 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 exploring the water types of a river to find hungry trout. And we’re thinking...
You’re working through the river, wading upstream or down, aiming for dead drifts or otherwise. And you’re moving, covering water and searching for active trout while trying to draw every possible insight from the experience. You learn with each step, with every cast,...
Wading or floating, up top with dry flies or underneath with wets, you can fool a trout on just about any fly. And experience teaches the frequent angler how the presentation of a fly trumps the specifics of the pattern by a wide margin. We have a better chance at...
A lot is made of angler pressure and its overall effect on trout behavior. In truth, I’m not so sure that fishing pressure is as big of a factor as some people insist, and I think we use it as an excuse sometimes. In fishing, bad luck happens, so we look to explain...
Find water you can fish close up, and work on deadly accurate casting. You’ll find that, when fishing shorter, you can fish harder. Instead of hoping a trout eats or wishing for a strike, the kind of precision possible at short range lets you make something happen with intention . . .
The Lift and Lead is a cornerstone concept for advanced tight line nymphing skills.
Most euro nymphing or tight line studies seem to ignore the lift, focusing only on the concept of leading the flies downstream. For certain, the lift and lead is an advanced tactic. But if you’re having success on a tight line for a few seasons now, you’re probably already incorporating some of this without knowing it. And by considering both elements, by being deliberate with each part of the lift and lead, control over the course of your flies increases. The path is more predictable. And more trout eat the fly . . .
We can learn much about wading a river for trout by observing the heron. Take time to watch these compelling predators — these master hunters of the river. Because the lessons of incomparable stealth are unforgettable once you’ve seen them . . .
Trout love the plop of a terrestrial — sometimes. But we catch even more by setting the fly up for a dead drift after the plop. It’s not easy, but it makes all the difference . . .
Understand that trout can’t turn their heads, and they don’t look behind themselves casually.
And from a fisherman’s perspective, as one who has spent decades accidentally scaring the fish I intended to catch, I assure you that the best way to approach a trout is from behind . . .
All trout continuously adapt to their surroundings — they learn what to expect, and they spook from the unexpected.
So, stealth on the water and understanding what spooks a trout is foundational knowledge in fly fishing. Trout are easily scared. Are you spooking fish?