False casting is a necessary evil for fly casters, but it’s important to realize that it serves several purposes. First, if you’re fishing dry flies, it helps dry your fly and keep the fly floating longer during a fishing session. Second, as TROUT Magazine Editor Kirk Deeter demonstrates in this week’s edition of Trout Tips,…
Casting to perpendicular runs can be challenging–it’s often tough to get the right drift. Once anglers master the mend, the next tool that needs to be added to the tackle box to help get that perfect drift and send that fly downstream in a natural fashion is the reach cast. Here, TU’s Kirk Deeter demonstrates…
There are a lot of little tips for fly fishing expedience that may not actually help you catch fish, but might make it easier to start fishing. The tip offered up by Kirk Deeter in the video below is one such idea that has become second nature to me and a lot of anglers who…
We’re very proud to release TU’s newest book, “Trout Tips,” a collection of tips and tricks from our staff and membership that’s designed to make all of us better anglers. Edited by Kirk Deeter, TU’s vice president of Trout Media and the editor of TROUT Magazine, the book is full of wonderful ideas and tips…
One of the many “little things” that can foul up your fly cast is a wandering elbow. First it’s tight to your side, like it should be. Then, after a while, you get a little tired and a little lazy and it starts to meander away from your side and, before you know it, it’s…
Delaney Hunt with a Black Canyon rainbow. Photo by Chris Hunt. The second chapter in TU’s newest book, “Trout Tips,” deals with fly selection. When we fish new water, we’re often mystified at what the trout we’re after might, in turn, be after. Hence the age-old question, “What’re they hitting?” Several years ago, on southeast…
Editor’s note: The following is exerpted from TU’s newest book, “Trout Tips,” available for order today. Patience and Deliberation Count for a Lot Move slowly toward the river, and stalk patiently. It’s very easy to spook fish away before you’ve even thrown your first cast by not being quiet and mindful. Once you’ve stepped into…
Sometimes you have to get the trout’s attention. Often, the simplest advice is the best. And when it comes to fly fishing, with all its trappings and the intimidating vocabulary ranging from fly sizes, line and rod weights, tippet sizes and sink ratings, simpler is better, particularly for folks who are just starting out. That’s…
Sometimes you have to get the trout’s attention. Often, the simplest advice is the best. And when it comes to fly fishing, with all its trappings and the intimidating vocabulary ranging from fly sizes, line and rod weights, tippet sizes and sink ratings, simpler is better, particularly for folks who are just starting out. That’s…
The rainbow trout fishery of Bristol Bay is simply legendary. With hundreds—maybe thousands—of miles of salmon streams that flow from the headwaters of the drainage to the sea, it’s easy to see why rainbow trout are so vibrant and plentiful, given the food base. Alaska Sportman’s Lodge, run by all-star TU volunteer Brian Kraft, is…
Professional photographer, Ben Herndon, sits down to talk about the latest cover of TROUT Magazine. Listen as he discusses his approach to photography and what compels him to speak up and use his photography to talk about the removal of the lower Snake River dams.
In a first, a salmonid is on track for delisting from the list of threatened and endangered species
To catch the biggest fish, sometimes you just need to be in the current MARTINSVILLE, Va. — “Right! Right!” Hunter Hatcher was yelling as he furiously pulled on the raft’s oars. Turning, I saw the reason for his exuberance: a brown trout. A. Very. Large. Brown. Trout. OK. Maybe not very large by Tierra del…
It took a trip across the country for a Pennsylvanian to discover anglers quietly making a difference back home.
Editor’s note: The following is experpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available for overnight shipping. It’s hard not to like tandem rigs—two flies working together for the single purpose of making you happy. But there should always be rationale for the pairing. Sometimes that’s merely to help you see better. I can’t always see a…
SOTU 2017 10142017 from Trout Unlimited on Vimeo. Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood presents the State of Trout Unlimited at the TU annual meeting in Roanoke, Va., in September 2017.
Editor’s note: The following is experpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available for overnight delivery. Organize your fly boxes by the time of year. Yes, BWOs and Adamses can go in any box, but rarely do I ever find the need to use a Hendrickson (light or dark) after I use a terrestrial. Early season…
Watch what the river does, and what the fish do. They’ll tell you how to go about your fishing, much better than any guide, or YouTube video, or book or magazine article ever will.
Tom Sadler fishes Tenkara for winter brookies in a small Appalachian trout stream. I’ve tried everything to keep ice from accumulating on my fly rod guides during cold winter fishing trips. I’ve tried the paste and the sprays, and while they might work for a few minutes, they’ll eventually fail. It’s gotten to where I’ll…
Often, the best fish live in the waters others won’t walk far enough to reach. The following is exerpted from TU’s book, “Trout Tips,” available online now for overnight delivery. Fish places others don’t. There’s a difference between improving as a fly fisherman and improving your fishing. Spending time on technical, heavily pressured tailwaters can…
