Skills

From "Steelhead Showdown: Swinging vs Nymphing Explained" by The Portland Fly Shop Tight-line and indicator nymphing produce more steelhead hookups than swinging a fly in cold, fast water — that's a settled claim among working guides and magazine editors, and the reason is physics, not preference. When water drops below 40°F, a steelhead's response...

Screenshot from BACKYARD BRONZE: Flyfishing for Smallmouth Bass on the Upper Mississippi with Jake Keeler A free fishing day is realistic for most anglers any Saturday in May — provided they lean on water close to home, skip the parking-pass trap, and treat the gear they already own as the whole kit. Bluegill spawn in 65–80°F water, largemouth in...

Get your gear ready for steelhead season! The steelhead off-season checklist that actually matters is short and calendar-driven: ship waders in May (Patagonia averages up to 12 weeks), service your reel now rather than in July (Hatch runs 7–9 weeks from arrival), inspect every tip loop and stinger tether, reverse your mono running line, and tie compact...

Tarpon I photo by Jim Shulin Prepare for your first tarpon fishing trip by training a 50-to-70-foot cast in three false strokes or fewer into 15-mph wind, matching your leader butt section to 80–90% of your fly line's diameter, and carrying a clear intermediate line — not just a floater. Those three preparation priorities, stated publicly by working...

Rainbow that has taken a tiny spinner imitation during a spinner fall | image from "How to Fish a Spinner Fall, Part 6: The Approach" by Orvis and Dave and Amelia Jensen A #14 Rusty Spinner on 6X, fished flush in the film at 8:45 p.m. when the air is 67°F and the wind has finally dropped — that is the solid May recipe that wins more big eastern trout...

Fly fishing from a belly boat in Colorado | photo by Marc Float tubes give pond fly anglers access to staging fish, offshore structure, and presentation angles that are impossible to reach from shore — and April's pre-spawn conditions make that positional advantage more valuable than at any other time of year. Water temperatures between 45°F and 60°F...

photo by Shuttershudder The most effective steelhead hook set on a swung fly is a low, downstream strip or sweep — not an overhead rod lift. Lifting creates slack at the hook point by loading the rod before force reaches the fly, while a line-first set maintains the direct tension that drives penetration under barbless rules. This single mechanical change...

photo by Patrik The shift from nymphing to dry-fly fishing during an April hatch hinges on reading rise forms and water temperature — not on counting bugs in the air. Most anglers switch to dries too early, mistaking emerger takes for surface feeds, and spend the best hour of the hatch getting refused. The transition moves through four distinct phases ...

photo by Reid Martin Fighting fish in current demands low, lateral rod pressure, disciplined line management, and lighter drag settings than most anglers expect — because tidal flow adds 10–35 pounds of hydrodynamic drag to your line alone before the fish pulls an ounce. In Florida's bridge channels and inlet mouths, where NOAA documents tidal currents...

Steelhead fishing, British Columbia | photo by AshleyBelle Swinging flies for steelhead means casting at a downstream angle, letting the current sweep the fly across the run on a tight line, then stepping two to four feet downstream and repeating — a systematic method called the step-down that covers every holding lie between the head and tailout of a...