News On The Fly

Spun deer-hair makes for a dense, buoyant fly body, whether you’re tying a large, traditional Tap’s Bug or a size 12 Goddard Caddis. Once you’ve got the hair spun on the hook shank, it’s time to trim it to shape. . . .

The post Video: How to Trim Deer Hair appeared first on Orvis News.

Longtime blog readers know that we’re fans of Nerijus Rupciauskas and Vaidas Uselis, a. k. a. Black Fly Eyes, who have created some of the best cinematic fly-fishing films of recent years. Their latest is no . . .

The post Video: Incredible Fly Fishing for Nile Perch and Tigerfish in Wild Africa appeared first on Orvis News.

Welcome to 2021’s only Friday the 13th edition of the Orvis News Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival! Every week, we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing videos available and then serve them up for you to . . .

The post Friday (the 13th!) Fly-Fishing Film Festival 08.13.21 appeared first on Orvis News.

This week my guest is the great Amelia Jensen, one of the best trout anglers in the world and also a superb videographer. Our topic is one that is top of mind to a lot of people in the fly-fishing world this summer: . . .

The post Podcast: Amelia Jensen on Lowering Fish Mortality with Better Photo Techniques appeared first on Orvis News.

I don't know why I haven't done it yet but I need to spend some time with Henry Cowen and experience the carp angling that he's unlocked over in Georgia.  

This double-feature from the folks at Scientific Anglers sure gets me going...





Without a doubt, Scientific Anglers is making one of my most favorite fly lines for pursuing carp on the flats with the Amplitude Smooth...

This week my guest is the great Amelia Jensen [53:09], one of the best trout anglers in the world and also a superb videographer. Our topic is one that is top of mind to a lot of people in the fly-fishing world this summer: how we can continue to fish for trout and get photos of them while minimizing mortality to the fish and reducing handling time. One of the best ways to do this is to take photos of fish (especially trout) without taking them out of the water. This does present challenges but it's not impossible to get a great photo of a trout while water is still running over its gills. Amelia shares the tips she has learned over the years. Lots of questions and tips from listeners in the Fly Box this week, including: How do I clean up the cork grips on my fly rods? Is there any difference in performance with a dry dropper when the nymph is tied to the eye of the dry fly instead of the bend? Is it true that by keeping trout larger than 15 inches we'll make more room for smaller trout in a stream? How do you know when to leave an area or continue fishing it? A great pep talk from an experienced angler on learning fly fishing without a mentor How can I get rid of clumps in my rabbit fur dubbing? How can I catch spooky catfish on a fly rod? Is there any difference between tying dumbbell eyes on top of the shank or under the shank? Some great tips on carp fishing from an experienced carp angler from Germany Is it a good idea to freeze my wading boots to kill aquatic invasives? How can I decide between a vest and a sling bag? Can I fish dry flies with my Euro nymphing line? Do brook trout migrate to get away from warmer water? Where do you use tippet rings? Is it a good idea to build knotted trout leaders with loop-to-loop connections? What should I look for if I am going bonefishing without a guide and I have never fished in salt water before? I am going bonefishing but to date have only fished for trout. What adjustments do I need to make? I need advice on setting the hook on steelhead when swinging Intruders If I bend a small hook in my tying vise, can I put it back into shape without ruining it?

I always try to have my ear to the ground to hear what's new within the fiberglass fly rod realm and a few months ago was tipped off that Jussi Sojakka of RFT Gearwas working on a series of blanks that immediately perked my interest. I typically prefer glass rods in nearly all line weights that measure eight foot in length or less and his 7'4" 4-weight and 7'6" 5-weight sounded like neat...

Starting today, the Canadian border is open again to American citizens and permanent residents who have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days. This means that some incredible fishing opportunities are . . .

The post O Canada! New Fly-Fishing Opportunities as the Northern Border Re-Opens appeared first on Orvis News.

This week, my guest is Colby Trow of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing–in Harrisonburg, Virginia–one of the best smallmouth bass anglers I know. Colby talks about successful techniques for chasing these critters in . . .

The post Podcast: Late Summer Smallmouth Tips, with Colby Trow appeared first on Orvis News.

This week my guest is Colby Trow [38:08] of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing, one of the best smallmouth bass anglers I know. Colby talks about successful techniques in catching these critters in late summer, when they can be harder to catch than earlier in the season. The good news is that it's one of the best times to catch them on a surface fly like a popper or hair bug, which is always the most fun. In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions and tips from listeners: A listener who makes the point that it's quicker to land trout on light tippets with a Euro rod Can I fish carp flies with an indicator? Are treble hooks more harmful than single point barbless hooks? What do I do when trout take my hopper patterns deep? Should I leave the fly in them? I have trouble catching smallmouths in clear water. Any suggestions? Where do you store your leader between fishing trips? A tip from Sam, fishing manager at Orvis Houston, on catching redfish in dirty water What are the advantages and disadvantages in using a pedestal vise as opposed to a C-clamp? How do I choose which size hair stacker to use? How can I fish size 18-22 nymphs in four feet of fast water? A suggestion for using 7 1/2-foot leaders in small streams in the Driftless Region Can I put a 7-weight sinking line on my 5-weight rod? If I am catching trout in small mountain streams where the water is cold enough, do I need to worry about them moving downstream into warmer temperatures after I release them? How many phone calls and questions do you get per week? When I switch from Euro nymphing to my regular trout rod, I keep breaking off fish. Is this normal?

Follow...

In this week’s typically fun how-to video from Ben Sittig, a.k.a Huge Fly Fisherman, he offers a single, quick tip that will make you a better angler. Whenever you’re stripping a fly–whether it’s a streamer on a trout . . .

The post Quick Tips: How to Hold Your Rod While Stripping Line appeared first on Orvis News.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Orvis News Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival! Every week, we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing videos available and then serve them up for you to enjoy. . . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 07.30.21 appeared first on Orvis News.

This week, my guest is David Coggins, author of the new book The Optimist, A Case for the Fly Fishing Life. David is a traditionalist and I give him some good-natured ribbing about being an anachronism, but . . .

The post Podcast: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life, with David Coggins appeared first on Orvis News.

This week my guest is David Coggins [42:24], author of the new book The Optimist, A Case for the Fly Fishing Life. David is a traditionalist and I give him some good-natured ribbing about being an anachronism, but David handles it well and tells some great stories as well.

In the Fly Box this week, we have lots of questions and tips from listeners, including:

What is the best way to tie a fly for gar and how do I fish for them?

Why did I foul hook two trout in a row on dry flies?

What kind of rum do you prefer?

A great tip from a listener that rubber soles on wading shoes are far preferable to felt in the snow.

A tip from a listener that when urban fly fishing, make sure you look behind you as many people don't know you are flinging a hook through the air.

Do I need to worry about my rod and reel in a car-top carrier in the hot Georgia sun?

A tip from a listener on using heavier nymph hooks on foam dry flies to keep them from tipping over.

A listener asks me my preferences in fly-tying vise brands.

A listener asks about Orvis' commitment to diversity and climate activism and asks why we don't have a government relations office.

A suggestion from a listener for developing self-bailing waders

Why did I see a bunch of smallmouth bass jumping out of the water like crazy when there was not an insect hatch?

What can I do if I don't like a loop-to-loop connection on my leader?

How do I fish a bass popper in a fast-flowing river?

How can I get my crayfish pattern deeper?

One of the best things about summertime fishing is that you can often throw dry flies all day long. As you work a stretch of river, you may alternate between casting upstream, to cover the head of a pool, to . . .

The post Video: Casting a Dry Fly Upstream vs Downstream appeared first on Orvis News.

The Tight Loops crew continues their 'For Wild's Sake' series with an adventure in search of the rare and tough to catch Blueback Trout.  Press PLAY and enjoy...

Follow along by subscribing to the Tight Loops YouTube channel, check out the website, and checking out their Instagram too.

Subscribe in a reader

The Helios™ 3 Blackouts have landed! Available now, these new, high-concept, supremely accurate H3 rods are designed to excel in specific angling scenarios. Our rod design team listened to some of the sport’s . . .

The post Check Out the NEW Helios 3 Blackout Fly Rods appeared first on Orvis News.

A Jackson Hole native, Will Dornan knows about big Western bugs. His Water Walker is a killer stonefly and terrestrial pattern that lures big trout to the surface. It’s also a great way to float a nymph in a dry-dropper . . .

The post Video: How to Tie a Water Walker Variant appeared first on Orvis News.

Do you struggle to tie good parachute pattern because the hackle doesn’t go on right? Tim’s got the solution. Try repositioning the hook, so you can wrap the hackle vertically, using the tying thread as a guide . . .

The post Video: How to Make a Bottom-Up Parachute appeared first on Orvis News.

In our campaign to take pressure off our over-stressed trout rivers during this hot, dry summer, I figured a great topic would be how to find carp-fishing spots. Not every place that holds carp . . .

The post Podcast: How To Find Great Carp Fishing appeared first on Orvis News.

In our campaign to take pressure off our over-stressed trout rivers during this hot, dry summer I figured a great topic would be how to find carp fishing spots. Not every place that holds carp is conducive to fly fishing, but when you find the right spot, you'll find endlessly fascinating opportunities to catch these often difficult gamefish that will test your drag like no other freshwater fish (besides steelhead and salmon). So I enlisted Dan Frasier [46:00] to talk about how to find the best carp spots, when and where to target them, how to present the fly, and how to determine when a carp has eaten your fly. Carp are tough and resilient and you don't need to worry about hurting them, no matter how warm the water temperature. Next to trout, they're the most interesting fish to chase in fresh water and the closest you'll get to saltwater flats fishing without leaving home. In the Fly Box this week, as usual we have some great questions and tips from listeners, including: Do certain trout get acclimated to either very high or low temperature regimes? Why do I foul hook a lot of fish when Euro nymphing? Why does my Euro rig break above the tippet ring? A casting tip using the analogy of a tomato on a stick Does Orvis have a secret warehouse full of older discontinued products? How can I keep track of tiny emergers in the surface film? Do you recommend felt soles or rubber with cleats for wading boots? When fishing for panfish, does having an indicator on the leader hinder my presentation when I strip the fly? Why are my surgeon's knots breaking when using 10-pound test for panfish? What is the difference between regular CDC and CDC puffs? Some tips from a listener on traveling with fly-fishing gear Is it OK to hold a fly rod on the blank above the grip when playing a large fish? A tip from a listener on using a lint roller to keep the fly-tying desk clean Is there any reason to put fly dressing on a yarn strike indicator? Will my freshwater reels work OK in salt water? Why do my foam dry flies sometimes land upside-down?

Welcome to a super-salty, mostly classic edition of the Orvis News Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival! Every week, we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing videos available and then serve them up . . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 07.23.21 appeared first on Orvis News.

A tip of the cap to 406 Fly Lines for sharing this short film from yesteryear on their Facebook page.  I found it this morning and it's a wonderful snapshot into the life of John Voelker, who wrote in the pen name of Robert Traver for years.  His narration and glimpses of his fishing days in the Upper Peninsula bring a smile for sure.

Anytime I share a story that is Robert Traver...