Troutbitten

Latest Episodes:

How to Fight Bigger Trout Apr 17, 2022

Show notes

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

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Hatches and Strategies Apr 09, 2022

Show notes

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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The Inefficiencies That Waste Your Fishing Time Apr 02, 2022

Show notes

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

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Secrets and Spot Burning Mar 27, 2022

Show notes

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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Feed Drop -- Troutbitten on the Wet Fly Swing Podcast Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

Hello, friends.

Season two of the Troutbitten podcast is finished, and season three begins soon. So in this off week, I have something a little special for you.

Recently, I was a guest on the Wet Fly Swing podcast with Dave Stewart. So this is a feed drop of that episode in full. Dave runs a great show, and he’s been at it for a long time. I was happy to be a guest for the second time with Dave. And in this episode, we dig into a lot of streamer tactics, some nymphing techniques, and we have a good talk about what happens during the transition from winter into spring fishing.

I hope you enjoy it. And if you do, go check out more at wetflyswing.com. With over 300 episodes in the bank, Dave talks with some of the most knowledgeable and entertaining fly fishers in the game. I’ve learned a lot from Dave’s podcast over the years.

I hope you enjoy listening to my talk with Dave Stewart.

So until next week . . . fish hard, friends.

** NOTE ** Season Three begins next week. We return to the Season One format of full-panel discussions covering all things fly fishing for trout. And we're looking forward to it.

Bonus Round Q&A with Full Panel -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #10 Mar 13, 2022

Show notes

Season Two concludes with a round table discussion for answering the most common questions about tight line and euro nymphing skills. My full panel of friends, Austin, Bill, Trevor and Josh join me to get deep in the weeds of the tactics, to clear up misconceptions, and offer their own ideas.

As Episode nine published, I realized there were many questions left to be answered. Daily, I received messages about a variety of techniques discussed in these nine essential skills. And the same themes cropped up. Anglers struggled with the same concepts. And those misunderstandings made their way to my inbox. It made sense to do one more podcast and answer these most popular, important questions.

So here's your bonus round . . .

We Cover the Following

Tuck casting in cover and using sidearm angles
Tuck casting doesn't need to be vertical
Reading sighter for contact vs reading sighter for the strike zone
More tips on finding the strike zone
Forcing contact and using the extremes
Tippet length variability
Developing accuracy with more speed
Refining the cast
Leader diameter vs leader power
Tips for fishing around structure

Remember, each of these podcasts is supported by a companion article of the same topic. And you can find the full overview of the Nine Essential Skills for Tight line and Euro Nymphing here:
READ: Troubitten | Bonus Round Q&A with Full Panel -- Tight Line Skills Series, #10

RESOURCES

READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Full the Mono Rig System -- All the Variations, with Leader Formulas and Adjustments
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing Strategies -- Tuck Cast
READ: Troutbitten | Put More Juice in the Cast
READ: Troutbitten | The Top Down Approach
READ: Troutbitten | Over or Under -- Your Best Bet on Weight

** NOTE ** Season Three begins in a coupe weeks. We return to the Season One format of full-panel discussion covering all things fly fishing for trout. And we're looking forward to it.

Visit:
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Putting It All Together -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #9 Mar 06, 2022

Show notes

Here we are at the finish line. In this ninth installment of this Troutbitten Skills Series, my friend, Austin Dando, and I walk through some of the best tips for putting it all together. Because this set of skills, performed in order and flowing from one to the next, results in a great drift that starts and finishes in a convincing, trout-catching presentation.

Here are those nine skills:

Each of them now has its own podcast and its own article that lays out the tactics in detail.

Tight line tactics are infinitely refinable. There is no end to how much better you can make the next drift. And if you get it perfect, then the next seam challenges you all over again. Contact and true control over the flies is a responsibility, and I’ve seen it overwhelm people at times. So, putting a number on the most basic skills and putting them in order makes things manageable. That is the purpose of this system -- this series -- of nine essential skills.

We Cover the Following

Practice by imagining
Don't be intimidated
Trusting the transitions
Finding the failures
Focusing on just one
Seeing success
How fast the middle steps happen
Watching the entrance and the exit of the flies
Judging success

Resources

Visit:
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The Strike -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #8 Feb 27, 2022

Show notes

The strike is the best part of fishing. It’s what we’re all out there waiting for, or rather, what we’re trying to make happen all day long. And the trout eats because we get so many things right. When the fish strikes, we strike back. Short, swift and effective, the hook finds flesh. Then we try to keep the trout buttoned up, and get it to the net.

In this podcast episode, there are two types of strikes that my friend, Austin Dando, and I focus on.

First, there’s the strike from a trout — the take, the hit, the “gimme that I wanna eat it,” from a fish. So we need to recognize and sense that strike.

Second, there's our strike — the hook set, the swift rod tip motion that drives the hook point home and attaches us to the trout. So it helps to have a plan and give some thought to how that’s done too.

Remember, fooling trout is the hard part. The rest of this — hooking and landing a fish, comes much easier.

We Cover the Following

Are hook sets really free?
Set on anything?
Set on anything unusual or unexpected
Difference of over or under weighting
Is there a sixth sense?
Direction of the hook set
How far? How fast?
Fly rod types and hook sets
The Check Set
Can you ever set too fast?
Slack and hook sets

Remember, each of these podcasts is supported by a companion article of the same topic. And you can find the full overview of the Nine Essential Skills for Tight line and Euro Nymphing here:

READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | #8 The Strike -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing Strategies -- Plan for the Hookset
READ: Troutbitten | Don't Guess -- Set the Hook and Set Hard
READ: Troutbitten | Hook Set at the End of Every Drift
READ: Troutbitten Tight Line Nymphing Skills -- The Check Set
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Guiding the Flies -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #7 Feb 20, 2022

Show notes

Part Seven of this Troutbitten Skills Series focuses on guiding the flies. Once the nymphs are cast and settled into the target seam, it's time to take them to the trout. Guiding the flies is a blend of two skills that I call leading and tracking. At the core, this skill of guiding the flies is fishing the flies. And this is what anglers tend to focus on most — for good reason. It’s the longest in duration. It’s the most active, and has the most room for variation.

In truth, there are number of ways to dead drift nymphs through one seam. And the choices we make are about how much influence we want to have on the flies. A leading approach puts the angler in charge, and a tracking approach let's the river dictate the course of the flies. Guiding the flies is an effort to mix the two.

We Cover the Following

The advantages of leading
Control, contact and the dead drift
Over weighting
The advantages of tracking
Less control with fewer options, but a truer drift?
Under weighting
Is pure tracking possible?
Guiding as a mix of the two
Slipping contact
Find the perfect weight
Why use both?
Why guiding works.

Remember, each of these podcasts is supported by a companion article of the same topic. And you can find the full overview of the Nine Essential Skills for Tight line and Euro Nymphing here:

READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | #7 Guiding the Flies -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Leading vs Tracking vs Guiding the Flies
READ: Troutbitten | Tracking the Flies
READ: Troutbitten | How to Lead the Flies

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Locating the Strike Zone -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #6 Feb 13, 2022

Show notes

Part six of this Troutbitten Skills Series is about locating the strike zone. This zone of water -- this cushion near the bottom of the river -- is the default target and the baseline location for our flies.

Most of what happens in a river occurs in the strike zone. It's where the trout spend most of their time. It's where the bugs and baitfish live. Understanding everything about the strike zone allows us to know exactly how and where we want to present the nymph.

My friend, Austin Dando, joins me to help break down and understand this crucial concept.

Unlocking this knowledge — understanding the strike zone -- then finding it and drifting your flies there, is perhaps the most pivotal moment in your nymphing skills progression. It changes everything.

We Cover the Following

What is the strike zone?
Why is the strike zone important?
Why gliding the strike zone outperforms touching the bottom
Touching bottom to find the strike zone
Watching the sighter speed to find the strike zone
Gliding through the strike zone
Deviating our drifts in and out of the strike zone
The downshift
Depth and speed of the strike zone
More on reading the sighter

Remember, each of these podcasts is supported by a companion article of the same topic. And you can find the full overview of the Nine Essential Skills for Tight line and Euro Nymphing here:

READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | #6 Locating the Strike Zone -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
Visit:
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