I get lots of questions about dubbing, which is a simple process that we sometimes complicate with hundreds of different blends and as many opinions on how to apply it. But it's an essential skill in fly tying, so Tim [35:18] and I spend a whole podcast exploring types of dubbing, when you would use them, and different methods of applying this essential material. Tim is always a fun guest and this one is no exception.   In the Fly Box this week, we have a some great tips from listeners and of course plenty of questions, including:

• A great tip from a listener on how to estimate a fly line size using a kitchen scale.
• Does UV resin dry completely?
• Can I add head cement to the head of my Elk Hair Caddis?
• What is the protocol for tipping at a fly-fishing school?
• When you carry extra lines to the river, do you put them on extra spools or carry extra reels?  And where do you put them?
• I have some 20-year-old tippet I was given. Should I use it?
• Do you have any recommendations for easily transferable materials that can be used for fry flies as well as streamers?
• A tip from a listener on how to safely carry a full-size camera when fishing.
• Where do baby carp hide? I never see them.
• Does adding split shot make it harder to hook fish?
• A tongue-in-cheek story about using songbird feathers on flies.
• I want to buy a house on a trout stream. What should I know before I do this?

My guest this week is country singer JD Clayton [35:35], a talented singer/songwriter and all-around nice guy who loves to fly fish for smallmouth bass in his native Ozarks. He fills me in on what their fishing is like, and why he loves this rural part of the country so much.   In the Fly Box this week, I answer some questions and we have a couple tips from listeners, including:

• What are some guides to western aquatic insects you recommend?
• What wading boots do you recommend for hiking into remotes ponds and streams?
• What water temperatures are ideal for trout, and are there certain temperatures to expect hatches?
• What do you think the effect of dry summers and falls has on small trout streams in New England?
• What time of year is best for crayfish patterns, and how should I fish them in smaller streams?
• My large indicator dry flies keep falling over and landing upside-down. What do you think is causing this?
• What can I do to preserve and clean the cork handle on my fly rod?
• Great tips from a listener on a chair for tying flies and some lighting and magnification tips.
• How should I wash my waders?
• How can I determine the line weight of an old fly line with no identifying marks?

This week my guest Dave Zielinski [39:53], author of the comprehensive book Cicada Madness, tells us when and where you can encounter this year's brood of periodical cicadas—and if you can't make that event, he'll tell you how to find waters that host regular emergences of annual cicadas, which are not quite as large but can offer spectacular fishing if your timing is right. All kinds of fish go crazy over the giant bugs, from trout to bass to carp-- even gar and catfish.  Learn how to fish these flies, and how to tie them in this highly informative and timely episode that will help you plan this year's cicada expedition.   In the Fly Box this week, we have a good mix of interesting questions and tips from listeners, including:

• What are your thoughts on drop beads for saltwater flies?
• I am having problems with blood knots and leader sections ending up the right length.
• On which Orvis rods will overlining help?
• How can I get my fly deep enough to catch walleye on a fly?
• A listener has various questions about fishing for striped bass on Cape Cod.
• What line should I put on my new Orvis Superfine graphite?
• Two fly-tying tips and a first aid tip from a doctor.
• I am swinging 5 or 6 wet flies at the same time, all in line, and sometimes drop fish on the lower flies.  How can I fix this?
• How can you catch fish that are nearly impossible to approach in low, clear water?
• Some great tips from a listener on how to stay warm when winter fishing.

Crayfish are prey that most gamefish can't resist. They're high in calories, abundant, and relatively easy for bass, trout, and many other gamefish to capture. Yet most of us don't know much about their life cycle and behavior (myself included). Guide Jake Villwock [47:02] has spent his life studying these critters, which gives him important insight on the right fly patterns, but even more important how and when to fish them. You'll learn a lot on this podcast.   In the Fly Box this week, there are lots of good questions and I hope my answers will help you in your fly-fishing journey. They include:

• I can't seem to get my fly deep enough in bass lakes with my floating line.  Should I get a sinking line for my 8-weight and fish surface flies with my 5-weight?
• A listener asks for help from listeners in ways to lessen the pain of losing his beloved fishing dog
• I fished a river that has always been full of trout and didn't see a thing.  What happened to the fish?
• Should I apply my dubbing with clockwise or counterclockwise twists?
• Can I tie my dropper onto the tag end of my improved clinch knot?
• What are your thoughts and comments on how long a trout stays spooked?
• Why do you prefer a sling pack and where do you put your net?
• Do resident brook trout in a river get pushed around by migrating steelhead?  Do they still feed?
• I didn't catch any fish in high, cold water.  What should I have done?
• What do you think about tying a loop in the end of my tippet and attaching flies with a girth hitch?
• Why don't people use landing nets for striped bass?
• I saw an anti-reverse fly reel on EBay.  What do you think of them?

 

This episode was originally published on January 30th, 2021

This week, continuing our series of podcasts on winter fly fishing for trout, I interview George Daniel, author and guide. George is also an Orvis ambassador and field tester, and teaches fly fishing at Penn State. As you'll discover, there are many similarities with winter fishing in other parts of the country, along with some flies and techniques a bit more appropriate for the Northeast.

In the Fly Box this week, we have some great tips and questions, including: Do you use touch dubbing, split thread dubbing, and composite loop dubbing techniques? I'm looking for a fly line to fish streamers for bass, trout, and panfish. Which line should I get? What leaders do I need for my Clearwater Trout Spey setup, for both Skagit and Scandi lines? What's your technique for catching largemouth bass, and what are your favorite flies? Why can't I get my dubbing noodle to behave? Which intermediate line should I get for fishing streamers and indicators in four to eight feet of water? A great tip on a method for wetting marabou and other materials without putting them in your mouth. I went fishing before a cold front and got skunked. I thought fishing was supposed to be good before a cold front. What line and leader and tippet would you use for trout in lakes in 15 feet of water?

 

This episode was originally published on January 14th, 2021.

My guest this week is Rachael Leinweber [39:38], general manager of The Angler's Covey fly shop in Colorado Springs. One in a series of podcasts about winter fly-fishing tips, Rachael has some great ones for us, and it's been interesting to see how each guide we've talked to has a slightly different take on effective winter tactics.

In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions and tips: Is there an easier way to balance a fly rod than buying a heavier reel? How can I get my parents to approve of my fly-fishing passion?

My guest this week is Mike Tayloe [33:07], who is a fishing guide, EMT, and wilderness medicine trainer. Tayloe (he prefers this to Mike) has trained many Orvis-endorsed guides and lodges on emergencies that you'll encounter on the water. Basically, they're the same emergencies you'll find at home but without the ability to get a rescue squad or ambulance quickly. The bad news is that we can't give you training on wilderness medicine on a podcast. The good news is that Tayloe will tell us how to get training for these emergencies (an online course is not the recommended way to go) and how to put together your own first aid kit so that you are prepared to deal with common medical problems. He goes into great detail on what to include in your kit, and recommends places to either get a complete pre-made kit or where to buy the right components—and the best course is not to buy a cheap kit in a big box store. This podcast, with proper training and a good kit, could save your life or that of a fishing buddy.   In the Fly Box this week, we have a number of questions that may answer questions you have had, such as:

• When should I use split shot as an "in-line" rig as opposed to the drop shot method?
• Is it better to use fewer big split shot or a number of smaller ones?
• What can I do with egg yarn other than make egg flies?
• Mayfly nymphs look flat.  Why don't we use more flies with a flattened shape?
• Should I cast my streamers upstream, across-stream, or quartering down and swinging?
• Where should I look for striped bass along a marshy shoreline?
• How important is color on emerger flies.  Most of the patterns I see imitate the color of the duns but shouldn't we be more concerned with the color of the nymph?
• Why are high-end fly rods more expensive than high-end conventional rods?
• When tying flies, should I tie every size in the right range or should I skip sizes?

Dave is one of the best young voices in fly fishing [38:14]. He's the real deal—he is a fishy guy and can handle a fly rod with the best of them, but he's also a teacher of writing at the college level and a published author. (His new book is terrific and the title is Calling After Water.) Dave gives us what I consider a mini master class on how to write about fly fishing so that your stories are engaging, concise, and fun. I know you will find many useful tips in this podcast.

In the Fly Box this week, we have an assortment of great questions from listeners, including:

What are the benefits of tube flies?

Can I nymph fish for steelhead with a Spey rod?

Is there a benefit from using UV fly-tying materials?

What is the best way to attach pre-made droppers to my leader?

Tippet ring, surgeon's knot, or blood knot?

Why do people look down on swinging wet flies for trout?

How can I fish a bigger river without wasting my time trying to fish it all?

Is it better to go to a smaller streamer when fish are just bumping the fly?

How can young people help to improve our environment?

Many of our trout waters run through agricultural areas. We need food and clean water and we'd like to fish for trout in these waters, but sometimes these things don't play well together.  It's when all user groups get together and come up with solutions that we have the best of both worlds. Cameron Aker [39:29] is the Outreach Coordinator for the Driftless Region of Iowa, and in this week's podcast he tells us how farmers, landowners, Trout Unlimited, and various government agencies have worked together to manage the land for food production while protecting sensitive coldwater fisheries. You'll learn how they do this, who funds the work, and how you can look into starting a similar initiative in your area.   In the Fly Box this week, we have the usual roundup of basic questions, good tips, and more advanced questions, including:

• How do I know when it's appropriate to use resin instead of head cement?
• I am very new to fly fishing and want to keep my initial fly selection simple. Do you think that's a good idea?
• Is it a good idea to tie a sacrificial mono loop at the end of my fly line to preserve the loop?
• What size dry flies do you use in the East for dry/dropper rigs?
• Are there more "vintage" Orvis reels that you still use?
• Are there notable distinctions between the various kinds of dubbing?
• I saw a single caddisfly on the snow recently.  Is this unusual?
• I had something snap my 12-pound fluorocarbon tippet in a clean break while fishing in salt water. What could have caused this?
• What do you keep on your fly tying desk, other than the typical tools and materials?
• What should I bring for a traveling fly-tying kit?
• Great tips from a listener on how to lessen backache when tying flies.
• How do you target cold, high rivers?

 

I often get questions about the proper way to play and release trout and I invited Jim McClennan [42:51] to talk about his tips and his philosophy on bring trout to hand. Jim has been a guide, fly shop owner, writer, and star of fishing films for as long as I have been in the business. He gives his tips on how to play trout quickly, how to land them, and shares a new trick I hadn't heard about for releasing fish without ever touching them with minimal stress to the fish. You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out this trick.   In the Fly Box this week, we have some unusually great tips from listeners as well as some interesting questions, including:

• Is there a performance difference between a hand-tied knotted leader and a knotless leader?
• A tip from a listener on the best way to begin your life as a fly tier.
• Do trout lose the rods and cones in their eyes when they get to be about 17 inches long?
• Are there any colors you would avoid when fishing a Sparkle Minnow?
• As a beginning fly tier, what tools and materials should I get first?
• What is the effect of major floods on small brook trout streams?
• A great tip from a listener on exactly what type and size of nitrile gloves are best for winter fishing.
• Can you give us a history of Superfine Graphite rods, and what is the new release like?
• If I use a 12-foot leader with a 9-foot rod, how can I easily land fish?
• If my waders end up frozen, will that hurt them?
• How can I fish in a river where everyone else is fishing indicators?  I don't like fishing indicators.
• Can I keep my fly rods in the trunk of my car over the winter?
• A listener has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that trout can learn and that trout in rivers with a lot of fishing pressure have learned to avoid certain flies.  Is there any scientific research on this topic?