How many times have we heard the supposed stages of an angler? First you want to catch a fish, then you want to catch a bunch of fish, then you want to catch a big fish, then you want to catch the toughest fish, and then you just want to catch a fish again. This is a clever way to look at a life on the water. But is it really true? This is our topic . . . Continue reading PODCAST: The Stages of an Angler — S11, Ep1 at Troutbitten ..read more

Keep it tight and crisp. Cast with speed. Be more aggressive. Build more momentum with the rod tip. The casting stroke should be snappy, energetic and sharp with abrupt and forceful stops between two points. I’ve used all of these descriptions and more to communicate the correction for the most troublesome fly fishing flaw out there — lazy casting. Rods are made to cast. They are full of stored energy just waiting to be sent in motion. Put more juice in the cast. Use more power. Make the fly rod flex, and you’ll gain control, distance and precision in the presentation. I promise . . . Continu ..read more

. . . There’s a segment of fly anglers who will never see streamers, nymphs or wet flies as a legitimate offering. That’s fine. Keep it to yourself. There’s another segment of fly fishers who believe trophy hunting for big browns with big streamers is the only way to live out there. And everything else might as well be tweed hats and waxed catgut. That’s fine too. Keep it to yourself. The majority of us are fishermen, just having fun, trying to catch a fish and then catch another one . . . Continue reading Dry or Die? at Troutbitten ..read more

I was happy to be a guest on the Untangled Podcast with Spencer Durrant. We talked mostly about Nymphing tactics for beginners. We also talked a little about a fishing life and the fly fishing industry. You can listen to that full episode in the Troubitten Podcast feed . . . Continue reading Podcast: Feed Drop — Troutbitten On The Untangled Podcast at Troutbitten ..read more

The last ten feet can be the hardest. So, get the fish upstream, lift on a direction change, keep the head up, and spread your wings. When it's close enough for the net, those are the keys to landing the biggest trout of your life . . . Continue reading Fighting Big Fish — The Last Ten Feet at Troutbitten ..read more

I play the odds. I’ve seen what works best, so I repeat it the most. And I’d rather get two or three good casts against the next log for the next thirty seconds rather than just one cast to the log and twenty five seconds of stripping away from it. This is the mindset of having tight targets, of getting short and effective drifts . . . Continue reading Q&A: Long Drifts or Short — What’s Better and Why? at Troutbitten ..read more

Accomplished and skilled fly fishing requires that you give part of your life to the river. That’s evident in the first few trips, and I think the depth of all this surprises would-be anglers. It intimidates some, and it captivates others . . . Continue reading Life On the Water at Troutbitten ..read more

The early spring season is very much defined by the resurgence of the egg pattern. And by the time the suckers are done doing their thing, our hatch season is in full swing. Then, just like that, the egg bite turns off. Suddenly the trout favor mayfly and caddis imitations over the full-color egg options. But as reliable as the egg bite can be in early spring, you don’t want to sleep on the Olives . . . Continue reading Eggs and Olives at Troutbitten ..read more

I don’t know another time when I approached a slot with so much confidence. Better. Slower. This was it. At the end of the fishless drift, my certainly wasn’t questioned, it was simply re-informed. "Need more weight," I said. It was an unforgettable, prove-it kind of moment . . . Continue reading Patagonia Nymphing at Troutbitten ..read more

An account of our last and favorite day in Patagonia . . . We walked the banks and waded through it all — a new slate for memories, a new proving ground for tactics. Continue reading Dry Flies In the Patagonia Wind at Troutbitten ..read more