VIDEOS
Fish Hard
I published the first Troutbitten video in the spring of 2017, in an effort to show the things that cannot be written or photographed.
Years later, I brought Josh Darling, owner of Wilds Media, into the project. His art, his eye and his film expertise make Josh the perfect partner for this work.
In 2022, Josh and I began the Troutbitten Tips series on the Troutbitten YouTube channel. These are short, helpful and unique tips for a life on the water.
We’ve also added a series called, Fly Fishing the Mono Rig. This ongoing collection of videos highlights the versatility and the nuances of this hybrid fly fishing system.
A dedicated Gear Review series just launched on the channel, and who knows what’s next.
Troutbitten videos teach tactics and share stories that keep the river in our minds and in our hearts.
From the video, The River Doesn’t Owe You Anything. (Fall, 2020) Photo by Josh Darling
WHERE TO WATCH
All Troutbitten videos are found on the Troutbitten YouTube channel.
Explore the playlists. Subscribe to the channel, and Leave a comment.
Every Troutbitten Video also has a companion article, with more information and an embedded video link.
Thanks for watching.
VIDEO: The Perfect Parachute Ant — Troutbitten Fly Box
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 . . .
Fish With Friends — Doc and Darling, Night Fishing and the Bad Mother Night Fly
The Fish With Friends series continues with Josh and Trevor on a night fishing trip, a few big wild trout and the Bad Mother Night Fly recipe . . .
(VIDEO) What’s In That Vest? Laying Out the Essentials and More
The key to a good carrying system is efficiency. Carry lots of gear or be a minimalist. But however you carry your gear, make sure it works for you. Think it through. And then change something if the system is holding you back, if it’s getting in your way or taking you out of rhythm. A carrying system should be designed around the way you fish, and not the other way around. Think about that. Don’t change the way you fish to suit a poorly chosen pack.
My vest is the most important piece of gear that I own. Because it holds everything that I work with. And having things laid out with a purpose keeps me efficient and ready to adapt.
(VIDEO) The Fly Rod Dip and Swish — A Useful Trick You Might Have Missed
What do you do when the fly line to leader connection comes back through your rod guides? How do you get to fly line back out there? And if you’re using a long leader system or a tight line nymphing system, and the butt section of your leader wraps around your rod tip, how do you get it unwrapped?
The fly rod dip and swish. That’s the answer you do. It’s a really useful tool that solves a lot of problems . . .
Fish With Friends — Doc, Darling, Delly and Dom (VIDEO)
For a couple of years, the Troutbitten guys and I have wanted to put together films that simply show the fishing, the friendships and good times on the water. So begins the Fish With Friends series on the Troutbitten YouTube channel . . .
Reading Water in Levels, Lanes and Seams (with VIDEO)
Reading water is a base level skill for every river angler. While mystifying at first, finding the features of moving water becomes second nature in short order. Then, the river opens up and reveals itself, signaling where trout hold, where to cast and how to achieve the necessary presentations.
Levels, lanes and seams are not the structure of a river itself. Instead, the structures of a river — a wide gravel bar, a small island or a midstream boulder create the lanes and seams — the features of your favorite water.
This is how we read a river . . .
The Streamer Head Flip VIDEO
My favorite streamer presentation and my best trick for convincing trout to eat a streamer now has a companion video.
The head flip helps seal the deal on tough trout that won’t commit, and it’s a great look for almost any streamer — big, small, heavy or light. It’s a presentation that I use every day, because it works in so many situations.
Mono Rigs and Euro Leaders — Micro Thin or Standard? (with VIDEO)
This is an absolute keystone to understanding all the information out there about long leader systems. I hope you enjoy it.
Just like the fly lines that these long leaders substitute for, the range and variety of leader formulas leads to a lot of confusion.
Mono Rigs, euro rigs, tight line or contact rigs: Yes, there’s a difference in those terms. But everything we’ll consider here applies to them all. Basically, if what is outside of your rod guides is the leader only (or even just a thin euro fly line), then it helps to understand how the leader build affects our possibilities for how we might fish . . .
15 Knot Tying Tips (with VIDEO)
Being a versatile angler comes down to changing things. And on the river, that means tying knots. Good anglers need the facility to tie knots, with ease. This is my best advice for tying quick, clean, strong knots.
Troutbitten Fly Box — The Craft Fur Jig and The Craft Fur Streamer (with VIDEO)
Some flies do one thing really well. Other flies are your workhorse on the water, lending solutions to river problems by being adaptable. These are the flies we reach for over and over. These are the flies we tie first and keep well stocked. This is the Craft Fur . . .
Five Keys to Reading the Sighter (with VIDEO)
Control. Options. Precision. These are the most attractive aspects of fishing a tight line system, and the sighter is the key to it all.
A sighter is more than a strike indicator. It also shows depth, angle, speed and contact. It points to our flies and takes away the guesswork. For an angler who learns to read all of this on the sighter, that colored line above the water provides a most significant advantage to the underwater game . . .
(VIDEO) Finding Your Best Fishing Angles
Choosing your casting position based on visibility, working with the light rather than fighting against it, is not an intuitive decision. But by simply moving our body, by wading up, down or over, we change the light, the highlights and the glare on the water. In this way we can see through a section of river from the left side that was under impossible glare from the right . . .