Have you ever heard someone say something like "Oh, the flows on the river are good today, that means the fishing will be great!" And you're a bit too embarrassed to ask why flows matter? Maybe you've even heard the phrase "CFS" thrown around too?

Well, high and low water flows have different impacts on how the fishing is. Too high, and it's tough, or impossible, to fish. Too low, and the water's too warm for trout. Learning how to read flow charts, though, gives you the power to hit the water at just the right time.

So today on Untangled, I'll explain exactly what river flows and CFS means, how it impacts fishing, and how you can use it to pick the best place to spend your day on the water.

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The biggest lie in fly fishing is that there's an exactly-perfect, foolproof, never-fail method to fish every piece of water, and that if you study or learn enough, you'll never get skunked.

Here's the truth -- great anglers still get skunked, or at the very least, have TOUGH days on the water. But one skill they've mastered? The ability to sift through the advice that's out there, and learn how to apply it to their unique situations.

On today's episode of Untangled, that's exactly what you'll learn. You'll get advice on how to implement fly fishing advice so you actually see results on the water.

You'll also learn about:

• Whether mink eat trout, and how much impact mink predation can have on trout populations
• The knot we prefer to use for 99% of fishing here at VFC
• Why the knot you use DOESN'T really matter
• How to pick flies to use based on where you're going fishing

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June usually means high water, big bugs, happy fish, and the first days that are warm enough to think about wet wading. June's also the first month when some of the high country starts opening up, which means your favorite small streams and ponds are just a hike away.

The most challenging thing about June fishing, though, is navigating the high water and finding the fish. Once you know what to look for, though, you can have some fantastic days out there.

So, today on Untangled, we'll take a look at all the key info you need to know to have great days on the water this June.

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FLIES TO USE IN JUNE

• Parachute Adams, sizes 10-18
• Parachute PMD, size 14
• Green Drakes, size 10
• Trusty Rusty, size 12
• Last Chance Cripple, sizes 12-16
• Sparkle Dun, sizes 16-20
• Frenchie, sizes 14-18
• Crackback, sizes 14-18
• Elk Hair Caddis, sizes 14-18
• Puff Caddis, size 14
• Half-baked caddis, sizes 14-18
• Hare's Ear, sizes 14-18
• CDA Caddis, size 14
• Stimulator, sizes 12-14
• Yellow Sally, size 14
• Prince Nymph, sizes 12-16
• CDC Pheasant Tail, sizes 12-16
• Pat's Rubberlegs, sizes 10-12
• Royal Flush, size 12
• Golden Stone nymph, sizes 12-14
• Sow Bugs, sizes 14-18
• Zebra Midges, sizes 14-18
• Demon Midge, sizes 16-18
• Perdigons, size 14-16

How many flies do you have in your box right now? A few dozen? A few hundred? More than a thousand? Yeah, it's great to have a lot of flies on hand - but that many choices makes it easy to overthink your fly selection. That can lead to you switching flies too often, when the real reason you're not catching fish has to do with your presentation. So, today on Untangled, you'll learn a bit more about why it's a good idea to pare down your fly selection, and the 10 fly patterns you could catch 90% of trout with.

You'll also learn about:

• How long flies should last before they fall apart
• Whether you should focus on fishing other types of flies (nymphs and streamers) during a hatch
• How to fish deep on a lake without sinking fly line

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What's keeping you from having consistent, repeatable success on the water? From fishing with the same sort of confidence you see guides approach it with, or anglers who've been fishing for decades. Is it really just time and honing a bunch of technical skills, like casting, or fly selection?

That stuff helps. But the best anglers I know — the ones I say I wanna be like when I grow up — aren't necessarily the best casters, and NONE of them can tell you the latin name of every bug on the water.

What they all have in common is simple — they're incredible at watching the water, and using what they see to inform how they tackle any given situation. More than anything, this is the skill that separates good from great anglers.

Today on Untangled, I'll walk you through why this is so important, and how mastering the art of watching and waiting will make you a noticeably more successful angler.

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Trout aren't the only fish to catch on a fly rod. From bass and pike to panfish and tarpon, there's almost no end to the critters you can catch with this style of fly fishing. Doing something so different from what you're used to, though, will definitely throw you for a loop - just like it did to Alex and Spencer. They just went on a trip to Florida for some bass fishing, and got some time in on the salt as well. What they learned made them realize just how much there is about fly fishing they don't know. And perhaps most surprising were all the lessons they observed that can help you be a better angler, no matter what you fish for.

You'll also learn about:

• Tips for targeting bass on the fly
• How to cast streamers with sink-tip lines
• How to fish high, dirty water that you often get in runoff season
• Whether you should add floatant to cripples
• How flow rates and water temperatures impact fish behavior
• The aspect to change first when trying to match the hatch: size, shape, or color
• Whether fish see the blue light spectrum, and the impact that has on fly choice

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You hear stories about some fisheries that are supposed to be excellent. Since you don't want to miss out on great fishing, and you figure that many people who talk up a spot can't be wrong about it, you plan a day to go see it.

Then you make the trip there — whether it's a long drive, a hike, or both — and you can't quite figure out what all the fuss was for. Either you get skunked, you don't see many fish, or the fish you DO see feel impossible to catch.

Well, maybe that was just a bad day. Every fishery has 'em. So the next time you go, you go with a friend who's fished it before, and he pulls out a pair of 24-inch fish, while you're left picking your flies out of trees and wondering why you gave up a Saturday of good college football for this.

Spots like this tend to stick under your skin, to stay with you until you either figure them out, or the memory fades enough that you can quietly shuffle it into the bin of character-building experiences you don't want to go through again.

There's one lake like this that I've fished for the better part of two decades, and against all my better judgement, I'm itching to go back this summer. It feels like unfinished business, but if I'm being honest, it's probably more about wounded pride.

Still — there's a lot to learn from places like this. I bet you'll pick up a few of the lessons far quicker than I did.

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What information do you ACTUALLY need to know if you're getting started in fly fishing? What's going to help you improve, and what's just going to add to the noise?

Well, there are a lot of opinions on this topic. This week on Untangled, Spencer Durrant shares the 5 things he wishes he knew when he started fly fishing, A LONG time ago.

You'll also learn about:

• Why and when you need to fish really small flies
• Why you should focus more on presentation than fly selection
• What wet flies are and how they're used
• Some tips on fishing streamers in runoff
• Why you shouldn't overthink technique

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When the wind picks up and you suddenly can't land your flies right where you want them anymore, what do you do? If you're anything like me, you probably make a few classic mistakes that are actively harming your ability to fly cast in the wind. Today on Untangled, you'll learn about the 3 big mistakes to avoid, and the things you should do instead, to battle the wind when it inevitably shows up.

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I used to HATE fishing with nymphs. What bugged me the most was dealing with split shot - taking it off, or putting it on my rig. You've gotta get those tiny slits in the shot lined up with your tippet, then crimp it down, and NOT drop it all in the river. It's not fun to cast with, either.

The biggest problem is how much split shot actually effects your ability to feel what your flies are doing, and how they're drifting. By ditching split shot, you gain a TON of feedback and control over your rig. That means more fish in the net. Today on Untangled, you'll learn how to get your flies down deep without split shot, and why it's actively harming your nymphing game.

You'll also learn about:

• Why you should put your own spin on fly patterns, if you tie your own flies
• Why a 6-weight rod is ideal for sink-tip lines and streamers
• How to spot the bugs when fish are rising, so you can accurately match the hatch

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