We wade for contemplation, for strength and exhaustion, for the challenge and the risk. We wade for opportunity . . .

Continue reading Riverside — We Wade at Troutbitten.

How can we keep our stuff with us, make it easily accessible and not be slowed down or fatigued by extra weight? Answer: Carry the heavy things on your hips.

Most anglers focus on whether to choose a chest pack, vest, sling pack, hip pack, lanyard or something else. We think of carrying fly boxes, tippet, leaders and other incidentals. But what about the net? What about water, a wading staff, a camera or anything else with extra weight? Carrying these items should not be a secondary consideration. As the heaviest things among your gear, how you carry them is of primary importance.

The heavy stuff is best carried on your hips, so the most critical part of your carrying system is probably the wading belt. And most wading belts are not up to the task.

Continue reading VIDEO: Wading Belt Carrying System at Troutbitten.

As wading anglers, we must wade efficiently. And good wading skills change the game like nothing else. When you are comfortable and confident in the water — when you can easily move from place to place, the river opens up in a whole new way . . .

Continue reading PODCAST: Good Wading, Better Fishing — How Wading Skills Change Everything — S7, Ep5 at Troutbitten.

The good wader keeps moving, believes in traction, casts in rhythm and makes no excuses. The good wader becomes the good angler . . .

Continue reading The Good Wader at Troutbitten.

This wading staff system makes strong waders stronger and fast waders faster. It allows all waders to reach even more water.

If you rig a wading staff the wrong way, it slows you down. But if you rig it the right way, a wading staff opens new worlds and speeds you up.
It gives you access to places that you couldn't wade before.

But it has to be rigged the right way . . .

Continue reading VIDEO: The Only Way to Carry a Wading Staff at Troutbitten.

For the majority of our tactics, fishing upstream is the best way to present the flies. And sometimes it’s the only way to get the preferred drift.

So too, working upstream allows for stealth. The angler becomes the hunter. With a close, targeted approach to smaller zones, we get great drifts in rhythm, one at a time . . .

Continue reading The Advantages of Working Upstream at Troutbitten.

If you’re committed to working a section of river, then once you’ve done your job in one lane, trust what the trout tell you. Don’t re-fish it, and don’t let the next cast drift down into the same spot again either. Sure the water looks good, and that’s why you fished it in the first place. But you’ve already covered it. So let it go, and focus on the next target. Trust the next opportunity . . .

Continue reading You Already Fished That at Troutbitten.

Good fly fishing requires great footwork along the way. Staying mobile, reading the water, body positioning, wading not walking, and gear preparation. These are the keys to better wading . . .

Continue reading Tips for Better Wading and More Trout at Troutbitten.

Seaguar Invizx has become my go to fluorocarbon tippet material, and some of my Troutbitten friends do the same. It's thin, strong and flexible with excellent handling and flex. Invizx is as good as some fly shop brands and better than many others. And because the type of tippet we use is not what catches trout, I don’t overspend on tippet . . .

Continue reading Fly Shop Fluorocarbon too expensive? Try InvizX at Troutbitten.

Wading is not just what happens between locations. And it’s not only about moving across the stream from one pocket to the next. Instead, wading happens continuously.

Many anglers wade to a spot in the river and set up, calf, knee or waist deep, seemingly relieved to have arrived safely. Then they proceed to fish far too much water without moving their feet again. When the fish don’t respond, these anglers finally pick up their feet. Maybe they grab a wading staff and begrudgingly take the steps necessary to reach new water and repeat the process.

This method of start and stop, of arriving and relocating, is a poor choice. Instead, the strategy of constant motion is what wins out . . .

Continue reading Be a Mobile Angler at Troutbitten.