Crappie are an ideal fish species to target by fly fishing, and it’s honestly surprising you don’t see it more often. They are an extremely popular panfish, and are typically targeting on ultra-light spinning gear. The lures used for crappie fishing often look suspiciously like flies that we fly anglers use all the time. An … Read more
Fly fishing for longnose gar not only offers an opportunity to target an oddball fish, but it’s also tons of fun! These prehistoric fish readily take most fly presentations and put up a good fight as well. I’m honestly surprised it’s not more popular. Most gar fly fishing is quite visual. You will often be … Read more
Is it your first time fly fishing for smallmouth bass? Perhaps you’ve been chasing smallies on the fly for a while, and are looking for new fly pattern ideas? Let’s look at some of the best flies for targeting smallmouth bass. Smallmouth bass are perhaps the perfect gamefish. Not only are they pound for pound … Read more
Do trout bite at night? I can tell you definitively that yes, trout do feed in the dark. Not only can trout be caught at night, but it tends to be big trout that feed more heavily in the dark. Let’s talk a bit about nighttime trout feeding habits and go over some techniques for … Read more
With the increasing popularity of fly fishing, a larger variety of fish species are being targeted on the fly now. Many of them live in weed-heavy environments and require weed-resistant or weed-proof flies. The techniques for tying weedless flies are surprisingly varied, and I covered quite a few below. The bass and pike anglers reading … Read more
Fly anglers live for hatches, and cicada hatches are no different. When we get on the river and a large mayfly, caddisfly, or stonefly hatch is going on, we know we’re in for a good day of fishing. There’s some great cicada fly patterns listed further down and I touch on how to tie cicada … Read more
Fly fishing for walleye. It’s not something you hear about that often, but it can be done! There are select few anglers that purposely target walleye while fly fishing (and even fewer that wade for walleye). This is a shame, as these fish (also known as pickerel in some areas) will readily take many fly … Read more
Mice may seem too large a meal for trout, indeed many anglers think of them more as bass prey than trout food. Many trout populations do indeed feed heavily on mice and other small rodents though. Despite trout’s reputation for being picket eaters, they are often quite opportunistic. Large trout occupy a spot relatively high … Read more
Pike and musky flies are unique in the world of fly fishing. These flies are larger and flashier than many fly anglers are used to. Often, these flies require specialized fly fishing rigs to cast properly. I have personally found the flies below to be very effective while fly fishing pike and musky. The pictures … Read more
Adult dragonflies are an interesting prey species. It’s one of those prey items that many trout anglers think are too big, and bass anglers think are too small. As an angler that targets both fish, I’ve found that both trout and bass will eat dragonflies (and damselflies). I’ve personally caught both sea-run brook trout and … Read more