My guest this week is Brian Grossenbacher [42:45], one of the finest fly-fishing still photographers in the world. You’ve seen his work on the cover of many magazines and in Orvis catalogs. (Brian and I recently collaborated on a book entitled, simply, Trout, with his images and my essays. ) Learn how Brian’s career changed from being a full-time fishing guide to a professional photographer and glean some tips on how to go pro yourself—or at least improve the quality of your own images. Along the way, Brian tells a couple stories that had me in tears of laughter as I was recording this. In the Fly Box this week, we have some interesting questions and great tips from listeners, including: What impact does bug spray have on fish and the tackle we use? My Elk Hair Caddis dry flies land on their sides. How can I prevent this? Should I grease my leader when fishing with a dry-dropper rig in fast water? I want to try carp fishing. Should I put my money into a better reel or a better rod? A tip from a listener on how to keep materials out of the eye of a fly you just tied, and how to keep your hands warm in cold weather. A tip from a listener on how he greatly improved his casting with all rods when he went from a 4-weight rod to a 9-weight rod. What would you do if faced with three days of 25 mph winds and dirty water when on a saltwater trip? Does cold weather make fly rods brittle? I came up with a killer fly pattern that is unlike anything out there. Should I share the pattern on social media? I am having trouble with carp. What fly patterns do you recommend, and how can I tell when they take the fly? What tips do you have for making those quick deliveries when sight fishing in salt water?

How to become a professional fly-fishing photographer, with Brian Grossenbacher

The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast provides weekly tips  from acclaimed fly fishing author and lifelong fly fishing enthusiast, Tom Rosenbauer. Get the most from your time on the water!

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Breckenridge Outfitters is this year's winner of the Orvis Endorsed Outfitter of the Year Award and Tim West [44:07] is the glue that holds this fabulous guide service together.  In the interview, Tim talks about how to decide which fly to tie on at the beginning of the day, or when you first approach the water.  Do you start with a streamer, a nymph, a wet fly, a dry fly, or some combination of them?  What clues should you observe to decide which one to try?   We have some fascinating questions this week in the fly box, questions I am sure many of you think about yourself, including:   Can you explain the difference between fast, medium, and slow fly rods?   I noticed a bright orange sludge-like material on the bottom of my stream.  Should I stay away from this one?   Do you think kayaks spook trout more than belly boats?   After a rod, reel, and line, what piece of gear should I consider next?   When tying to fill a fly box, should I tie one of each pattern or 4 or 5 of the same one?   Is there a disadvantage of using a perfection loop instead of a non-slip mono loop when tying on a streamer?   If I see a heron in a pool in a small stream, should I move on and avoid that pool?   Would it work to have a leader with a very long butt section, a short transition section, and a very long tippet?   Why do trout eat or reject an imitation of a midge pupa in a lake?   Do you think a 5-weight outfit is a good rod for taking to Alaska?   Why don't my marabou flies stay fluffy once they have been used?   A listener tip for tying a dropper to the bend of a hook.  

What's the First Fly to Tie On?  With Award-Winning Outfitter Tim West

  Carp are difficult any time but around spawning time they can be extremely frustrating.  But they can be caught on a fly.  You need to know where to look and which fish to target.  Guide Rowan Lytle [44:38] has it dialed in, and if you always wanted to catch a carp on the fly you need to listen to this podcast.  Rowan, not yet 30 years old, has already caught 202 different species of fish on a fly rod, and some of them will surprise you.  But you'll need to listen to the podcast to find out what they are.   In the Fly Box this week, we have some great questions and tips from listeners, including:    I tip for taming your line and leader when you don't use a hook keeper   How far do I hold my UV lamp form the fly when curing UV epoxy?   What do I do on my local lake when the Power Bait crowd out-fishes me?   How do I catch catfish on a fly rod?   Do you fish different caddis pupa patterns for cased vs. uncased caddis?   How do different holes in a river change throughout the season?   Should I fish dry flies and nymphs in a lake different from the way I fish them in streams?   Do weed guards on flies actually work in thick vegetation?   If we see mayflies about size 12 hatching in our lake, should we use a size 12 nymph or one smaller?   What is the difference between flow, thin, and thick UV resins and when should I use each one?   My size 20 grizzly hackle keeps breaking.  Do you have any tips for keeping tension and not breaking the stems?   What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying a complete outfit vs. separate components?   A tip from a listener on whether to use your wading staff upstream or downstream of your position.   I want to start tying flies.  What pattern would you recommend I start with?     What are your favorite bass and bluegill flies?  

Secrets of Carp Fishing Around Spawning Time, with Rowan Lytle

  My guest this week is Sarah Foster [54:15], executive director of The American Museum of Fly Fishing, on why she thinks learning about the history and traditions surrounding fly fishing are important and add to our enjoyment.  She talks about recent exhibits and acquisitions, and what is in store for the future of the museum.  It's a must-see for anyone visiting southern Vermont.   In the Fly Box this week, we have some especially interesting questions and tips from listeners, including:   Why do I keep getting strikes on nymphs while stripping them upstream like a streamer?   Is the throat of a pool a common place to find trout feeding?   At what temperature does a brown trout start to actively feed?   When I see a pod of rising trout, why can I only fool one fish even though the other ones continue to feed?   How do older Orvis bamboo fly rods compare to contemporary models?   I found eggs in holdover brown trout in the spring.  Were these fish that never found a mate?   I have trouble with rabbit's foot hair coming loose on my flies.  How do I secure it better?   If you only had one line for striped bass from shore, what line would you choose?   How much time before the incoming or outgoing tide should I fish for striped bass?   Can you explain exactly what a shock tippet is?   What is your "last fly" during the evening hatch when it gets tough to see?   Do polarized sunglasses lose their effectiveness over time?   A listener gives a tip for an easier way to tie a surgeon's knot   A listener gives a caution about fishing below sewage treatment plants after a major flood event   My 70-denier thread keeps breaking.  What could be the problem?   What feathers from a chicken are useful in fly tying?   I fish a 6-weight rod and want a different rod for smaller streams.  What should I pick?   I always use a wading staff.  Is the metal tip on the staff an alarm clock for trout, and have you ever put on a rubber tip to prevent this?  

Are Fly-Fishing Traditions and History Important? with Sarah Foster

Scott [41:18] is an assistant professor of motor control and learning at Long Beach University, as well as a fly fisher and podcast listener.  He has a small number of quick tests you can do at home to check your balance, and then simple exercises you can do at home without any special equipment to improve your balance in a matter of weeks.  Wading safely and comfortably on a river involves both balance and confidence, and what you learn here will give you help with both.  You'll enjoy your time on the water more.   In the Fly Box this week we have so many great tips from listeners that I may be able to retire and turn the podcast over to you.  But we also have some interesting questions that I'm happy to answer as best I can.  Some of these include:   A listener suggests when a self-inflating PFD may be a good option   Two listeners weigh in on how to access scientific articles on fisheries science with paying a fee for access   A listener offers a great suggestion on how to easily attach a dropper to the bend of a hook.   Should I be concerned about fishing below a sewage treatment outlet?   A listener tells a great tale of his momentous catch on one of the new Helios rods   Should I be concerned about angling for fish when they are on their spawning run?   With the new Helios rods, do you still prefer the F version for trout and the D version for salt water?   If I dispose of the shiners I catch will it help the local trout population?   What do you think of using an indicator with a big nymph or crayfish fly for early season smallmouth?   Can you explain the difference between a shooting head and a sink-tip line?   A listener gives some expert advice on the choice of insect repellents   I am having trouble with short roll casts.  Do you think it's my casting technique?   Is it helpful to pre-treat dry flies right after you tie them?   If I fish an indicator and split shot and a nymph, should I use a double taper or weight-forward line?  

How to Test and Keep Your Balance When Wading, with Scott Ducharme

Ralph Cutter [36:53] is an extremely perceptive, pragmatic angler with a lifetime of experience in white water, both fishing and in watercraft and water rescues.  He feels that what we’ve been taught to do if we fall in wearing waders is all wrong, and he has a number of tips for getting to shore safely that most of us don’t know about.  He also recommends a second wader belt for wading in very tricky waters.  He’s proven this through countless experiments on the water.  If you spend any time at all wading in rivers, you must listen to this podcast—or you can read an article in Fly Fisherman magazine he wrote a number of years ago through this link: How to Wade Safely and Get Out of Dangerous Situations - Fly Fisherman     In the Fly Box this week, we have questions that range from the very basic to more advanced, and tips from listeners as well, including:  Why do my CDC dry flies sink like a rock? I am not feeling strikes when I am nymph fishing.  Are there improvements I can make to feel more fish? Would a longer rod help more in nymph fishing? Why aren’t knotless leaders marked with a small segment of color so that the butt, tippet, and transition sections are clearly demarcated? A listener clarifies the issue of whether northern strain brook trout were ever stocked in the southern Appalachians If I want to fish pools that are 8-10 feet deep with a Euro rig, do I need an 8-10-foot tippet? What do I do if I am fishing a dropper rig and my upper dropper tippet breaks off or gets too short?  Do I need to tie another surgeon’s knot? If I am fishing straight upstream, do I need to mend my line? If my hook bends after removing it from a snag and I bend it back into place, will that weaken the hook? I have trouble tying a dropper onto the bend of a hook.  I lose tension and pressure before cinching the knot down.  Do you have any tips to help this? The water temperature was in the 40s and there was a mayfly hatch, but I only caught fish on nymphs and nothing was rising.  Why did this happen? Does choosing a fly rod really depend mostly on the size flies you’re throwing?  When I fish a small bass fly, I don’t want to try to land a bass on my 3-weight.   

How to become a professional fly-fishing photographer, with Brian Grossenbacher

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