IF YOU CAN’T GO NYMPHING for trout as often as you would like, you can sharpen your nymph-fishing skills between trips by pursuing panfish and bass in your local streams, ponds, and reservoirs. These warmwater fish can be your best opportunity to hone your basic...

When I first started tying flies, I learned the majority of the steps quickly and felt confident in my fly tying abilities. When I first tested my flies, however, I realized that they were falling apart and I was going through them at a disappointing rate. I learned...

When I was a young man, my grandmother had a strong desire to teach me how to sew. I wasn’t super excited about the idea of it, but looking back, many of the skills have transitioned well. Little did I know, these skills were going to come in handy when I started...

When I first started tying flies, I found myself overwhelmed with the amount of tools and equipment I could use to tie flies. After a year or so of tying, I was finally able to learn what tools were necessary and others that I didn’t need to use. One tool I learned I...

The world of fly tying can be overwhelming for anglers to enter. The idea of using fine motor skills to tie a fly in hopes that it looks somewhat realistic isn’t always the most inviting thought. Spending all that time tying flies just for them not to work can be...

I’ve told this story countless times, but I grew up in a family of committed dry-fly fishermen. If you didn’t catch fish on a dry fly, then in my grandpa’s eyes, you didn’t go fishing. Fast-forward to today, and I have two Euro nymphing rods, and the biggest fish I’ve...

Just like any hobby, fly fishing can become stagnant if you aren’t willing to test your skills and learn something new. Many people avoid trying something different out of fear of failing. For me, I avoided using a multi-fly rig because I didn’t think I was skilled...

When it comes to fly fishing, I find myself complicating things for no reason. I study the latest developments and catch myself wanting to buy the newest things. I’ve learned many times that this isn’t always necessary, but I’ve paid the price the most when it comes...

I’ve relayed this story fairly often, but it bears repeating. I grew up in a family where I didn’t know that nymphs or streamers existed. We attended the High Church of Dry Fly Fishing, and as far as I knew, that was the only real kind of fishing to do. Worm-dunking,...