Troutbitten

This conversation is about spawning trout. Specifically, we tackle the ethics of fishing during the spawn, whether it’s right or wrong to fish for trout that are actively in the process of making the next generation of trout.Moreover, where do these ideas of what’s ethical or not come from, and why are the expectations confusing for a lot of anglers?Is it okay to be on the water while trout are spawning, or should we simply stay away during the spawning season and let trout do their thing?We branch out into different trout species, and we highlight how different regions, different rivers and different setups might require a different approach.This topic can get a little contentious. Anglers have strong opinions about this, one way or another, and for many people there’s not much middle ground.We’ve covered this topic before, in a couple Q&A sessions in different podcast seasons. But this topic deserves its own podcast, and it’s been on our list for a long while.Trust me when I say that none of us are here to tell you how to fish or when to fish. But this topic is one that each of us has given a lot of thought to over the years. We’ve also seen anglers have a change of heart, and we’ve been around to witness some heated disagreements about this topic too.READ: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout Too FarREAD: Troutbitten | Redd Fish -- Should We Fish Through the Spawn or Stay Home?READ: Troutbitten | Fish HardVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Everything changes. That’s the only constant. And in the fly fishing world, the tactics, the gear and how we share all of this information changes, even though what the trout eat and how they eat it pretty much stays the same.That time frame, that snapshot, from where you entered the fly fishing world, shapes what you do on the water. And it’s amazing what just twenty calendar years does to that snapshot. Because a lot of your understanding about what is common, accepted or frowned upon is shaped right away, as you start researching and learning about this fishing thing that eventually becomes a big part of your life.In this episode, my friends and I consider this topic: How have the tactics changed? How has the gear changed? How has the flow of information changed? And how has all of that changed the way we fish for trout?ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | All The ThingsREAD: Troutbitten | Fishing with FriendsREAD: Troutbitten | Angler Types in Profile -- The RookieVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

In this six-part series we’ve covered locations, water types, weather, water and light conditions. We’ve talked about the gear, about flashlights and headlamps and glow in the dark stuff. We’ve considered what a good night plan looks like, having a strategy and then adapting.Tactically, we’ve talked about drifting vs swinging flies, about three levels of the water column, about where to expect trout might feed the most after dark, and we’ve walked through top water patterns, emergers and streamers at night.This week, we’re finishing the series with nymphs, wets and the Harvey Pusher Night flies. We discuss rigging and tactics for each of these fly types, where to fish them and how our presentations might differ at night  from what we do in the daylight.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Night FishingREAD: Troutbitten | The Harvey Pusher Night Fly (with VIDEO)READ: Troutbitten | Find Your Rabbit HoleREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- The Wiggle and HangREAD: Troutbitten | Drop Shot Nymphing on a Tight Line RigVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

This is the episode you’ve all been waiting for. Tonight, we  talk about  fishing the top water. And yes, that means mouse patterns — sometimes. We also dig into a fly style that we feel is often more effective, the mouse emerger concept at night. And we talk about fishing streamers after dark.We cover the effectiveness of many different top water and streamer styles. And we discuss how the emerger concept combines the best of both fly platforms. We get into our favorite patterns and how we fish them.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Night FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Death DriftREAD: Troutbitten | Of Mice and FishermenREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- You're Gonna Need a Bigger RopePODCAST: Troutbitten | Night Fishing and the Mouse Emerger ConceptVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

All fishing trips benefit from a good plan, and most of us couldn’t stop planning, hoping and dreaming about an upcoming trip if we wanted to. Our night fishing plans are a good beginning. Aimed toward solving the mysteries after dark, these plans are formed around expectations and based on the conditions.Where are the trout, and how are they feeding?Building flexibility into our plans helps solve these questions. It’s our willingness to adapt, to walk around the bend, to work upstream instead of down or to clip off the top water pattern and rig up for wet flies -- that's what helps answer questions and put trout in the net. Trusting our instincts is the first part. And following through — making the changes — is the second.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Night FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- Location, Location, LocationREAD: Troutbitten | What to TrustREAD: Troutbitten | Who Knows Better Than YouPODCAST: Troutbitten | An Introduction to Night Fishing for Trout -- S3, Ep14VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

We night fish with many different fly types: surface patterns, mouse emerges, streamers, wet flies, nymphs and Harvey Pushers. And all of these flies can be presented in two very different ways — drifting and swinging.There’s a lot of variety within these two categories. There are many ways to do both. And every fly type may seem to have its best or most effective presentation, drifting or swinging, but when that’s not working, the first and easiest thing to do, before changing the fly type, is to simply change the direction the flies are fished, from swinging to drifting or vice versa.Drifting is fishing the flies with the current. Swinging is fishing the flies against the current. In this episode, we consider the differences between the two and the advantage of each.Resources READ: Troutbitten | Category | Night FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Death DriftREAD: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations -- The Deadly Slow SlideREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- Drifting and Swinging FliesREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- Backstory: Drifting and Swinging FliesPODCAST: Troutbitten | An Introduction to Night Fishing for Trout -- S3, Ep14 VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

In this second part of the Night Fishing for Trout Skills Series on Troutbitten, we consider light. First the naturals, like moonlight and starlight, then we discuss city lights and other artificials, like our own flashlights and headlamps. Lastly, we’ll discuss the use of glow-in-the-dark stuff, like fly lines, indicators and more.I'm joined by my night fishing friends, Austin Dando, Trevor Smith and Josh Darling.Night fishing always comes down to what we can see and what we can’t. Of course we use our other senses. And yes, those senses are heightened, and we often rely on feel more than our limited sight in the relative darkness.But it is not pitch black out there, especially when we attain and then preserve good night vision. So we navigate the evening from shadows and outlines, pitching unseen flies beyond the visible perimeter and tracking those flies through the feel of a line in our hand, by sensing the load on our rod tip and by sometimes following something that glows in the dark.Light affects the fishing, but it also affects the fish. And while trout seem to prefer darker nights, they might also feed better with a few stars in the sky for a nightlight.ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | Category | Night FishingREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- Moonlight, Starlight and City LightREAD: Troutbitten | Night Fishing for Trout -- Headlamps, Flashlights and Glow in the Dark StuffPODCAST: Troutbitten | An Introduction to Night Fishing for Trout -- S3, Ep14VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Three experienced night fishing enthusiasts, Josh, Trevor, and Austin, join the podcast to discuss the motivations and rewards of fishing after dark. They explore the best places to catch trout at night and share insights into the gear and tactics required. The podcast delves into the mysterious and imaginative aspects of night fishing, the challenges faced, and the unique strategies needed for success. From fishing on merger seams to exploring different tactics and techniques, this podcast provides a comprehensive guide to the captivating world of night fishing for trout.

We’re in between podcast season, and it's time for an update about what’s going on with Troutbitten. My wife, Becky, joins me to talk about the past, the present and the near future.The summer Troutbitten Shop leader sale launches on Monday morning, July 31st. All Troutbitten leaders will be back in stock: Harvey, Standard, Thin and Micro Thin Mono Rigs, Full Kits and Standard Sighters. Also in the shop are new hats and tee shirts in collaboration with New Trail Brewing Company.My Guide Schedule for fall of '24 has been full for a while now. And my spring season is a little over half booked up. I will open dates for fall '24 on September 20th, next month. Bill and Austin will have available dates for this fall pretty soon. So if you are still looking for a date this fall, be in touch.The Troutbitten YouTube channel continues to grow fast. I've spent a lot of time learning to film and edit, and I'm working on a Fish and Film series that should be out by the beginning of October. These are first-person-style videos that also mix in other camera angles. These are videos that simply show the fishing and the experience of being on the river, highlighting the decisions made to be versatile and to meet fish on their own terms. Josh Darling and I will continue to publish videos every other week. Those videos are in one of these categories: Troutbitten Tips, Fish and Film, Troutbitten Fly Box, Fishing the Mono Rig. The Troutbitten Podcast continues with Season 8, beginning on August 20th. This is a six part Skills Series covering Night Fishing for Trout. After that, we’ll take a couple weeks off until Season 9 of the Troutbitten Podcast begins on October 15 and runs until Christmas time.ResourcesSHOP: Troutbitten | The Troutbitten ShopGUIDE: Troutbitten | Troutbitten Guided Fishing TripsVIDEOS: Troutbitten | Troutbitten VideosPODCASTS: Troutbitten | The Troutbitten Podcast VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis

Every Troutbitten regular knows about Sloop. We’ve referred to our friend on nearly every podcast, especially in the last few seasons, as it’s become a running contest to see how we can sneak in a Sloop John B reference.So we’re excited to have John here. Because what we all find so rewarding about this life on the water are the friendships. We form deep bonds with people because they are . . . fishermen. Because they too are captivated by the trout, by the places trout take us and by the refinement of tactics required to catch a wild trout.Our friends are at the heart of it all. And really, that’s what we’re adding in tonight — another friend, and possibly the deepest friend to Troutbitten, if we consider how all this started. Sloop tied it all together from the beginning.Here are good stories and fun with our friend, John Burgos (Sloop).ResourcesREAD: Troutbitten | How It StartedREAD: Troutbitten | Fishing With FriendsVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThank You to Pre-Roll Ad Sponsors:SkwalaandOrvis