Why do some rivers hold big trout? This is a topic that has come up between all of us on long drives, around the tailgate, and on long walks along the riverbank. Why is it that some rivers just do not have any size to the fish, and then, maybe just the next valley over, not only is the average size larger, but the top tier fish is bigger too?

Continue reading PODCAST: Why Do Some Rivers Hold Big Trout? — S13, Ep7 at Troutbitten.

Nothing compares to actively fishing streamers and watching trout attack the fly. In early November, I found good streamer action in some favorite water. The takes were spotty enough that I had to work for them, but frequent enough that I could learn the preferences of the trout and dial in a presentation . . .

Continue reading Fish and Film – Fishing Fall Streamers (VIDEO) at Troutbitten.

Tonight we’re here to talk about why we fish. It’s a simple question. Why do we commit so much of our free time and efforts, our thoughts and our daydreams . . . to fishing?

It’s the same natural pursuit that brought us all down to the water from the beginning.

Continue reading PODCAST: Why We Fish — S13, Ep6 at Troutbitten.

You can move the fly ten inches across seams. You can jerk strip, jig and twitch the streamer with jumpy and choppy motions or you can do all of it super smooth. Which do the trout prefer?

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — Quick or Smooth? at Troutbitten.

Moving the fly with the rod tip and not just the line hand is a fundamental skill that opens up many presentations that bring trout to a streamer.

The jerk strip is critical for any serious streamer angler. It’s a must-have skill for animating the fly -- for selling the streamer to a fish. And it’s the baseline for what I think of as a jig strip, a twitch strip, a glide strip, a head flip and twitch, a lane change, and much more. At its core, the jerk strip is a hand off from left to right -- it’s about moving the fly with the rod tip and then recovering with the line hand. In this way, the jerk strip sets the table for everything else . . .

Continue reading The Jerk Strip – Streamer Presentations VIDEO at Troutbitten.

Should we always fish barbless? Maybe not. The answer isn’t that simple. So the Troutbitten guys are here for a conversation and a few thoughts about barbs on hooks.

Each one of us has fished for long enough that we’ve used both barbed and barbless flies. We’ve also used barbs on lures and bait hooks, because we all grew up fishing in different ways. Some anglers who jump right into the fly fishing game — especially for trout — are exposed to a another sentiment. So their reference points are different. And like anything else, what might seem almost outlandish to one person can seem like no big deal to another.

Continue reading PODCAST: Barbed Hooks or Barbless? Does It Really Matter? — S13, Ep5 at Troutbitten.

We know that different patterns work for trout at different times, but it’s helpful to acknowledge that some flies move trout a lot further than others.

So what kinds of flies motivate trout to move a little further?

Continue reading What Moves a Trout to the Fly? at Troutbitten.

Every angler needs a set of flies to call their own. Among the thousands of patterns, options and choices out there, eventually, we sort out a handful of confidence flies.

Our faith in these flies gives us conviction when choosing them and tying the knot. We’ll fish THIS fly in THIS water. That’s what will catch the next trout. And if it doesn’t, then we’ll change something — maybe the water type, maybe the presentation, maybe the rig. Or maybe we’ll reach for the next confidence fly.

Continue reading PODCAST: Finding Your Confidence Flies — S13, Ep4 at Troutbitten.

You can roam the river, mending, drifting and stripping, casting into every corner pocket and straight channel. You have the skills to present the fly, the consummate awareness of currents and flows and the stamina to wade rough water for hours on end. But can you imagine a target? Can you picture a trout feeding in the hydraulic swirl behind an unseen chunk of bedrock on the river bottom? Can you believe the trout is there? . . .

The capacity to imagine a trout in the river is a next-level skill that’s only earned by thoughtful time on the water . . .

Continue reading Fifty Fly Fishing Tips: #18 — Imagine a Target — Fish to the Fish at Troutbitten.

Our skill for leading the nymphs through a good drift and aiming for perfection is what puts trout in the net more predictably than any other approach.

Continue reading Learning To Lead Nymphs On A Tight Line System at Troutbitten.