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Episode 292: Learn to Cast Shorter to Catch More Fish

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 18:06:09 +0000

Learning to cast is the first act of the beginner fly fisher. For natural athletes, casting is almost an extension of their arm. And soon the fly fisher is casting 80 to 100 feet with grace and beauty. For the rest of us, however, the long cast is a long obedience in the same direction. For example, the double haul cast may take years to perfect. In this episode, we celebrate the shorter cast - the one you'll use to catch more fish.

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Episode 291: The 5 Main Things to Know to Become a Real Fly Fisher

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 03:13:40 +0000

You can read about fly fishing. Watch videos. And listen to podcasts (this one, hopefully!). To become even moderately competent, though, you need to "do" fly fishing. There are no shortcuts. You need days on the river when you don't catch a thing. In this episode, we identify five big buckets or categories that you need to master (or at least become moderately proficient at) to catch fish and enjoy the sport.

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Episode 290: What Makes Catching Brook Trout Such a Rush

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 20:58:44 +0000

Can you remember the first brook trout you caught? They're not the biggest fish in the river (except, perhaps, the ones you catch in Labrador), but the beauty and ease of catching a brook trout creates joy for even the most experienced fly fisher. This episode is not so much a how-to show as it is an "ode to brook trout fishing" episode. We're celebrating the wonder of brook trout and catching them on the fly.

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Episode 289: Maybe You Should Do More False Casting - 6 Reasons

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 06:31:00 +0000

Sophisticated fly fishers don't false cast, right? How many times have you heard someone say, “You won’t catch fish with your fly in the air. So, stop all the false casting"? Well, that's just plain wrong. Or at least only partially true. False casting is not just for beginners. It's for veterans as well. Recently, Hatch Magazine published an excellent article by Todd Tanner titled “The Truth about False Casting,” which identifies six good reasons for false casting. In this episode, we discuss each reason and apply it to specific situations while out on the river.

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Episode 288: Driftless Fisheries Biologist Kirk Olson on Trout Stream Health and Big Browns

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 06:30:00 +0000

There's nothing like a fisheries biologist to clear up a few myths about the trout in your favorite stream. In this episode, we interview Driftless fisheries biologist Kirk Olson, who is lucky enough to work in four of the top trout fishing counties in southwestern Wisconsin: Monroe, Vernon, La Crosse, and Crawford counties, with more than 1,300 classified miles of trout streams. We cover topics like the problem of brown trout eclipsing brook trout in many streams, perpetual leases, and what percentage of the fish population the river kills each year.

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Episode 287: Fall Fly Fishing in the Yellowstone Ecosystem

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 19:17:26 +0000

Later beats earlier. That is one of best nuggets of insight when considering a time to fish the rivers in the Yellowstone ecosystem in the fall. Less crowds. More solitude. The possibility of runners. And even a few late mornings with a BWO hatch. In this episode, we discuss our fall fly fishing wisdom from almost fifteen years of fishing in Montana.

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Episode 286 Don't Give Up Too Soon - Fly Fishing at Dusk

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 15:40:23 +0000

It's not just the early bird who gets the worm. Sometimes, so does the late bird. Many fly fishers leave way before dusk. We often do, especially if we've been fishing all day. But later in the day can produce some great moments on the river. And bigger fish. In this episode, we discuss the opportunities of fishing at dusk.

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Episode 285: Observe before You Fly Fish

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 16:19:18 +0000

Look, look, look - that's solid advice for every fly fisher who wades into the river. In this episode, we identify several key ways to slow down to observe what's happening in the river before you step into it. Too often, we equate casting with fly fishing. It's better to pause before you sling your fly and observe what's happening at the pool you want to fish - as well as the ones above or below it.

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Episode 284: 9 Simple Fly Casting Tips for More Catching

Mon, 20 May 2024 16:59:08 +0000

Learning to fly cast is the first act of the newbie fly fisher. Fly casting well is fundamental to catching fish. It's a skill that is developed over time. But we've discovered that you never arrive. That is, we've noticed that our fly casting can get worse over time, if we don't keep honing the skill. In this episode, we offer 9 simple fly casting tips to improve your catching. In the end, it's all about the fish you catch, right?

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Episode 283: Fly Fishing the West vs. the Midwest

Wed, 15 May 2024 22:31:47 +0000

We both got our early fly fishing chops from slinging flies into the bigger rivers in the inter-mountain West - the Madison, Gallatin, the Yellowstone, the Missouri, the Boulder, and others. In mid-life, we both moved to the Chicagoland area and had a rude awakening when fishing the spring creeks of the Driftless region. We caught fewer fish, and the rivers were not really rivers but small creeks. In this episode, we discuss the differences between the two regions to help fly fishers prepare for fishing either one.

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Episode 282: Dry Fly Fishing Stories and Their Key Takeaways

Mon, 06 May 2024 22:38:52 +0000

There's no greater thrill than catching a trout on a dry fly. We love to fish streamers and nymphs, but when push comes to shove, we'd rather tie on a dry. In this episode, we recall a bunch of terrific days (or, in some cases, minutes) catching rainbows, cutthroat, or browns on a dry fly. We also layer in some key takeaways from each story to provide some practical help.

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Episode 281: A Fly Fishing Conversation with a Driftless Conservation Warden

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:28:53 +0000

It takes a village to raise up a fly fisher. The first person of the village is likely a parent, friend, or acquaintance who walked beside us in the early, awkward days of learning to cast, read the river, and tie a basic knot. Next are the fly shop owners and guides who drip insight into us as we buy flies and purchase float trips. Then there is the army of Trout Unlimited volunteers who spent weekends improving our rivers and streams. And then there are the industry pundits and legends who publish books, videos, podcasts, and other helpful resources.

An unheralded person of the village is the conservation warden. He or she is in many ways quietly responsible to maintain order and even safety while we enjoy the outdoors. In this episode, we interview Michael Burns, a Driftless conservation warden out of Dodgeville, Wisconsin. While our listeners come from all places in North America and even Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, we thought Mike's perspective as a Wisconsin conservation warden applies to everyone everywhere.

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Episode 280: What to Do When You Hook a Fish

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 18:38:13 +0000

You've set the hook. Now what? In this episode, we offered up some of the best practices for netting and releasing your fish. One of the most important reminders is to monitor the interval between the time you hook the fish and when you release it - the shorter (obviously) the better.

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Episode 279: Challenging a Fly Fishing Platitude about a Trout's Diet

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:39:22 +0000

“Trout do 80% of their feeding underwater.” We've repeated that platitude often over the years. In a recent issue of TROUT magazine, a publication of Trout Unlimited, Tom Rosenbauer labels that platitude a "trout myth.” In this episode, we discuss seven points that Rosenbauer makes in the article and apply them to our fly fishing experience.

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Episode 278: Resolutions to Make the Next Three Seasons of Fly Fishing Great

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 19:51:02 +0000

New resolutions are often tied to the new year. We've decided to release our resolutions near the beginning of the real fly fishing year - spring. We love fishing in winter, but we catch most of our fish and spend most of our days on the water in spring, summer, and fall. In this episode, we each offer up four resolutions for upcoming fly fishing season.

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Episode 277: Winter Fly Fishing Tips

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 23:25:55 +0000

We hit the river a couple weeks ago and discovered once again that winter fly fishing is not like fishing in the other three seasons. A recent fly fishing newsletter helped put winter fishing into perspective with a few tips. We thought you might benefit from these as much as we did. Spring is coming!

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Episode 276: How Returning to the Fundamentals Will Improve Your Fishing

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 17:39:42 +0000

Just like every other craft, a fly fisher must occasionally return to the basics of the art and skill of fly fishing. In this episode, we identify several key elements of fly fishing that we've had to relearn or remember. Just like writing or playing a sport, the veterans return to the essential skills again and again.

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Episode 275: Steve Fly Fishes in Alaska

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 18:54:23 +0000

Steve spent some time in Alaska this summer, breaking his fly rod, catching a few rainbows, and netting a silver. Listen in as Dave interviews Steve about his Alaskan fly fishing experience while on a trip to visit family. Some things about fishing are always true, no matter where you fish: Some days are diamonds, some days are stone.

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Episode 274: Crazy Fly Fishing Moments - Rattlesnakes, Buying Bear Spray, and Dave in Full Form

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 03:56:22 +0000

Steve screaming after almost stepping on a rattlesnake, Dave in his underwear, and buying bear spray at closing time - these and other crazy fly fishing stories make our last trip to Montana memorable. This is not a practical episode. Hopefully, it makes you recall some crazy memories of your own from a recent trip.

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Episode 273: When Your Fly Fishing Trip Is Just Okay

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 19:02:19 +0000

Every fly fishing trip can't be the best ever. Nor can every day on the river exceed your expectations. We recently had an "okay" fly fishing trip to Montana, if measured by the number of fish we caught. We caught fish, no doubt, but what made the trip memorable was the entire experience.

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The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists: Life is short, catch more fish

Episode 272: Make Your Fly Fishing More Simple - and More Enjoyable

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 06:13:00 +0000

Make your fly fishing more simple. And thus more enjoyable. When first starting out, most of us feel overwhelmed with the many types of fly rods, sizes of flies, tippet weights, leader lengths, casting techniques, how long the tippet should be, and where to put the split shot when fishing nymphs. There's a lot to learn! But over time, it's important to simplify the sport as much as possible. In this episode, we discuss how we've tried to make fly fishing more enjoyable by simplifying our experience.

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The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists: Life is short, catch more fish

Episode 271: Fly Fishing High Mountain Lakes

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 06:20:00 +0000

Fly fishing high mountain lakes requires a modicum of thought and preparation. In some ways, a "hike and fish" means packing lots of water, the right rod and flies, a rain jacket, and the right mindset. We don't fish a lot of high mountain lakes ... but when we do, we try to keep a few basics in mind.

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Episode 270: Summer Dry Fly Fishing Patterns

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 03:05:49 +0000

It's the dog days of summer, and hopefully you are slinging some grasshopper patterns or other terrestrials to catch fish on the surface. In this episode, we've identified four buckets of dry fly patterns for summer fly fishing. We also offer up our three must-have dry fly patterns for this wonderful season.

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Episode 269: Fly Fishing with the Summer Crowds

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 23:32:26 +0000

Fly fishing with the summer crowds seems inevitable, if you plan to get out this summer. Warm weather and vacations bring out even more fly fishers to your favorite stream. In this episode, we offer several strategies to avoid the summer crowds, find a bit of solitude, and, hopefully, catch a few fish.

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Episode 268: When It’s Time to Quit Your Favorite Stream

Mon, 29 May 2023 23:09:50 +0000

Quitters never win. And winners never quit. That's true. And it's also not true. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to quit your favorite stream, creek, or stretch of river. In this episode, we wax not so eloquently on when it's time to walk away from what has been your favorite fishing spot. It may not be forever. But doing so may push you to find new water to fish.

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Episode 267: The Basics of Fishing with Streamers

Mon, 22 May 2023 02:01:10 +0000

Fly fishers who sling streamers tend to catch bigger fish. There's no scientific evidence to support this, of course, other than our anecdotal evidence. But we've had some terrific days on the river casting bigger flies that we fish on an active retrieve. In this episode, we provide an overview of our streamer fishing experience and provide some basic tips to getting started.

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Episode 266: Fly Fishing the Edges of the Seasons

Fri, 12 May 2023 11:29:31 +0000

Most fly fishers despise driving up to where they expect to fish for the day and see three trucks alongside the creek. In this episode, we discuss our basic approach to fishing the four seasons. We try as much as possible to fish the edges of winter, spring, summer, and fall. There are fewer fly fishers, the hotel rates are cheaper, and the fishing can be spectacular.

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Episode 265: Fly Fishing Spring Creeks with More Success

Sun, 07 May 2023 00:40:24 +0000

Fly fishing spring creeks often demands more finesse than fishing freestone rivers. The water temperature is more consistent in spring creeks, and the food more ubiquitous. If you want to catch fish in a spring creek, your tackle must be lighter, and you need to be more stealthy.

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Episode 264: The Unexpected Perks of Fly Fishing

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 14:29:15 +0000

Catching fish is the reward of fly fishing. And we both love and expect to catch fish every time we head out to the river. But there are some other perks of fly fishing. And in this episode, we list several, including "experiencing the nonsecular" parts of life, eating at small-town cafes, and the conversations about the great themes of life.

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Episode 263: Fly Fishing Tips We’ve Picked Up from Other Fishers

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 20:44:10 +0000

It takes a village to raise a fly fisher. In this episode, we admit once again to our persistent mediocrity as fly fishers. We give credit, however, to whatever skills we have to friends, guides, and others we've observed through the years. We offer up a handful of insights, including how to use the tip of your rod while streamer fishing and monitoring how deep your nymph is by observing the speed of your strike indicator.

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