Kubie Brown

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...

Every fly angler out there is obsessed with the perfect drift—making that flawless cast and mending just right so that our dry flies float placidly downstream. It's a skill that takes years to master. You must learn to read water and how to make micro-adjustments to ensure that your fly remains completely still as it floats along. It can be frustrating...

I am addicted to Spey casting. It’s a strange obsession, as far as fly fishing goes, in that it makes me happy even when I'm not catching fish. There’s something almost spiritual about it, a connection with the river itself. Standing hip-deep in the water with the current flowing past and the sun shining above, I get lost in the natural rhythms of the...

There are times when you suddenly have to get down and dirty. I’m not talking about using a heavy-weighted, dumbbell-eyed monster of a bug that sinks like a rock and practically dredges the bottom. I’m talking about those moments when you need your fly to swim just a little deeper. It usually happens when you’re using small streamers in shallow...

Have you ever tried to put together a jigsaw puzzle? You dump out the box on a table, look at the picture on the cover of the box, and then stare at the pile of pieces. Where do you even start? This is exactly how most fly anglers feel the first time they fish a new river. Trying to catch trout in water you’ve never fished before is like trying to find...

Late summer is the toughest period for streamer anglers. The rivers are warm and low, the days still bright and sunny—everything pretty much the opposite of good streamer conditions. What makes this time truly difficult to endure is that it's all so close. Like a distant siren song heard on the wind, the knowledge that the glory days of autumn, with its...

Dry fly fishing and nymphing are almost related in that they are both beautiful and productive art forms that require delicacy and grace. Streamer fishing stands out like a hard-drinking, bar brawling cousin. It’s a fishing method that requires anglers to splash down their flies and then to slash, rip, and jerk them around to make a trout strike with a...

No matter how much we all like dry fly fishing and casting streamers, when it comes to catching a mess of trout nothing beats nymphing. The reasons should be obvious. Instead of trying to tempt trout to rise to the surface and expose themselves or triggering them to expend a bunch of energy chasing down a stripped fly, nymphing allows you to sink a fly down...