Troutbitten

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 FollowingHow far do trout move for a fly?Stories about bad days on the waterCarrying two fly rodsThe Mono Rig from a boatTippet protection as a fly rod featureThe Mono Rig for steelheadWhat we learn on tough daysDream destination tripsResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Podcast | The Versatile AnglerREAD: Troutbitten | Design and Function of the Troutbitten Standard Mono RigREAD: Troutbitten | Lightning Fast Leader Changes (with VIDEO)READ: Troutbitten | The Best Fly Rods for Tight Line and Euro NymphingREAD: Troutbitten | Convinced or Curious -- What Moves a Trout to a FlyVisitTroutbitten 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/

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 it simple at first. And that works. But as time goes by, we realize how much control we truly have over the streamer. And we learn that making it dance, swoon or dart can bring trout charging and crashing into the fly.Understand this: What we do with a streamer, the motions we give it and the manipulations we perform with the rod or the line start with the head of the streamer. That’s what we’re moving.Trout care about the head position of a streamer. They recognize the head, and they feed in a way that is different from nymphs, wets or dry flies. The other fly styles are too small for a trout to care about where the head is. But there is no doubt that trout are keenly aware of the head of a baitfish. That is their target. And while chasing a moving food form, trout certainly recognize where the head is and where that food is going next.So as streamer fishermen, we should consider the head as well, because all of our animations to the fly start there. It’s our attachment point to the fly. And what we do with the rod or the line hand directly affects the head of the streamer first. It’s how we bring the fly to life.In this episode, we talk about the head orientation of the streamer in the water — how the streamer moves with the currents or against them, and what looks more natural vs what might look more attractive. We also dig into what added weight does to the head of a streamer, how that affects the action and how that limits or enhances the presentation styles that we have available.We Cover the FollowingWhat head angle converts the most fish in the net?What head angle brings the most interest?Do trout eat the head first?What head angle looks like a baitfish that is holding, fleeing, dying?How weight in the head affects the fly and the presentationResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StreamersREAD: Troutbitten | The Old School Streamer ThingREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Head FlipREAD: Troutbitten | The Meat Eater Minority -- Streamer Fishing Myth vs TruthREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Cross Current StripVisit:Troutbitten 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/

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. It’s always been a balance between the two, across all the channels, the videos, the podcasts, the website and social media.It’s the tactics that keep me interested and motivated to get out there day after day. It’s that refinement of technique and the endless problem solving in an ever-changing and shifting game. But sometimes, I catch myself with my head down, tying knots, staring and searching through the surface currents without looking around very much, without breathing deeply and soaking it all in.But it’s the things that happen while we’re out there that make fly fishing for trout the all-consuming, never ending pursuit that it is for us. And, in truth, all of us need to let that happen. It’s in the choices that we make regarding where we’ll fish, when we’ll fish and who we’ll fish with. Those elements, the locations, the woods, the water and the friendships make all of this special.We Cover the FollowingBoat shenanigansAustin's weddingFamily tripsTravel timeFishing with a dogCamping and fishingResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | StoriesREAD: Troutbitten | How to Stay in the Fly Fishing Game for a LifetimeREAD: Troutbitten | Borer Collie and the ThunderstormREAD: Troutbitten | Lost Fishing FriendsREAD: Troutbitten | Fish With FriendsVisit:Troutbitten 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, 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 truth is, low and clear water is a difficult challenge But if you accept these river conditions as a chance to learn and improve, then the extreme, sensitive nature of trout in low and clear water will force you to refine your approach, your cast and your drift.Everything about your presentation in low water must be thought through. Success requires caution, planning and a willingness to strike out. But that’s how you become a complete angler — by fishing when it’s tough. And by fishing hard.We Cover the FollowingDoes low water affect the whole river?Are all trout more sensitive in low water?Do trout maintain the same rhythms?Do we need smaller flies?Do we need thinner tippets?Tips for stealthNymph, Streamer and Dry fly tipsResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Spooky TroutREAD: Troutbitten | Podcast | The Spooky Trout -- What Scares Fish and How To Avoid Spooking ThemREAD: Troutbitten | The Advantages of Working UpstreamREAD: Troutbitten | Are You Spooking Trout?READ: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout: Find Their Blind SpotVisit:Troutbitten 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/

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 that the average fly angler for trout doesn’t fish for meat as much as they do for the sport — for the challenge of fooling a fish.Catch and release often takes hold in the ethos of an angler because they are forced into it. Because specially regulated sections of a river might require it. And for many anglers new to the sport, or those coming from another fishing background, releasing a trout first feels comfortable because there’s no other option. After a couple of dozen fish are returned, and maybe after a few return trips to the same water, the effectiveness of catch and release becomes obvious, and it eventually feels more natural to let the fish go than to put them on a stringer.We release trout to catch them again — so that our friends might catch them again, and so the next stranger to the river, hoping for the same experience that we were chasing, might catch that same trout that we just put back.Catch and release works. There’s no doubt. But is it always the best choice? Is there also a place for catch and keep? And if we do decide to kill a few trout, how does that experience change the way we fish?That’s our discussion here. . .We Cover the FollowingWhen is it okay to keep a trout?Mandatory killing of invasive speciesDoes killing trout allow room for growing bigger trout?Kill wild trout or stocked trout?The hunter's mindset applied to catch and releasePut and take streamsHow keeping trout impacts your own watersResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout too Far?READ: Troutbitten | If You Have to Revive a Trout, It's Probably Too LateREAD: Troutbitten | Podcast | How to Handle a TroutREAD: Troutbitten | How to Hold a TroutVisit:Troutbitten 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 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.Something has to get you through the surface and down deeper. As soon as your target zone is under the water, how you’ll get the fly into various parts of the water column becomes the question. And getting near the river bed is often critical to success. All of these weight types are useful.Weight is weight. And I’ve often put it this way: Weight is the original sin of fly fishing. If you aren’t fishing dry flies, then you’ve already left the purist plantation behind. So accept it. Surrender to it, and enjoy the rewards of fishing flies where trout usually eat them anyway.Embracing tungsten beads but thumbing your nose at split shot makes me chuckle. Insisting that a sinking line is superior to a conehead streamer for getting down defies logic. Oh for sure, the presentation may be very different, and that’s why we use all options. Choosing one form of weight over another form doesn’t make you a better angler. It doesn’t make it more FLY fishing. It just makes you an efficient angler.So in this discussion with my Troutbitten friends, we walk through the various ways to get a fly under the surface. We’ talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each style of weight and talk about our preferences.We Cover the FollowingIs weight the original sin?What makes it FLY fishing anyway?Types of weight in the fliesTypes of weight on the lineTypes of weight in the lineResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Split Shot vs Weighted FliesREAD: Troutbitten | Don't Hate Split Shot - Have a System (VIDEO)READ: Troutbitten | Stop the Split Shot SlideREAD: Troutbitten | Beads Are the BestVisit:Troutbitten 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/

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 attentive pays dividends. So reconsider your strategy. Maybe think first about your impact on the river before ever considering your first fly choice. Be a hunter. That might be the best advice we can give.My friends join me for a great discussion about what it takes to avoid spooking trout.We Cover the FollowingDo trout eat when they are scared?What do trout do when they are spooked?What spooks trout?How tolerant are trout of our presence?How close can you get?How do you know a trout is spooked?Stealth tipsResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Spooky TroutREAD: Troutbitten | The Order of EverythingREAD: Troutbitten | The Advantages of Working UpstreamREAD: Troutbitten | Are You Spooking Trout?READ: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout: Find Their Blind SpotVisit:Troutbitten 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 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 our own solutions.In this episode my friends join me to talk about why we tie flies, why it's important and how it gives us an advantage on the river. We discuss what we like to change in fly patterns, how we adapt our flies to the conditions and much more. Because, for each of us, tying flies is part of our life on the water.We Cover the FollowingHow tying makes us better anglersThings we can change at the viseProblems and situations we can address at the viseDoes tying flies save money?Does tying flies save time?ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Troutbitten Fly BoxREAD: Troutbitten | Tie Your Own Flies -- Here's WhyVisit:Troutbitten 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/

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 of the equinox, heading into the beginning of fall, to the end of the spawning season, which around here signals the beginning of winter.Fall fishing offers renewed hope and opening opportunities, along with a change of scenery. As the foliage turns, so do the habits of wild trout. Our favorite fish loses some of its characteristic inhibitions.More water, less light and the instinct to fatten up create unique opportunities for every angler who is willing to meet the trout on their own terms. While hatches may be sparse, the underwater game opens up to those with the skills to present a nymph, streamer or wet fly with precision.Trout chase. They migrate. They feed and they procreate. Fall fishing offers a style of fishing that is unequaled in any other season.We Cover the FollowingWhat we look forward to most in the fallDo trout feed more throughout the fall season?How fewer hatches affect fish behavior and fishing opportunitiesMore or less water. What is our preference?The leaf hatchHow does spawning affect the fishing?When does fall fishing turn into winter?Favorite fall tacticsResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Full Days of Early FallREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Streamers READ: Troutbitten | Category | NymphingVisit:Troutbitten 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 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 us, the complexities are what keep us interested. Solving problems, seeking answers, understanding a system and tweaking it for the moment is fun. Because those tweaks, those adjustments, make a difference. And when we start catching more trout, when the opportunities increase, we take notice. We learn what good drifts look like — on both the nymph and the dry fly. Then we improve. And that . . . is the simple joy of fishing.My friends, Austin Dando, Bill Dell, Trevor Smith and Josh Darling join me for the fifth and final installment of this Troutbitten Skills Series on dry dropper styles.So remember, the next time someone mentions fishing dry dropper, ask them what style . . . because there’s a lot of room for variety.-- -- -- In 2019, I published a full series on these Three Styles of Dry Dropper on the Troutbitten Website. You can find them here:READ: Troutbitten | Three Styles of Dry DropperREAD: Troutbitten | Three Styles of Dry Dropper -- Light Dry DropperREAD: Troutbitten | Three Styles of Dry Dropper -- Standard Dry DropperREAD: Troutbitten | Three Styles of Dry Dropper -- Tight Line Dry DropperThis podcast series is an excellent companion for the article series.Because “fishing dry dropper” can really mean a lot of things. And each of these styles has many moments when it's the clear winner.So, the next time someone talks about dry dropper fishing, ask them what style -- because there's a lot of room for variety.Visit:Troutbitten 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/