a fly instead of changing flies? If you don't see any bug activity, can you still catch fish on dry flies? Why would you ever use a strike indicator when you can use a dry dropper rig? I live on a trout stream that hardly anyone else fishes. How long should I rest the river in between trips? Will the fish move out if I fish it too hard? I saw a bunch of dead and struggling rainbows in the shallows. What do you think caused this? How can I get my Comparaduns to fan out when I tie them? When wouldn't you substitute CDC, rabbit's foot, or a synthetic when tying Comparaduns? What are your thoughts on winding foam around a hook to make flies float better? What is your favorite cricket pattern? If modern graphite rods are so stiff, why design a 5-weight rod that is really a 6-weight? How should I orient my rod when I cast to make sure I take advantage of the spine properly? I have heard that you should fish a small stream downstream so the fish doesn't see your fly line. Is this correct? A tip from a listener on how to keep fly boxes dry when wading deep. Do you ever take backpacking/fishing trips?