Troutbitten

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 FollowingHow to regulate heat with layers and zippersStaying mobile with flexible layers that hold in heat and let it goBest materials for each zone, each layerHats, buffs, balaclavas, hoodsDark colors and UV raysBase layers, insulating layers, outer layersWinters waders, winter bootsSocksHeat packsBattery solutions. . . moreResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterPODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Head, Shoulder, Knees and ToesREAD: Troutbitten | Winter -- Something Is Always Going to 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/

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 warm, but ready for fishing, walking, wading and hiking a little. But in this episode, we’re starting with your hands — just your hands. Because there’s a lot to this. And maybe nothing is more important.  We need warm hands -- working hands -- to fish in the coldest weather we encounter and stay out there, catching fish and meeting the challenges that winter fishing can bring.In This Episode, We Cover the FollowingWhy fly anglers need two handsThe benefit of body heatSomething is still going to hurtKeep your hands dryDoes everyone need gloves?Types of glovesWool, fleece, nitrileHeat packs (Hot Hands)Using your pocketsWrist bandsResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterPODCAST: Troutbitten | S1, Ep 14 --  Winter Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- Your HandsREAD: Troutbitten | Winter -- Something Is Always Going to HurtREAD: Troutbitten | Winter Pregarme VisitTroutbitten 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 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 format is designed with less conversation and more detail.Here Are the Winter Skills Series Episode Titles:The System / The PlanYour HandsHead, Shoulders, Knees and ToesNymphing in the WinterStreamer Fishing in the WinterDry Flies, Midges, Emergers and MoreWinter Problems, Winter SolutionsRoundtable ReviewIn This Episode, We Cover the FollowingWhat does winter meanAir temperatures and water temperaturesEnjoying the struggleCracking the winter codeWinter predictabilityWhere to expect troutRiver types and water typesFinding feeding fishMove and fishNymphing, streamers dry fliesWhy don't more anglers fish in the winter?The experienceResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Fishing in the WinterPODCAST: Troutbitten | S1 Ep 14 --  Winter Fly FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Winter -- Something Is Always Going to HurtREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The SystemREAD: Troutbitten | Winter Welcome 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/

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 FollowingWhat qualities are needed in a great river companion?How to meet new fishing friendsWhy do we need fishing friends?How many is too many?How the Troutbitten crew came togetherRiver friends who didn't work outNew Year's resolutions for 2023ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Fish With FriendsREAD: Troutbitten | How to Fish With FriendsREAD: Troutbitten | Respect the Spots, Man!READ: Troutbitten | Rivers and FriendsREAD: Troutbitten | Lost Fishing FriendsREAD: Troutbitten | I'll Meet You UpstreamVisitTroutbitten 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/

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 something from social media.But with so many sources in easy reach, sorting through the flood of information can be overwhelming. How do you weigh the value or the validity of these sources? These days, conflicting information — conflicting opinions — seem to be right next to each other.So . . . what should you trust? How do you sift through the overflowing bank of information and find what works?That is what this episode is about. We Cover the FollowingAre there experts in fly fishing?What is an expert?Are the best anglers well known?Who have you learned from the most?How have you learned the most?How can you pick out bad information?Can we trust the trout?Learning to trust yourselfEnjoying the experienceResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Find Your Rabbit HoleREAD: Troutbitten | Who Knows Better Than You?READ: Troutbitten | Explore - Learn -ReturnREAD: Troutbitten | What To TrustREAD: Troutbitten | Never Blame the FishVisitTroutbitten 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/

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 to keep you home. And it doesn’t need to force you off the water. There are ways to deal with the difficulty of wind, to learn something from the challenge and sometimes even catch more trout than you might in calm conditions.Most of the foul weather that bothers us just doesn't seem to affect the trout much. And if you learn to beat the wind and weather, or at least work with it and cut that edge, both success and solitude can be yours.Forget the forecast. Just fish.We Cover the FollowingDo trout care if it's windy?How does wind complicate fly fishing?Fish closerLow rod anglesHow weight (in many forms) is what beats windDry fly, streamer and nymphing tipsAdvantages gained from the windResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Podcast | Dealing With Weather and Fighting the ElementsREAD: Troutbitten | Angler Types in Profile -- GoldilocksREAD: Troutbitten | Explore - Learn - ReturnREAD: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing Tips #50 -- Fish HardREAD: Troutbitten | Never Blame the FishREAD: Troutbitten | Don't Be a Hero -- Fish CloserVisitTroutbitten 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 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/