Steelhead fly fishers know a valuable piece of trout lore more easterners are learning. I am one of those easterners, located in western Pennsylvania, far from any salt water and sea-run fish. I have, however, found good use of the westerns’ knowledge. Fly fishermen...

This might sound familiar: you’ve gathered all your gear, made the effort to drive to the water, set up your rig and finally start making some casts. After an hour or two, you’ve caught zero fish and haven’t even had the pleasure of seeing one. Reading the Water to...

Being prepared in life is a key facet of being successful. To be successful as a fly angler, time needs to be put in off the water organizing flies, rods, reels and the minor accessories. Too often, I get to the water and realize I forgot one or two things. One of the...

My favorite way to chase steelhead is in small rivers and streams. One of my nameless rivers is a small stream by Western standards, especially in its upper reaches. There, following a narrow corridor through the forest, the river rushes down over a bottom of bright...

I've written so many articles on nymph fishing, because it's affective. Competitive fly fishers are masters of reading the water and NYMPH fishing. So if the bass, trout and panfish are eating mostly below the water surface. The question is: Which nymph do I use under...

Silver salmon are one of those fish that it’s hard to get enough of.  Usually by March I’m planning an annual August escape.  Chasing salmon has become a pilgrimage for me just like that salmon returning to home waters. I have ruined my life with this...

As fishing grows in popularity, so do the areas of the world that are known for their beautiful scenery and large fish. Fly anglers know all about the tailwaters in the west United States and the spectacular beauty that surrounds them. There are, however, quite a few...

Few of us anglers are actually the purists we aspire to be, I think. For years, I styled myself as the dry-fly guy. If fish wouldn’t eat on top, I didn’t want to catch them. And for a while, that worked alright for me. But I realized quickly how much fishing I was...

This will seem obvious, but very beneficial to the angler. "Fish don't have hands" So, as feeding organisms, they must grab things in their mouths to test them as potential foods. If you could sit in an under-water viewing chamber and watch trout in their natural...