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Hopper-dropper fishing
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? https://youtu.be/Nz7QQFOPemU The hopper-dropper rig. Here's a great short video from the…
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Using different fly floatants
Not all fly floatants are created equally. What's more, not all fly floatants are appropriate for universal use on the water. For instance, CDC flies will do better if the angler applies a silicon-based floatant rather than a gel floatant. Bigger flies might require a liquid floatant that can get down into the hairs used…
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How to fish a dry fly downstream
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…
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Sunny Days
I always look forward to the transition to wet-wading season. Here in the mid-Atlantic that usually hits in mid-May, unless you’re fishing a tailwater just downstream from a dam, in which case waders are still a must. Even with neoprene wading socks, the first steps into a chilly (but not frigid) trout stream can be…
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How to Read a River
Reading the water is an acquired skill. It's an ability that's honed over time, and one that takes into account not only a river's physical characteristics, but how certain stretches might fish at certain times of the year ... or even certain times of the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcBIq5gWfjE Above, RIO's Simon Gawesworth helps shorten the learning…
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Watch before you fish
You wouldn't tackle a math problem—even the simplest of equations—without first taking a second to figure out the variables and determining where to start with your efforts to solve it, would you? https://youtu.be/-_M1Pavj5hI Now, apply that logic to fly fishing. It's always a good idea to take a look at a stretch of water, just…
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Summer steelhead on a skated fly
Editor's note: This is the second of two posts on skating flies for summer steelhead from the director of TU's Wild Steelhead Initiative. Go here to read the first. Recently, I shared some thoughts on the gear, techniques, and stream knowledge you might need to fish for summer steelhead with a skated fly—one of my…
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