Troutbitten

Latest Episodes:

Finding Contact -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #5 Feb 06, 2022

Show notes

Part five of this Troutbitten Skills Series is about finding contact. Because after the tuck cast, after we stick the landing and begin to recover slack, we need to find contact on sighter.

Contact is visual. It's about reading the sighter to know that we are in touch with the flies from rod tip to the nymph or split shot. It's not about touching or ticking the riverbed. Instead, the contact we're looking for is seen on the sighter.

With contact, we know everything about the depth and speed of our flies. We know where they are, and we determine where they are going. That's the advantage of a tight line (contact) nymphing system.

Importantly, this does not mean we are directly in touch at all times with the fly, because we often get better drifts without such direct influence over the nymphs. But without contact at points through the drift (and sometimes the whole way) we are simply guessing about the location of the flies. To take advantage of the ultimate control that tight line and euro nymphing rigs offer, we must learn to read contact on the sighter -- to know we are in touch and know where the flies are.

Reading the sighter and finding contact is critical.

My friend, Austin Dando, joins me on episode five for an in-depth discussion of this technique.

We Cover the Following

Contact is seen, not felt
Reading the sighter
Sighter material and construction
The Backing Barrel
The bow in the sighter
Nervous sighter
Seeing beyond the sighter
Contact let's us trust the sighter
Forcing contact

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:

Resources
READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ; Troutbitten | #5 Finding Contact -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Contact is Visual
READ: Troutbitten | The Backing Barrel might be the best sighter ever
READ: Troutbitten | Design and Function of the Standard Troutbitten Mono Rig

Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Recovering Slack -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #4 Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Part four of this Troutbitten Skills Series focuses on recovering slack. To dead drift a nymph, we cast it upstream. And as the river flows downstream, it sends the fly back toward us, creating slack. Usually, we simply pick up that slack and maintain contact with the fly (sometimes directly, sometimes slightly).

Slack maintenance is a critical skill. It’s line management. And if the goal is to be in contact with the nymphs and know where they are -- if this is a tight line rig -- then allowing too much slack in the system destroys everything that we’re working toward.

Managed slack is part of an advanced skill set. And that’s very much what we do by starting with a tuck cast. Then, after sticking the landing, we’re in a great position to continue those advanced skills.

We recover the slack in three ways: by lifting the rod tip, by leading the rod tip, and with the line hand.

My friend, Austin Dando, joins me on Episode Four for an in-depth discussion of these techniques.

(Season three will return to my full panel of friends, with longer form discussion about all things fly fishing.)

We Cover the Following

Maintaining contact
Slipping contact
Letting the river decide
Managed slack
The Lift and Lead
Line hand recovery
The Pulley Retrieve
Trimming the sighter
Dealing with wind

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 | #4 Recovering Slack -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing

Resources
READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | The Pulley Retrieve (with VIDEO)
READ: Troutbitten | The Lift and Lead
READ: Troutbitten | Leading vs Tracking vs Guiding
Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Stick the Landing -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #3 Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Part three of this Troutbitten Skills Series focuses on sticking the landing. Because after putting ourselves in great position to present the fly, we shouldn't waste the perfect tuck cast and delivery. As the fly hits the water, all the elements of our system are in position and ready to drift. That's sticking the landing.

Like a gymnast who tumbles, somersaults and then lands on two feet with no body movement, the best completion of a cast happens with no extra movement. Instead of landing and then recovering or correcting, we stick the landing, ready to drift.

My friend, Austin Dando, joins me on Episode Three for an in-depth discussion of this technique.

(Season three will return to my full panel of friends, with longer form discussion about all things fly fishing.)

We Cover the Following

What sticking the landing looks like
Position of rod tip, leader, sighter and tippet
Why it matters
Maximizing the drift time
Preserving good slack with tippet position
Sighter angle
Leading angle
The negative results of reaching
Where to stop the forward cast
Correcting mistakes

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 | #3 Stick the Landing -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
Resources
READ: Troutbitten | The Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Stick the Landing While Tight Lining
READ: Troutbitten | When the First Cast Matters Most
READ: Troutbitten | It's Casting, Not Lobbing
READ: Troutbitten | Put More Juice in the Cast
Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Turnover and Tuck Casting -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #2 Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

Part two of this Troutbitten Skills Series focuses on the tuck cast. A good tuck is a turnover cast -- where the loops unfolds completely in the air. In fact, a tuck cast is a fly-first entry, and it's perfect for setting up the tight line advantage, where we keep everything up and out of the water that we possibly can.

We tuck cast not just to get deeper, but to setup the fly, tippet, sighter and leader in the best possible position to drift the flies down one seam. Accuracy starts with a good tuck, and not just accuracy over where the fly goes, but where all the parts of the leader go too.

My friend, Austin Dando, joins my on Episode Two for an in-depth discussion of this technique.

(Season three will return to my full panel of friends, with longer form discussion about all things fly fishing.)

Remember, this is part two of a nine-part skill set. Think of a Troutbitten Skills series as a course in one topic or one aspect of fly fishing, with different sections that eventually build a full set of knowledge.

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 | #2 Turnover and Tuck Casting -- Nine Essential Skill for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing

We Cover the Following

The fly first entry
The tight line advantage
True turnover
Casting vs lobbing
Put more juice in the cast
Leader design
Rod power
Loading the rod and feeling the tug
Leader power / Leader push
Angles and depths of a good tuck cast

Resources

Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Angle and Approach -- Tight Line and Euro Nymphing Skills, #1 Jan 16, 2022

Show notes

Season two of the Troutbitten podcast comes in a new format. It's a mini-series of connected episodes that build out a set of specific tactics. The topic for this first skills series is the Nine Essential Skills for Tight Line and Euro Nymphing, and I'm joined by my friend, Austin Dando.

(Season three will return to my full panel of friends, with longer form discussion about all things fly fishing.)
These episodes are short, deeply tactical and packed with the how-to of just one technique -- a tightly focused look at one topic. Each episode is intertwined or woven together with the others that surround it. By the end of this skills series, you’ll have a detailed picture of the tactics — and hopefully a thorough understanding of what’s possible on the water.

Think of a Troutbitten Skills series as a course in one topic or one aspect of fly fishing, with different sections that eventually build a full set of knowledge.
Nine for Nine
I recently published the last chapter in the nine skills essential for tight line and euro nymphing. Now, we're taking each of these skills and building a podcast around them. The article series and the podcast series go hand in hand.
Why?
Tight line and euro nymphing is very popular right now. Because it’s an efficient system, and it’s fun. But tight line and euro nymphing is misunderstood too. The many different rigs and methods of casting or delivery are what make all of this so interesting, but it’s what leads to confusion and mistaken concepts about what this is and how to get it done.
These nine skills are critical — they are the foundation for everything else that we do with a Mono Rig -- all the indy styles, dry dropper, streamer fishing, etc.
Episode One of this skills series is about angle and approach.
We Cover the Following

The tight line advantage
Limiting the range
Upstream two and over one
Flies track to the rod tip
One lane -- one seam
Forty-five to forty-five
When to end the drift
The trouble with casting across
Wading discipline
Water type

Resources

Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Memories and Fishing Plans Dec 27, 2021

Show notes

Episode 15 is for story telling. And I'm joined by my friends, Bill, Josh, Austin and Trevor to share memories and make a few plans.

This is the final episode for season one of the Troutbitten Podcast. And at the tail end of this busy year, it's a great time for reflections and resolutions.

My friends and I share a few lighthearted stories about the dumbest things we've ever done on the river. We also share who and what we miss most from years past. And lastly, we talk about what we want to change most about our fishing lives.

It's a great discussion that's both introspective and humorous. It's also the perfect way to wrap up season one of the Troutbitten Podcast.

We Cover the Following

Dom's snorkeling debacle
Josh and Austin, sleeping with the wolf spiders
Austin's humble brag on the Blackfoot River
Bill's finger problems
Trevor's costly fall in
What each of us misses most
What each of us plans to change for the coming season

Resources

Winter Fly Fishing Tips and Tactics Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Episode 14 is a deep dive into winter fishing tactics. And I'm joined by my friends, Bill, Josh, Austin and Trevor.

Because the trout have different habits in the winter, we refine our approach to meet them on their own terms. Is that . . . low and slow? Sure, sometimes. Nymphing is often seen as the go-to approach, but for the winter trout angler who’s attentive, the opportunities for some great streamer action are there too. Even dry flies can be an option if you keep your eyes open.

Why do so few anglers fish in the winter? Well, honestly, because it’s a challenge that many fishermen are not ready for. And while they might hit the water once or twice, so much is different and . . . difficult, that the results often don’t meet expectations. Then the warm fireplace seems the better option, and the fly rod is leaned in the corner until springtime.

So, what does it take to catch trout in the winter? That’s what we discuss in this podcast.

We Cover the Following

Approach, making a plan and choosing water
Find the feeding fish
Do mornings matter?
Limestone vs Freestone differences
Do you need to fish midges?
The egg bite
Streamers in the winter
Winter nymph rigging
Indicators, and bobber holes

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Category | Winter Fly Fishing
READ: Troutbitten | Winter Fishing -- The Go-To Nymphing Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Winter Fishing -- The Secondary Nymphing Rig
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing in the Winter -- The System
READ: Troutbitten | Modern Streamers: Too Much Motion? Are We Moving Them Too Fast ?

Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Big Trout From Pennsylvania to Montana -- With Guest, Matt Grobe Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, I get together with my long time friend, Matt Grobe, for a candid, entertaining, fun and technical discussion about wild trout, big trout, and the differences between the fishing cultures and opportunities available in two of the meccas for trout fishing in the states -- Pennsylvania and Montana.
Matt has lived and fished hard in both states, and he's been fortunate enough to live a life on the water, not just chasing wild trout, but chasing the big ones. He's always had a knack for turning over the next top tier fish. And in our conversation, Matt offers some great tips for targeting big trout and consistently putting them in the net.
Matt Grobe is one of the best fishermen that I know. He’s honest and realistic. He values wild trout, and he hates the shortcut. Matt doesn’t fish setups. He earns every trout because he appreciates the experience — the fair chase for wild trout in wild places. He’s a technician on the water, but he’s not competitive. He’s generous but secretive in all the best ways. Matt searches for answers out there, and trout fishing has been part of his life for a long, long time. Matt’s one of my favorite people that I’ve ever shared the water with, and I wish he still lived in Pennsylvania.

We Cover the Following

The Crossover Technique
The origins of naming two foot trout -- yes, Matt started this nonsense
Key differences between PA and MT
Why Matt focuses on big trout
Why does the quality or the origins of big trout matter?
Wild vs stocked in PA
Do thirty inch trout exist without a setup?
Do you need streamers for big trout?
Where to target big trout most often
Matt's windy bugger technique

Resources

Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Nymphing Tight Line to the Indicator Style -- Contact Nymphing Principles With An Indy Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

In Episode 12, my friends and I talk about nymphing tactics — specifically, how we take tight line principles and the tight line advantage over to an indicator nymphing system.
We know that with refined skills and tactics, we can often make something happen, even on slow days. And there’s really no better way to consistently fool trout — in all conditions — than to get good drifts with a nymph. These small aquatic insects are the primary food source for most trout. And with nymphing skills, we don’t need to wait for rising trout or a streamer bite.
Being a nymphing angler is a sustainable and successful approach. We can do it all year long — anywhere that trout live.
So what’s the best way to nymph?
In this episode, my friends and I dig deep into one of the best ways — a nymphing tactic that I call Tight Line to the Indicator. Because when tight line or euro nymphing fails — for a variety of reasons — the answer, most often, is to take those contact principles — that tight line advantage — and combine it with an indicator system. Because the indy allows us to do things that are simply impossible on a pure tight line.
I often make the point, or make this argument, that tight line or contact nymphing tactics can’t be beat — that using the tight line advantage is almost unarguably the best way to get great dead drifts while having control over the course of the flies and great strike detection. But what I mean by that is not just pure tight lining. Because tight line to the indicator style is also part of my system.
When it’s the best tool for the job, then putting an indy on a tight line rig is a deadly variation. I build my leader to be ready for it. The rod I carry is designed for it. Because tight line to the indicator is a problem solving approach that gets the job done when pure tight lining simply cannot.

We Cover the Following

What does this rig look like?
What is this Tight line to the indicator approach?
Why isn’t this style more popular or well-know?
What is so special about going tight line to the indy?
When do we use this style?
How to line everything up in one seam
Landing with contact and without
Indicator styles
The downsides of this approach
Gear for this approach

Resources

READ: Troutbitten | Tight Line Nymphing with an Indicator -- A Mono Rig Variant
READ: Troutbitten | Nymphing Tight Line vs Indicator
READ: Troutbitten | One Great Nymphing Trick
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Dealing With Weather and Fighting the Elements Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Pushing through the tough times — dealing with bad weather and difficult conditions — puts you one step ahead of most anglers. The rivers and the parking lots are empty when the wind is howling, the snow is blowing or it’s pouring rain. Sure, we’d all like to fish the sweetheart days. But the more you learn to fight the elements and win — to have success on the water — the more you long for those tough conditions.

In this episode, my friends and I talk about fighting the elements. How can we effectively fish through rain, wind, cold weather, ice, snow, hard sun and everything else that nature throws at us?

There's always some natural element that we're battling out there (usually it’s more than one). And if we don't have a plan for dealing with these elements, we fail.

None of us spends enough time on the water. For the Troutbitten angler, the draw to the river is ever-present. And we plan for the next trip as the previous one winds down. So we fish when we can. Instead of waiting for the best conditions, the die-hard angler fishes because it’s Sunday, or because it’s Tuesday evening after work, or because it’s Monday morning after dropping the kids off at school. Few of us have the luxury to pick and choose our times on the water, so every angler who wishes to fish, quickly learns to deal with tough conditions.

Some anglers walk away when the going gets tough. But as we all know, sometimes the best fishing happens in the toughest conditions. So we fish hard. We persevere. We adapt and meet the challenges before us. And quite often, some of our most memorable days happen in these harsh or difficult conditions.

So my friends are join me to share some tips, some ideas about how to get through the elements and get to the end of the day, not just with trout in the net, but with lasting memories and satisfaction.

It’s not just about meeting the challenges. And it’s not just about having fewer anglers on the water. It’s the satisfaction of being a complete angler. Because you know you can catch trout in the rain, the snow, the cold or the sun. Then instead of shying away from tough conditions, you welcome every new day — no matter the weather -- as a chance to go fishing.

Question and Answer Round

What are the basic tools needed for fly tying?
Does rod balance matter?
Why are so many fly anglers also guitar players?
Do you most enjoy fishing alone or with a friend?

Resources

Visit:
Troutbitten Website
Troutbitten Instagram
Troutbitten YouTube
Troutbitten Facebook

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected