Perhaps the most overlooked part of a good carrying system is the wading belt. Anglers love their gear. We all do. But how can we keep our stuff with us, make it easily accessible and not be slowed down or fatigued by the extra weight? Answer: Carry the heavy things...
 The Troutbitten Podcast is available everywhere that you listen to your podcasts. ** Note ** The Podcast Player, along with links to your favorite players is below. This episode is about wading a river. Good wading. Better wading. Confident wading. Because, for a...
All the good river anglers I know are natural waders. They are fluid, stable and confident enough to move through the river without thinking much about it. They wade in cooperation with the current, pushing against it only when they must. Intuitively, their body turns...
A few years ago, I wrote a Troutbitten article about rigging and carrying a wading staff. I do things a little differently than most anglers, and I believe that a wading staff carried this way helps everyone, regardless of their wading ability. That article continues...
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
We wade for contemplation, for strength and exhaustion, for the challenge and the risk. We wade for opportunity . . .