Steelhead are never easy to catch. If they were … well, they wouldn’t be steelhead. But they might be especially difficult to catch on a skated dry fly. One western river, the desert section of the lower Deschutes, is known for big, fresh-from-the-Columbia chromers that will, indeed, hit a dry fly on the skate. Captured … Read more
Once you have the simple cast down—the pick-up-and-lay-down cast—it’s time to start bringing your line hand into the equation. In the short video below, Orvis’ Pete Kutzer shows us the proper method for holding the line while casting, including where your hand should be to avoid catching your line on your reel or the butt … Read more
For more than a decade, Montanans have worked together to create a lasting solution for public lands in the Blackfoot River watershed. That solution is the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. This bill will protect the Blackfoot River by permanently protecting its most important tributaries. It will also secure and expand outdoor recreation opportunities in the … Read more
Atlantic salmon—at least those that swim wild in the ocean and migrate into the rivers and streams of Newfoundland and Labrador—are a bucket-list fish for a lot of fly fishers. And they should be. They rival any other salmon species when it comes to taking flies and, of course, when it comes to the fight … Read more
It’s dry-fly season. Well, it’s what I like to call “hopper season,” especially here in the West, where big trout will look up for terrestrial bugs that will occasionally end up in the water, thanks to a timely wind gust or just dumb luck. But fishing hoppers and other terrestrial flies isn’t about dumb luck. … Read more
Most of us have lived this scenario: We’re rigged up at the foot of a classic riffle that gives way to a nice run that features a deep trough that very likely holds fish. But the fish are also likely deep—we’ll need a heavy nymph, and a lot of us fish nymphs under an indicator. … Read more
“Schedule it when I’m not around.” Meigan and Lucas Bell pestered me for weeks to host a showing of Live the Stream in the national office of Trout Unlimited. I am glad my assistant didn’t listen to my direction. Live the Stream is a fantastic movie. Its cinematography captures the essence of the “quiet sport.” … Read more
With terrestrial season coming on strong throughout the country, it’s an obvious time to start flinging a hopper-dropper rig. But what’s the best way to do it? What knots make the most sense? How far below the high-floating hopper should the “dropper” nymph be? Here’s a great short video from the New Fly Fisher that … Read more
Some fly-fishing scenes are universally appealing. Trout moving on a dry fly. The rise. Even the refusal. Cheers to the folks at Carpe Diem, the Swedish YouTubers who occasionally present some really great fly-fishing videography like the short film below. Chasing trout isn’t always about catching trout—most of us get that. But it generally is … Read more
The “upstream and dry” approach is a commonly accepted method—and on some European waters, it’s required—for fly fishing. Here in the U.S., we’re blessed with a lot of trout water, and, thankfully, a lot of public lands on which we can fish at our leisure rather than being forced to pay rod fee, walk a … Read more
