Troutbitten

You can’t really learn a river until you’ve learned to fish. You need some confidence in your skills to cover a section of new water, to fish it well and then walk away with some opinions about what that river holds rather than asking questions about your techniques and decisions.

Learning a river comes by dedicating your time. You must give a part of your life to a river to learn it from top to bottom. And yes, it takes seasons on the water just to crack the surface. (And it probably takes a decade or more to crack the code.)

But for many of us, for those who live a fly fishing life, who dedicate our free time to pursuing trout and learning the game, the questions that a watershed asks are seductive. Why do you find fewer large trout in the lower island section in the fall? What river conditions are required for trout to move to the shallows and comfortably feed after dark? When should you expect the Sulfur hatch, and are there two sizes or just one?

These questions have answers. And the more we fish one waterway, the more details we discover, the more data we enter into a catalog of knowledge about a favorite trout stream.

Rivers are an ever-changing, complex ecosystem of life, water and land. They are influenced by weather, surrounding community development and sometimes the anglers themselves. Nothing is static. Nothing is truly predictable. But there’s also no denying the habit of trout. And once you spend time wading with these fish, observing their habits and watching how the changes affect their behaviors, then time itself finally stacks in your favor. The observant angler becomes part of that ecosystem. And we begin to predict the paths of trout by instinct.

Achieving that level of knowledge is a rare reward. But it is attainable. And the journey toward that knowledge is a respectable pursuit.

I’m joined again by the Troutbitten crew, Trevor Smith, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell, and Austin Dando. I can tell you that each of these fishermen know their local waters exhaustively, from to deep to shallow, from bank to bank, winter, spring, summer and fall. They know the rhythms of their waters. 

We Cover the Following

• Listener question about dry flies on the Mono Rig
• Research via maps, books, etc.
• Trout population and species
• Learning the flows
• Exploring from the mouth to the headwaters
• Season changes and migratory habits
• . . . and more

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Dry Flies on the Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | The Last Good Island
READ: Troutbitten | Save the Discovery

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Living a fly fishing life, being Troutbitten, is something that you can’t shake off. Your mind always churns over something tactical, like  a fresh spin on an old streamer retrieve. Or maybe you’re daydreaming about the upstream reaches above the water that you chose last weekend -- fishing past dusk before walking out, a mile and a half, under the stars, by yourself, full of the satisfaction that good exploration brings. And you know there’s more to find — still miles of river toward those headwaters. So the questions and that allure of discovery taps you on the shoulder all week long, reminding you of what's to come.

The next fishing trip is something to look forward to. And that’s the secret to happiness — always something to look forward to. Something to work on. Something to improve. Something to achieve.

These are life goals. And fly fishing for trout, like so many other great pursuits, gives our life a purpose, just by giving us the next thing to look forward to and the next thing to work on.

This is why we choose a fly fishing life. This is Troutbitten. And I’d guess that most of our listeners want the same.

But here’s the thing: There’s a difference between wanting it and working for it.

I think everyone imagines themselves deep into the middle of a sweetheart spot, with no one else around, casting and fishing for big wild trout that are eating our flies and coming to hand. Maybe it’s the rising trout at dusk, or a frenzied streamer bite in the morning as you cover water quickly. Whatever your favorite scenario, these are the idealized moments we imagine when we think of a fly fishing life. And, of course, those moments are there for us. We get a lot of them.

And yet, the amount of effort it requires to get there, the preparation, the planning, the failure and frustration requires hard work to get through all of it, and on to those best moments.

Doing the hard things. That’s what this podcast is about.

What are those hard things? How do we enjoy them? And what kinds of things are overlooked but seem to make all the difference?

We Cover the Following

• Listener question about quantifying improvement in our game
• Getting up early
• Refining the casting stroke
• Perfecting our rigging
• Efficiency
• Research of tactics and locations
• Gear purchase and maintenance
• Tying and testing flies
• . . . and more

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Al the Things
READ: Troutbitten | What to Trust
READ: Troutbitten | How to Stay in the Fly Fishing Game for a Lifetime

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In the last podcast, episode 7 of season 3, we talked about finding your water and finding space. And we acknowledged that everyone wants this. Everyone. I don’t know any fisherman who sets out to fish beside a bunch of strangers for the day. Because part of the experience we seek is getting away from everything else in life, for just a bit. No matter where you are, having some space and some water to call your own is a primary draw.

So when you do find a section of river, when you’re deep into the process of dissecting a riffle, run or pool, one of the worst and most frustrating things that can happen is having another angler walk in on you. Specifically, when they wade into the water you are fishing or that you planned to fish very shortly.

It’s no fun. It can be maddening. And it can absolutely ruin your day.

In some ways, this experience is inevitable. If you fish often enough, you’re going to get front ended, probably sooner than later. And how should we deal with it? Is there really any good way to open a dialogue with someone who rudely jumps in front of you? Does it ever end well?

And how much water should we expect to be granted? What’s the standard, anyway?

Also, if you round the bend on your walk in, and you see another angler set up in exactly the same water you planned to fish, where should you go? What’s the acceptable distance? How much room should we give each other on the river?

Just like the previous episode, this podcast deals with space on the river. But this time, it’s not about finding space as much as how we share it. Sometimes, we’re forced to share more than we’d like. Other times, there’s simply no question that another angler has broken the code. And how do we deal with that? This is our topic.


We Cover the Following:

•  Thoughts on secret patterns
• Some worst cases of front-ending
• Thee two types of anglers who front end you
• Can you actually educate anyone about the code?
• What are the unwritten rules about fishing space?
• Ethics and etiquette

 Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Front Ended -- Can We Stop Doing This to Each Other?
READ: Troutbitten | Why Everyone Fishes the Same Water, and What to do About It
READ: Troutbitten | Some Days Are Diamonds -- Some Days Are Rocks

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Every angler wants to fish somewhere new — someplace untouched. We want novel experiences. Something about trout fishing, about catch and release and about throwing flies, attracts the explorer. Long term anglers are most often the adventurers. They’re the pathfinders — the ones who find the qualities of solitude and peace more important than fishing big-name waters or catching a bunch of trout.

And these days, one of the most common complaints heard among fishermen is about crowded waters. People say there are more anglers than ever and that you can’t get away from all the fishermen out there. But I think you can. And, In turn, one of the most common questions I receive is how to find the offbeat waters, where are the places that everyone doesn’t fish? Inevitably, people ask about these places because they want to see fewer anglers.

That solitude on a trout stream is there if you truly want it. By putting in the time to learn your waters, you’ll find the under-fished areas.

If you want space, if you want to find your own water, it’s there for you.

Think about where and when. Consider the conditions. And learn to recognize the habits of anglers — because they are always predictable. Avoid every access with a clever name like Rainbow Riffle or Three Dollar Bridge. Sure, the fishing might be great, but these are not the places to find your space.

And if you roll up to a popular access of a blue ribbon trout stream, if it’s noon on a Sunday, if it’s June with prime flows and sunny skies, then stop complaining about the cars and anglers.

That’s your choice. It’s on you. And by making that choice, you’re now part of the predictable habits of anglers.

We Cover the Following

•  Are there really more anglers?
• The effects of weather on angler pressure
• How the habits of anglers are predictable
• Popular water, unpopular spots
• Popular waters, uncommon times
• Lesser known waters
• Exploring, walking

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Why Everyone Fishes the Same Water, and What to do About It
READ: Troutbitten | Cover Water, Catch Trout
READ: Troutbitten | Explore | Learn | Return
READ: Troutbitten | Save the Discovery
READ: Troutbitten | One Thing at a Time

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This episode is about fly casting — why it matters more than anything, and how we can improve our accuracy and control over the system with just a few key adjustments.

All  fly fishing styles require good casting skills. My friends and I fish a Mono Rig for most underwater presentations. But this tight line approach for nymphs and streamers falls apart without the ability to cast and manage a long leader, through the air, exactly like a fly line. I say it all the time about tight line and euro nymphing — it’s casting, not lobbing — at least, it should be. Lobbing can get things done for a while, but to get anywhere beyond the basics, or even to get under the bankside tree limbs, we need good casting form. So we build loops with a great casting stroke, and then place not just the fly where we want it, but the tippet and leader in the best position too. Ironically, it takes refined fly casting skill to cast a Mono Rig.

All of us here fish long leaders and short ones. We choose a powerful Mono Rig for pushing nymphs and streamers around, and we cast dry flies with a fly line too. We fish a pure tight line with a single nymph, we fish dry dropper styles, yarn indys with short leaders and fly line, and streamers with sinking lines sometimes.

All of it, every bit of it, requires the same casting fundamentals and the ability to control lengths of line in the air. And we must build casting loops with speed for the line to go anywhere.

It’s fly fishing. So it starts with fly casting.

We break down some of our best tips for fly casting that apply to beginners and advanced anglers alike. We go through the essentials and some advanced ideas that apply to all fly casting styles, from dry flies to nymphs to streamers. 

We Cover the Following

• Correcting casting mistakes in the drift
• Cradling the rod, and finding the balance point
• Speed. short, crisp motions and clean stops
• Turnover
• Limit false casting, but use it for purpose
• Oval in the rod tip travel
• The casting V (10 and 2)
• Distance discipline
• Don’t reach

 
Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Casting
READ: Troutbitten | Bob's Fly Casting Wisdom
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Casting -- Squeeze It
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Casting -- Acquire Your Target Before the Pickup
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Casting -- Don't Reach

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This episode is about exploring the water types of a river to find hungry trout. And we’re thinking beyond just fast water, slow water, riffles, runs and pools. Sure, recognizing the basic features of the stream you’re fishing is a great starting point. But this is Troutbitten, so you know we’re going to take things a bit further. We want to know more.

And what matters most is where trout are feeding -- and why.

Find feeding fish. When we’re on the water, it’s priority one. The rivers we fish are full of wild trout. They are everywhere. But just because trout are holding in a piece of water doesn’t mean they are feeding there. And, moment to moment, we’re searching for where trout are feeding in the river.

We talk a lot about solving the daily puzzle, about the on-the-river mystery presented anew every time we wet our boots, and even every time we round the next bend. That mystery really begins with finding feeding fish. Where are the hungry ones? What event or condition has trout ready to feed, on the hunt, or eager to intercept an easy meal?

Rivers are in a perpetual state of change, and the trout’s feeding patterns respond to those changes.

There are a number of factors that encourage trout to move into and feed in certain types of water. While the real-world conditions and events are infinite, there are five major factors that influence where and how trout feed in a river. They are: water temperature, water levels and water clarity, hatches, bug and baitfish activity, light conditions, and spawning activity.

And if we learn to recognize all of this, we have the keys to the puzzle.

We Cover the Following

• Listener question about leader changes
• Trout response to various water temperatures
• Trout response to water levels
• Trout response to water clarity
• How trout respond to hatches
• How baitfish activity influences trout feeding
• How the spawning activity of various species provides feeding opportunities for trout

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Find Feeding Fish
READ: Troutbitten | Finding Bite Windows
READ: Troutbitten | Where to Find Bigger Trout

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Something electric happens when we hook into the fish of the day, the fish of the season or maybe the fish of a lifetime. Our hearts beat faster. The adrenaline pumps because the stakes are raised. This is the fish we’ve been waiting for, and we don’t want to lose the opportunity.

And that feeling never fades. Across fishing styles and over the centuries, fishermen are captivated by these big-fish moments. And though the feeling never grows old, our ability to control our response and control the fish using the right moves with the rod, the reel and the line improves. With each loss, we learn the hard way. With each story about the one that got away, we replay our mistakes and plan to avoid the same errors next time.

And as we wait, as we hunt for the next big trout, we practice these moves on the average trout. We form good habits for line recovery, for slack management, side pressure, optimal fighting angles and the all-important closing moves of the last ten feet.

So, as much as we focus on the intricacies of fly selection, casting technique and drift speed, often, what we remember most is the moment when the biggest trout we’ve ever seen makes it to our net. It’s that conclusion — that happy ending that provides the capstone to so much of our journey.

Fighting bigger fish is an equal-parts mix of preparation, instinct and luck. And at least a third of that formula, we’re in control of.

In this episode, I’m joined by my fishing friends, Trevor Smith, Bill Dell, Austin Dando, Josh Darling and Matt Grobe.

We Cover the Following

• The largest trout we've ever lost
• Forming good habits with smaller trout
• Fighting fish upstream
• Working with a trout and not against it
• Where in the water column to fight a trout
• Knowing the strength of your tools
• Side pressure
• Closing the distance, and the last ten feet

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fighting Fish
READ: Troutbitten | Category | Big Trout
READ: Troutbitten | Fighting Fish -- The Last Ten Feed
READ: Troutbitten | Fighting Fish -- Work With a Trout and Not Against It

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One of the greatest attractions to fly fishing can also present one of the biggest barriers.

It’s the bugs.

The aquatic insects that make up the bulk of a trout’s food base are intriguing, but they’re also somewhat mysterious

The advanced angler explores the nuances of these bugs. Some insects are good swimmers and emerge fast, so a presentation outside of a pure dead-drifted nymph might be the trigger that turns trout on. Likewise, understanding the life cycle of a mayfly helps us realize why seeking out and imitating the spinner stage is one of the best dry fly opportunities on the river.

These are the kinds of things to know about trout bugs. This is why we follow the hatches. We pay attention and try to meet the trout on their own terms -- give them more of what they’re eating right now.

Understanding everything we can about these bugs and how trout respond to them is a big piece of the puzzle that we’re trying to solve out there. And sometimes, it’s the keystone. Because at certain times, the bug life of a river is the central player in a trout’s daily life.

In this episode, I’m joined by my fishing friends, Trevor Smith, Bill Dell, Austin Dando, Josh Darling and  Matt Grobe.

We Cover the Following

• Listener question about the sustainability of catch and release
• A walk-through of the major hatches throughout our season
• Differences from east to west and more
• How mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies and midges differ in their availability to trout
• Why spinner falls are such a great opportunity
• How the hatches affect our strategy from top to bottom

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | You Don't Have to Match the Hatch
READ: Troutbitten | The George Harvey Leader Design
READ: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout Too Far?
READ: Troutbitten | In Defense of Catching and Counting Fish — Why numbers in the Net Matter

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Casting, drifting, swinging and stripping -- everything else is downtime. As Paul said, “Brother, there are no flying fish in Montana” — or anywhere else, for that matter.

Flies in the water — that’s where we want them. A trout at the end of the line. That’s what we’re aiming for. But there are seemingly endless tasks required for a fishing trip. And how we approach those chores really defines the way our day will go — simply because our fly is either in the water . . . or it’s not.

How we prepare the night before, our system for carrying tippet, our strategy for choosing the next fly, and even what we do with the net after releasing a trout — what we do with our time on the water . . . matters. And all of us experience that nagging feeling that something is amiss, that so much more is possible, on those days when we know that we are inefficient.

Fly fishing is for the pragmatist. Successful anglers see failure and make the changes to turn it around. And no matter what our natural tendencies — whether we’re a neat freak or a slob at home and at work, the river quickly teaches us that the only way forward is through efficiency. So every long term angler that I know becomes efficient, even if they weren’t born that way.

In this episode, I’m joined tonight by my fishing friends, Trevor Smith, Bill Dell, Austin Dando and Matt Grobe.

We Cover the Following

• Finding a system. Finding routines for everything.
• Vest/ Pack strategies
• Organizing gear
• Pre-trip preparation
• Leader changes
• Knot tying
• Wading staff
• Traveling strategy
• Don't be late!
• Rod storage

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Find Your System
READ: Troutbitten | The Inefficiency of Inexperience
READ: Troutbitten | Look for the Changeout Spots
READ: Troutbitten | What About the Wading Staff?
READ: Troutbitten | Find Your Rhythm

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Season Three begins with a round-table discussion about fishermen's secrets and what happens when we give up the most sensitive of them -- spot burning.

My full panel of fishing buddies is back for this third season: Austin Dando, Trevor Smith, Josh Darling, Bill Dell and now Matt Grobe. We kick off season three with one of the most contentious topics in fly fishing. Holding secrets is human nature. And some of us keep confidential our favorite flies, tactics and more. But when it comes to spots -- locations and where we fish -- discretion is a kindness that we lend to other anglers.

Secrets are part of the legacy of fishing. Exploring and locating places that are special to each of us is part of what keeps us coming back. We like to think that we’ve discovered something that is uncommon or unknown. And we learn that sharing information with the wrong people or in the wrong way can easily destroy a secret by making the uncommon, common.

As for spot burning, it’s bad because of what it does to other anglers.. Every piece of water is someone else’s sweetheart spot. So we refrain from naming names and locations out of respect for everyone else. And if you hear yourself saying, “It’s okay because everybody knows about that spot,” think again.

That’s our take on it.

We Cover the Following

• Question from a listener regarding knot tying tips
• Question from a listener regarding the toughest skill in fly tying
• Types of secrets
• Secret flies
• Secret tactics
• What is spot burning
• The negative impact of spot burning
• Nuances of spot burning
• Sharing without sharing too much
• The hypocrisy of secrets

Remember, each of these podcasts is always supported by a companion article of the same topic.

READ: Troutbitten | Podcast: Secrets and Spot Burning -- S3 Ep1

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | The Secret
READ: Troutbitten | Respect the Spots! A Fisherman's Thoughts on Secrets and Spot Burning
READ: Troutbitten | Coffee and Secrets
READ: Troutbitten | Super Fly -- The Story of a Squirmie Wormie

Season Three of the Troutbitten podcast continues with Episode 2 -- Inefficiencies That Waste Your Fishing Time. 

So look for that one in your Troutbitten podcast feed.

Fish hard, friends.

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