Troutbitten

We’re here to talk about approaching the river — approaching the trout — to put our boots in the best place, with a strategy for making the casts and catching fish.We focus so much on the drifting, on the presentation and the casting — on the technical aspects of getting all of those things just right — that it’s easy to overlook the skill that comes before all of that . . .And make no mistake, the approach is a skill. It’s about making a plan. It’s about choosing a piece of water and deciding at which angle we’ll make the cast.We consider all of it in this episode. We also look at some intangibles like bug life and light angles, like water levels and how we might mask our presence from the trout. Because scared trout don’t eat, and honestly, that has to be our first consideration.This is a great conversation with my friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell. ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout - What Scares Fish and How to Avoid Spooking Them READ: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout - Find Their Blind SpotREAD: Troutbitten | Are You Spooking Trout?PODCAST: Troutbitten | Pre-Trip Efficiencies VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

Fly tying is more popular than ever. With the prevalence of high quality materials and excellent videos showing how to build flies, more fly anglers choose to tie their own patterns than ever before.All of us at Troutbitten have been tying our own flies from the beginning, so we each have preferences for the tools we use. That's what this podcast episode is all about. We discuss the essentials, like vise, scissors and a bobbin, along with some other tools and gear that each of us considers invaluable for tying materials to a hook. The tools come first. And the quality of those tools can either help or hinder the process.This conversation is a lot of fun. My friends, Bill Dell, Dr. Trevor Smith, Austin Dando, Josh Darling and Matt Grobe join me. ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying and the Complete Angler - S5,Ep2READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Troutbitten Fly BoxVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

For this episode, we want to tackle a topic that’s been on our list for a long time — fly fishing myths and misunderstandings.We’re not here to argue about stuff or complain. We just want to acknowledge things that we hear repeated or we see in print or shown in videos — stuff that’s almost assumed as fact, when it’s often not true at all.We do think it’s important to try to clear the air about these myths and misunderstandings, because bad or incomplete information can really lead people down the wrong path. Or an angler might base many decisions about how they fish, where they fish, when they fish or what they fish for based, in part, upon these myths or these assumptions.Most of what we bring up is well engrained into the fly fishing field of knowledge. Basically, most of you out there listening will have heard nearly everything we bring up. Maybe too, you’ll have a different take on things, and some of these won’t be myths to you at all. That’s good. Because you really should trust yourself and your own time on the water more than anyone else. My friends, Bill Dell and Josh Darling join me for a great conversation.ResourcesPODCAST: Troutbitten | What To Trust - S5, Ep11READ: Troutbitten | What To TrustREAD: Troutbitten | Who Knows Better Than You? VisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

Devin Olsen has had an immeasurable influence on the nymphing game. Having been embedded in the competition scene for two decades now, Devin knows competition nymphing form the inside. While reading Devin's book and watching his videos, it's obvious that he puts in the work. Instead of slavishly recycling the ideas of others, Devin is a unique thinker and a tireless tester on the water. I've always admired his work.I asked Devin to go in deep about competition nymphing styles, while specifically considering the rules and restrictions imposed on competitors. We consider whether those rules about flies and leader restrictions are helpful or hurtful for the common angler.This is a fantastic conversation.I'm pleased to present my interview with Devin Olsen . . .RESOURCESWEBSITE / FLY SHOP: Tactical Fly FisherBOOK: Tactical Fly FisherYOUTUBE: Tactical Fly FisherREAD: Troutbitten | Series | What You're Missing by Following FIPS Competition RulesVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

For our State of the Union 2025, my wife, Becky, joins me for a lighthearted look at what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (December 1). We talk about the book, the In Deep series, podcast plans, shop changes, a live podcast event, a Troutbitten Film Festival and the the New Trail Troutbitten beer.Becky and I also read a few listener comments.ResourcesVIDEO: Troutbitten | In Deep With John Shaner and Dry Fly Leader DesignVIDEO: Troutbitten | In Deep - Fishing Simply, With Craig MatthewsVIDEO: Troutbitten | Beer and Friends -- Good Times and Good Stories with New Trail and TroutbittenSHOP: Troutbitten | Category | LeadersVisitTroutbitten WebsiteTroutbitten InstagramTroutbitten YouTubeTroutbitten FacebookThanks to TroutRoutes:Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com Thanks to SkwalaUse the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/