Troutbitten

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 excitement of a dry fly rig. It’s very different than the other styles of dry dropper because it’s built on a Mono Rig. And the catch rate, for where this rig applies, is often doubled or even tripled.Watch the nymph tuck in, exactly on target and see the dry fly land downstream of the nymph. You’re tight to the dry — from rod tip to fly — as it bobs and weaves back toward you.With the dry fly in touch with the nymph and our rod tip in touch with the dry fly, strike detection to the nymph is excellent. So we set when the dry twitches, jiggles or dips.And when a trout comes for the dry, you’re close enough to see him coming. It takes discipline not to set the hook too early. When he eats, you’re immediately tight to the fish, with no slack. You’re connected to a trout on a tight line only a rod length or two away, and the fight is on.Tight Line Dry Dropper is a great way to fish. My friend, Austin Dando, joins me for the fourth installment of this Troutbitten Skills Series on dry dropper styles. -- -- -- 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.More Resources:READ: Troutbitten | The Mono RigREAD: Troutbitten | One Great Nymphing TrickVisit: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/

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 instead of making it happen.Standard Dry Dropper is a useful style that solves a lot of problems. Especially if you surrender to the idea that the nymph is the primary fly being fished.Aim to land both flies in one seam. Get the nymph upstream of the dry fly and drifting in line. Then keep the tension of the dry fly with good mending. Treat it like and indicator and never be satisfied with a dragging setup.All of this sets up a lot better by staying as close as possible to the target, observing the differences in surface currents and staying active throughout the drift. Be willing to make changes. That’s the key to success.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.More Resources:READ: Troutbitten | Three Parts of an Ideal Indicator Leader -- And One Great FormulaREAD: Troutbitten | Dry Fly Fishing -- The George Harvey Leader DesignVisit: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/

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 Dry Dropper and Tight Line Dry Dropper are great for fishing the nymph first, Light Dry Dropper is perfect for offering the dry fly as a primary choice. And sometimes, the frequency of takes on the added nymph is stunning.With this Skills Series on the Troutbitten Podcast, my friend, Austin Dando, joins me to dissect this Light Dry Dropper style.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.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.More Resources:READ: Troutbitten | Dry Fly Fishing -- The George Harvey Leader DesignREAD: Troutbitten | One Great Nymphing Trick (One Seam)READ: Troutbitten | Recognize A Dead DriftREAD: Troutbitten | That's Not A Dead DriftVisit: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/

With season four of the Troutbitten Podcast, we're back to the Skills Series format, with tightly packed, tactical episodes that cover one topic in depth. This season, we're digging into the three styles of dry dropper.This first episodes is an overview of the three styles, along with a good discussion about why and when  we enjoy fishing dry dropper in the first place.Dry dropper sounds like a great idea. Just add nymph below a dry fly and catch fish on both offerings, right? But it's not that easy. And there are some real consequences. I argue that it's impossible to fish both flies perfectly, so by recognizing three distinctly different styles of rigging and fishing dry dropper, we make choices -- what fly will we prioritize and how will we get great drifts?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 DropperNow, with this Skills Series on the Troutbitten Podcast, my friend, Austin Dando, joins me for a deep dive beyond the framework of these styles. This 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/

We’re in between podcast seasons and on a bit of a summer break. But I wanted to keep in touch here. I’d like to tell you more about the Troutbitten Project -- about all of the branches, what’s coming next and how all of this ties together.Season Four of the Troutbitten podcast begins on August 14th. It’s a five-part tactical series on Dry Dropper styles. We followed the same platform — or style — in season two, when we covered the Nine Essential Skills of Tight Line and Euro Nymphing. These are compact, informational episodes that detail one narrowly focused topic. I’ll be joined again by my friend, Austin Dando, to build through the framework of this fun, effective style. And by the end of the series, you should have a thorough understanding of the three styles for dry dropper.Maybe you’ve never thought of dry dropper this way. But the point is, there are three drastically different ways that we fish dry dropper. The rigs, the casting, the tactics and the intentions for each style are unique to each method. And sure, there’s some crossover, but in many ways, these styles are more different than they are similar. I call them Light Dry Dropper, Bobber Dry Dropper (or standard dry dropper for you purists out there) and Tight Line Dry Dropper.READ: Troutbitten | Series | Three Styles of Dry DropperSo that podcast series — Season Four — begins August 14th. But now’s a good time to mention that this full Dry Dropper series already exists on the Troutbitten website. The Three Styles of Dry Dropper is a four part series that I published on Troutbitten a few years ago. That series gets a lot of traffic every year, and I receive a lot of questions on the styles. So there’s more to be said, and I think it’s the perfect choice for our second installment of the skills series format on the podcast.Here’s the point: everything at Troutbitten ties together. None of it stands alone. Troutbitten started as a fishing blog eight years ago. Then it became the place where I published my tactical articles and best stories. Because as the traffic grew, ad revenue from the site added up to more than I could make with magazine placements and book contracts. By following that route, I maintained the copyright to my own works, so I can still do things like this — taking the Dry Dropper Styles series and building a podcast around the topic.It ends up that the choices I made years ago, fortuitously setup everything that Troutbitten has grown into. And because it’s so much more than a website now, I refer to all of this as the Troutbitten Project.The website, the podcast, the YouTube channel and the shop -- all of it ties together . . .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/

Hey Troutbitten friends, Season three of the podcast is finished, and season four begins in just a few weeks. But in this time off, I have something special for you.I was recently a guest on the Wade Out There podcast with Jason Shemchuk. We had a fun discussion about family, kids and fly fishing. Then we got technical about streamer tactics, presentations and efficiencies.Jason started Wade Out There in 2019 as an author and artist focused on fly fishing for trout. He recently published episode 100 of the podcast, and I’m happy to be his first repeat guest. That’s the conversation I’m sharing here.You can find all of Jason’s excellent work over at WadeOutThere.com. And you can easily find his podcast series through any service or podcast player.So I hope you enjoy listening to my talk with Jason Shemchuck.I’ll also be back next week in your podcast feed with a short episode about the Troutbitten project.So until then . . . fish hard, friends. 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/

Versatility is a Troutbitten mantra. It’s the way we fish. In fact, it’s why we fish a fly rod, because whatever way the trout wish to feed, we can show them flies that represent that food form.And while some anglers hit the river with one thing in mind, with one fly box and one set of tools, it’s our ability to adapt, to adjust and modify our approach, that makes a lifetime on the water so interesting. Sure, we focus on our favorite tactics, and we may spend the next half a year just perfecting our dry fly game in tight cover. But once these skills are learned, then knowing that we can throw anything at any time, having a full set of skills at the ready, is a rewarding and enjoyable approach to fly fishing for trout.Pursuing this kind of versatility also keeps us in the game for a lifetime. We are forever working on the next idea, refining new casts and another approach. Eventually, we develop such a facility with these skills that we begin to combine them, breaking free from the common and standard approach and landing on new ways to get a dead drift or move a streamer. Creation becomes the goal. Design becomes our drive. And experimentation leads to more answers that lead to more questions.All of it is our reward for being a versatile angler.But of course, nothing comes easy either. The beginning angler should probably refrain from branching out too much at first. Because too much versatility becomes confusing. It leads to frustration. There are stages. There are tools. There are systems for being versatile on the water. And there’s a time for all of it.So that’s what we’re here to talk about tonight. Here for our season three finale is a full house: Austin Dando, Trevor Smith, Josh Darling, Bill Dell and Matt Grobe.We Cover the FollowingIs versatility the opposite of specialization?Learn it all, then use it allThe fly rod is supremely versatileDo you need a lot of gear to be versatile?What is a versatile fly rodCarrying systemsKnowing when to changeFinding a good reason to changeHave a plan and test itVersatility within one styleHow versatility solves the daily mysteryResourcesREAD Troutbitten | Fly Shop Fluorocarbon Too Expensive? Try InvizxREAD: Troutbitten | Use a Versatile and General Fly RodREAD: Troutbitten | Find Feeding FishREAD: Troutbitten | Look for the Changeout SpotsREAD: Troutbitten | Find Your Rabbit HoleVisit: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/

I've been building the Night Fishing for Trout Series here on Troutbitten for many years. It's an ongoing series of chapters that cover some of what I’ve learned about trout after dark.But I’m careful with that word “learned.” Sure, I’ve come a long way in the fifteen years or so that I’ve spent night fishing. And time on the water has taught me things both by fish in the net and through repeated failure. I’ve gone through a period of time where I dedicated a few years to night fishing as my primary motivation, fishing after dark at least once a week, even through the winter months, and spending a lot more than that under the dark summer sky.What I’ve learned is often very different than the stuff that’s supposed to work. And then again, some of it matches up pretty well.Then, after over a decade of night fishing as a solitary endeavor I met my friends Josh Darling and Trevor Smith, who join me on this podcast episode. These guys somehow found that same rare drive to search and discover after dark, and it’s more than just a passing fad for them. They’ve dug deeper into the shadows than anyone else I’ve met. I Iearn from them. They are my trusted fishing friends. Their experience becomes my own. Their reports, their observations, are nearly as valuable as having my own boots in the water. These guys night fish, and they fish hard.So for this podcast episode, our goal is to provide an overview, some kind of path down the lonely, dark and wonderfully mysterious road that is night fishing.We Cover the FollowingMotivationPlacesPlanningMoonlight, Starlight and City LightHeadlights, Flashlights and Glow-in-the-Dark stuffThe tactics of drifting and swingingWater TypesFly TypesBig Trout and Finding the Right LocationsFighting FearAccepting the MysteryThe Rods and LinesResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Night FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- People, Places and ThingsREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- Moonlight, Starlight and City LightREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- You're Gonna Need a Bigger RopeREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- SpacesREAD: Troutbitten | Hell-Hot Sun and the Strawberry MoonVisit: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/

So, you know how you see something from far away and it looks really great? It’s almost perfect. But if you look a little closer, even from a long distance, you might start to find a few things that aren’t quite right. But it’s good . . . it’s still pretty good.When you get even closer, you notice more problems. And when you’ve been around it for a long time, you can’t help but see many, many things that could be better.Well . . . that’s the fly fishing industry.And I don’t just mean the companies and the big names either. I mean the whole thing: the full scale, from Instagram hashtags and big internet groups to the few anglers that hang out at your local bar. The industry trends, these habits, these practices — some of them just seem wrong. And the gear, the ads, videos and articles, — a lot of it kind of steers people in the wrong direction.So we thought we’d have a little fun with this and call out as many issues as we can fit into one podcast.Yes, we’re here to criticize and complain a bit. But it's all in good fun. And quite honestly, I think most of the things we’ll bring up could certainly benefit from a fair dose of constructive criticism. Think of this as a cleansing. It’s a chance to bring everything out into the open — from the dark corners and into the sunlight.I'm joined by my friends Josh Darling, Austin Dando, Trevor Smith, Matt Grobe and Bill Dell.We Cover the FollowingPurists. ElitismThe warm water policeSpot burningWeather complainersMarketing to lifestyle anglersMean peopleEuro anythingCheap gearTelling anglers to be specializedLeaky WadersThe squeezing fish holdThe knuckles holdPeople who comment without reading article, watching full video, or listening to whole podcastClub FishingThe assumption that "experts" knows more than you about fishingAnyone pretending that catching fish doesn't matterResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | What to TrustREAD: Troutbitten | Use a Versatile Fly RodREAD: Troutbitten | Holding a Trout -- Their Heart In Your HandsREAD: Troutbitten | Angler Types in Profile -- GoldilocksREAD: Troutbitten | Why Wild Trout MatterREAD: Troutbitten | Posted -- Club Fish -- 2065Visit: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/

What might commonly be referred to as a junk fly makes its way to the end of my line pretty often. And for certain times of the year, through the summer and through the winter, I lean on junk flies as my go-to staples.But my understanding of junk flies has evolved over time. I get it now. You can’t just put any kind of bright, flashy materials on a hook and fool trout. There’s a reason why trout eat these flies. And there’s a reason why these patterns shine for so long and then fall off at the end of a season. There’s also a huge difference between the way stocked trout respond to some junk flies vs the way wild trout respond.We fish junk flies because they are fun. Because trout move to them more than other flies, sometimes. And because we can often see the fly in the water, allowing us to sight fish and learn something different. What is a junk fly? Why and when do they work? These are the questions for this podcast. I'm joined by the Troutbitten crew: Matt Grobe, Josh Darling, Trevor Smith, Bill Dell and Austin Dando. We Cover the FollowingDefining a junk flyIs it always a nymph?Why do trout eat junk flies?How do trout respond differently?The Bait and SwitchAre they dirty flies?Is it cheating?Does it take less skill to catch trout on a junk fly?. . . and moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Super Fly -- The Story of a Squirmy WormyREAD: Troutbitten | Mop Fly Thoughts 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/