Kubie Brown

As a professional fly angler, I practically live in my waders. Outside of the summer guide season, when I prefer to wet wade in sandals, I spend almost every day awkwardly contorting beside my truck to get my waders on. Whether I'm hitting the local hatch before work or swinging flies for steelhead for weeks at a time, my waders have become part of my...

As an avid steelhead angler, I love swinging flies on a Spey rod. The calm serenity of the casting, the hypnotic rhythm of the swing and step, all interrupted abruptly and violently when you get a grab. I honestly can't get enough of it, but the reality is there's only so much steelheading a person can do. The fish are only in certain rivers at specific...

Every one of us wishes for the occasional “easy button.” That small or big thing that acts as a sort of cheat code to make a difficult or trying task quicker and easier. These little “life hacks,” as they’re popularly known, exist in almost everything we do, including fly fishing. Fly fishing itself is a complicated angling style where we add a...

Whether its catching too many fish (I know there’s no such thing) or bad drifts soaking the fly, eventually even the most stalwart foam-based bug will take on a little water. Of course, there is a simple solution—add floatant. Floatant comes in a variety of types—dry powders, fancy sprays, oily gels, and gummy pastes. Each is effective, and as a fly...

No matter how, where, or when you like to trout fish, nymphing is almost always the most productive method. You’re not asking the trout to rise to the surface, chase down your fly, or come to you in any way. Rather, you’re drifting a delectable looking morsal down past a trout’s nose. And like a labrador with spilled kibble, they can’t help but...

I’m a bit of a streamer junkie, not just as an angler but as a collector as well. I love everything about those fluffy, shiny, wiggly little bugs. I’m constantly hunting for and creating new patterns. My fly tying desk looks like a tragic accident where a rooster, a deer, and a box of Christmas tinsel somehow exploded. Whenever a fly shop owner sees me...

Every fly angler wonders what lies beneath. Out on our favorite rivers, where we may have caught hundreds of trout in the past, we wonder if there’s some monstrous trout lurking in the shadows of our favorite runs and pools that’s always been just out of reach. Eventually it becomes a question that needs to be answered and, aside from packing a harpoon...

As a fly fishing guide, I go into the wilderness and float down the rivers of Montana encumbered with all manner of leaders, tippet, fly boxes, strike indicators, split shot, nippers, crimpers, and the like. And I need every ounce of it. I carry everything but the kitchen sink so I can be ready for whatever the trout may throw at me. Of course, needing all...

Getting serious about streamer fishing changes you. You stop caring about what’s happening on the surface of the water and barely even look at those little freestone streams and roadside creeks you used to enjoy. Instead, you spend more time on the big water, staring at log jams, deep holes, and boulder gardens and wiping drool from your chin. You stop...

It seems that all the technology and effort in fly reel design goes into the saltwater game. Tarpon, permit, bonefish etc. anglers get the lightest, sleekest, and most intricate reels that money can buy while many reels for trout aren't much more than glorified line holders. And even without all the extras, some trout reels weigh on the heavier side with...