With all the right tools of rod, line, and leader, with all the knowledge about casting options, and with serious dedication to line speed, you need just one more thing.

Guts. Courage. Fortitude.

A willingness to fail.

Take your shots. That’s the only way toward a real education on small streams. Make the casts you think you can’t make. Eventually, instinct takes over and the fly goes into tighter targets than you ever thought possible . . .

Continue reading Twelve Small Stream Fly Casting Tips at Troutbitten.

This small stream leader provides the control to cast through the brush yet still achieve good dead drifts on the dry fly. It’s tailor made for precision dry fly fishing in the brush, but it’s versatile enough to fish other styles. For me, this is the perfect small stream leader, and it’s been with me for a very long time.

That kind of control is exactly what is needed on small streams with cover. You can do magic tricks with the fly, twisting around corners and dipping it just inches under the next tree branch. Sure the cast matters most, but a leader that’s built for the job goes hand in hand, completing a system built for the challenges of small trout streams.

Continue reading Favorite Small Stream Leader — Formula, Reasons and Stories at Troutbitten.

The Perfect Parachute Ant is so effective and so versatile for me, that it's the only terrestrial I carry in my box, most days . . .

Continue reading VIDEO: The Perfect Parachute Ant — Troutbitten Fly Box at Troutbitten.

The George Harvey Dry Fly leader is a slackline leader built for dead drifting. With intentional casting, with the right stroke, the Harvey lands with slack in all the right places, with curves and swirls through the entire leader and not just in the tippet section. The Harvey is a masterful tool built for the art of presenting a dry fly on a dead drift. But success begins by understanding how the Harvey is different, and why it works.

Continue reading (VIDEO) The George Harvey Dry Fly Leader — Design, Adjustment and Fishing Tips at Troutbitten.

The Perfect Parachute Ant is so effective and so versatile for me, that it's the only terrestrial I carry in my box, most days . . .

Continue reading VIDEO: The Perfect Parachute Ant — Troutbitten Fly Box at Troutbitten.

This is our full crew review of dry dropper styles. And it wraps up this Troutbitten Skills Series on dry dropper fishing. Because, as we’ve seen, what seems like a pretty simple thing — just adding a nymph under a dry fly -- actually creates some complex situations. Knowing your intentions, understanding the system and adjusting your rigging makes a big difference . . .

Continue reading Podcast: Roundtable Review and Wrap Up — Dry Dropper Skills Series #5 at Troutbitten.

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.

Continue reading Podcast: Tight Line Dry Dropper — Dry Dropper Skills Series #4 at Troutbitten.

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.

It's 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 . . .

Continue reading Podcast: Standard Dry Dropper — Dry Dropper Skills Series #3 at Troutbitten.

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.

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 truly are, measured against your options for rigging and fly selection, goes a long way toward filling the net with trout . . .

Continue reading Podcast: Light Dry Dropper — Dry Dropper Skills Series #2 at Troutbitten.

"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.

Continue reading Podcast: Three Styles of Dry Dropper — Dry Dropper Skills Series #1 at Troutbitten.