Which Flies Catch the Most Trout? 514 Fish From 193 Logged Fly Fishing Trips
Which flies catch the most trout? Eight years of one angler's fishing log, 193 logged fly fishing trips and 514 fish, ranked by fish per trip against a 2.66 baseline. The Elk Hair Caddis beats the fly I fish most, streamers run 54% below average, and the two highest-scoring patterns are single good days in disguise.
Egg Patterns for the Brown Trout Spawn: Fish Behind the Redds, Not On Them
The best egg patterns for the brown trout spawn get fished in the trough below the redd, never on it. Here's which fish to target, the colors and sizes that match real brown eggs, and how to rig a dead drift that ticks bottom.
Griffin Odyssey Spider vs Peak Rotary: Picking Your First Fly Tying Vise
The Griffin Odyssey Spider is $129.95 and the Peak Rotary is $239.95. Here is exactly what the cheaper first fly tying vise gives up, plus the three tying situations (small midges, big streamers, and a kitchen table that can't take a C-clamp) where the upgrade pays for itself.
Flying Ant Falls: The Overlooked Late-Summer Trout Event
A flying ant fall is the most reliable dry-fly window of late summer once the mayfly hatches fade. Learn to recognize the trigger, why trout drop their guard, and how to fish cinnamon and black ant patterns in foam lines with 5-6X tippet.
Trico Spinner Falls in July: The 7 AM Window Every Tailwater Angler Should Plan Around
The Trico spinner fall on July tailwaters runs on the kind of clock you can almost set a watch by. When the air hits 68F over slick water on the Bighorn, Missouri, or South Holston, you get a 90-minute window of size 22 dry fly fishing, then a second act with drowned spinners that almost nobody fishes.
Hopper Season Setup: The Three-Fly Rig That Replaces Your Dry-Dropper in July
PMDs are done by mid-July on most freestones, and the dry-dropper that crushed in June starts getting refusals. The fix is a three-fly hopper rig: foam hopper as indicator, weighted jig 3-4 feet down, soft-hackle emerger 18 inches under that. Here's the exact hopper season setup, when to switch, and how to fish banks versus midstream.
How to Fish the PMD Spinner Fall: The Evening Window Most Anglers Miss
The PMD spinner fall happens after most anglers have already broken down their rods. Here's how to read the last 30 minutes of light, find where spent spinners collect, and catch the biggest trout of the day on a rusty spinner pattern.
Yellow Sally and Golden Stonefly Dry-Dropper for June Trout
The salmonflies are done. Now what? A rig-by-rig guide to fishing a yellow sally and golden stonefly dry-dropper through late June and July on western freestones, with timing notes for the Madison, Big Hole, Yellowstone, Henry's Fork, and Green.
Stillwater Trout in June: Callibaetis and Damselfly Hatches on Western Reservoirs
June flips western reservoirs on. Here is how to read callibaetis vs damselfly hatches on Strawberry, Henrys, Hebgen, and Delaney Buttes, with a depth-and-retrieve table for chironomid, damsel nymph, and adult presentations.
Hex Hatch 2026: Night Fishing the Hexagenia Limbata in Michigan, Wisconsin, and the Upper Midwest
A region-by-region guide to the 2026 hex hatch across the Upper Midwest. When the Au Sable, Manistee, Brule, Namekagon, and Wolf fire each night, the dusk window in clock terms, leader and fly setups for fishing in the dark, and how to read a Hexagenia limbata spinnerfall by ear.