Every new condition required another adjustment, another approach, and sometimes new tactics. And every change yielded results.

Here are the seven ways . . .

Continue reading Seven Different Ways On A Mono Rig at Troutbitten.

There are precious few situations where one leader setup does the trick all day long. And taking the middle of the road approach leaves you average at both ends.

Take the time to make the changes.

Use the moments while tying knots for breathing a little deeper — for reflecting a little on where you are. Because trout take us into some amazing places. Look up at the swaying hemlock boughs as you make those five turns in a blood knot. See things and enjoy them. That kind of time is not wasted . . .

Continue reading Learn to Love Rigging at Troutbitten.

Sometimes the worst things become the most popular. The industry standard for attaching a leader to a fly line is the loop to loop connection. But it has a some inherent failings that cause major problems.

So can you tie a four turn clinch? . . .

Continue reading Loop to loop is bad — Try attaching your leader to the fly line this way at Troutbitten.

The fly fly rod quick dip is a problem-solving essential. Some things in fly fishing are obvious right away. The concepts of casting and drifting a fly are intuitive for most anglers after just a bit of instruction and a few trips of experience. And a lot of what we take for granted or think is obvious has become second nature only after fishing for a long, long time.

Continue reading Dip and Swish — The Fly Rod Quick-Dip at Troutbitten.

Look at the water. Your target is two feet on this side of a current seam that's drawn downstream from the tip of a gravel bar. Three trout are steadily rising within casting distance, lined up and distributed in the riffly, bubbly seam. Golden noses poke through the surface and slurp Blue Winged Olive duns without reservation, with early-season, confident rises and none of the skittish hesitation that you'll see in a month or two. It’s as if a long winter erased the trout's memory of all present dangers — of anglers and shadowy herons.

Yes, these trout should be (almost) easy. Your leader is well designed, tapered to a long soft piece of 5X nylon. Your position is downstream. Behind the trout’s vision and just off to the side, you stand in ankle deep water on the soft, inside part of the seam. You mentally process the targets and plan to pick off the most rearward riser because he’s closest to your position. And with luck, you’ll hook him on the first few casts. You’ll set the hook and use his upward momentum to pull him sideways and downstream, away from the top two risers. The other trout will be undisturbed — hopefully.

Continue reading Fifty Fly Fishing Tips: #38 — The Fly Line and Leader Need a Target at Troutbitten.

I’ll admit it. I came to the fly rod by way of Brad Pitt. When I heard Robert Redford’s overwhelming and compelling voice-over, it was too much to resist. Because one afternoon in 1992, while browsing the VHS titles at the local rental joint, I was drawn in by the cover photo of a man […]

Continue reading Fifty Fly Fishing Tips: #28 — Ten and Two at Troutbitten.

Many fly anglers are entertained and enamored with the fly line itself. They make loops and curls that hang and fall, watching the line swing and glide through the air. Drawing those shapes and curves is artistic, but it doesn’t do much for good fishing. More than one or two false casts is rarely necessary, […]

Continue reading Fifty Fly Fishing Tips: #10 — Mend Less at Troutbitten.