Troutbitten

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 on a nymph. It is, quite simply, harder to achieve than a dry fly, because you can’t see success on the invisible flies underneath, and because the complexity of currents is far more intricate in three dimensions.But many people just don’t take it that far with nymphing. They think their drifts are good enough, because they caught a few fish (maybe more than they did on dries.) But excellent nymphing requires excellent effort. And a lot more trout can be caught by acknowledging that kind of difficulty. The ceiling is high. And realizing that is the value of this discussion.We Cover the FollowingThe confusing boundaries of this conversationWhy anglers are protective of what they like bestHow that holds an angler backTight line complexitiesDry fly complexitiesWhere bias comes fromA few streamer thoughts. . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | The Nymph Angler is SustainableREAD: Troutbitten | The George Harvey Leader DesignREAD: Troutbitten | That's Not a Dead DriftPODCAST: Troutbitten | Find Your Rabbit HoleVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 phrase in the last podcast a couple of times too. And it’s a good way to think about it. Our fishing is based on fooling a trout. What are they looking to eat? How can we attract them to a fly and then convince them to eat it, right? And while you might have the methods and flies necessary to fool your local trout right now, it might not work just a few years from now. Because trout and the rivers they live in are always changing. So our approach must keep changing too. It’s just another aspect of trout fishing that makes it all so wonderfully complicated.It’s also why we like to fish for wild trout . . .We Cover the FollowingWater selectionFinding fresh fishWild vs Stocked response to angler pressureHow long until a trout resets from angler pressureGenetically passing on the effects of angler pressurePresentations, convinced or curious?Patterns, natural or attractive?. . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Front Ended -- Can We Stop Doing This to Each Other?READ: Troutbitten | Natural vs Attractive Presentations READ: Troutbitten | Why Everyone Fishes the Same Water and What to Do About ItPODCAST: Troutbitten | Rude On the River -- Front Ended and the Golden RuleVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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’t going to trend the other way. For most of us, more casts are made to the waters we fish, by more anglers than ever before. Because there are more fishermen, just as there are more runners, golfers and bikers. Every sport these days has better access to information about techniques, about where and when to go, and there’s specialized gear that is easily available and fun to buy.We Cover the FollowingTrout selectivityFeeding patternsMigrationGrowth ratesTrout conditioningGrouping up or spreading outMortality rates. . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Front Ended -- Can We Stop Doing This to Each Other?READ: Troutbitten | Natural vs Attractive Presentations READ: Troutbitten | Why Everyone Fishes the Same Water and What to Do About ItPODCAST: Troutbitten | Rude On the River -- Front Ended and the Golden RuleVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 fisherman: one that simply enjoys being on the water (hoping to catch a fish), and the other that desperately wants to know how to put more fish in the net. These two parts find an internal balance inside every long-term angler that I know."Among the nearly one-thousand articles published on Troutbitten, I strive to reflect this balance. The Stories category of the website carries the heart and soul of this project. And if I were limited to writing stories or tactical pieces only, I would no doubt hold on to the stories. I love this kind of writing.This episode is a reading of a story that I first published on February 23, 2022, titled, Fish It Anyway . . .ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Fish It AnywayREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StoriesVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 . . .ResourcesVIDEO: Troutbitten | Mono Rigs and Euro Leaders -- Micro Thin or Standard?SHOP: Troutbitten | The Troutbitten ShopPODCASTS: Troutbitten | Podcast HomeVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 FollowingMore streamer tipsRiggingAccess issuesWinter preparationMore nymphing tipsDry fly expectationsThis winter vs other winters . . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterREAD: Troutbitten | Winter Fly Fishing -- Head, Shoulders, Knees and ToesREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Ice In the GuidesREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Something Is Always Gonna HurtVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 perceived problems really aren’t much of any issue at all, if you have a plan and a solution. We address a few of those too.We Cover the FollowingIce in the guidesAccessVisibilityRegulating heatFalling inFreezing reelsFinding troutStaying versatile . . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterREAD: Troutbitten | Winter Fly Fishing -- Head, Shoulders, Knees and ToesREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Ice In the GuidesREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Something Is Always Gonna HurtVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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, joins me for a great conversation about the floaters. This is a fun one. We Cover the FollowingWhere to find rising troutRegional and geographical variationsExpected hatchesSpring waters, tailwaters, freestonersWater types for small fliesHatches and patterns to matchWhy local knowledge is supremeThe dead drift is everythingPresentation specificsLeader adjustmentsFishing two driesFishing dry dropper in the winter . . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterREAD: Troutbitten | The George Harvey Leader DesignREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Dry Fly FishingPODCAST: Troutbitten | Hatches and Strategies, S3 Ep3READ: Troutbitten | That's Not a Dead DriftVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 FollowingWhy, when, where and howGear for winter streamersThe flies and the linesBenefits of fishing streamers in the winterPresentation specificsThe Super-PauseLow and slow?Water types to focus onHow far will a trout move?Stripping, jigging, drifting. . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterPODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Quick or Smooth?READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- Strips, Jigs and JerksVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

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 feed in colder water, trout can be caught. In fact, with these skills, winter nymphing may sometimes provide the fastest fishing of the year.We Cover the FollowingWhy nymphing is our favorite winter tacticTrout behaviors in cold waterMore predictable water types, methods and fly selectionLow and slow?Trout grouping and trout spreading outFavorite rigs, tight line and indyFavorite fliesFly pairings and placementLong drifts vs short driftsBobber holesResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterPODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The Go-To Nymphing RigREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The Secondary Nymphing RigVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/