News On The Fly

Welcome to the latest installment of the Wednesday Wake-Up Call, a weekly roundup of the most pressing conservation issues important to anglers. With both Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on Wednesdays, it’s been a few weeks. Working with . . .

The post Wednesday Wake-Up Call 01.22.20 appeared first on Orvis News.

In episode 8, Ronnie shows how he teaches the “sit” command by using cues, not words. By pulling up on the lead and pushing down on the dog’s rear end, he establishes what he wants to happen, and the dog gets the point very quickly. Note that he . . .

The post Orvis Dog-Training Tips, Episode 8: How to Teach “Sit” appeared first on Orvis News.

Over the past couple of years, Orvis has been working with an organization called Brown Folks Fishing to help make fly fishing more inclusive and representative of the American population. The group’s founder, Tracy Nguyen-Chung, was presented . . .

The post Video: Finding Community in Fly Fishing appeared first on Orvis News.

Do you ever wonder why fly anglers fish for steelhead in riffles? Or why we fish pools and other slow-water habitats for coho salmon? Most anglers would just say, “because that’s where they are, duh.”

The post Why Biology Matters: Speedy Steelhead vs Lazy Coho Salmon appeared first on Orvis News.

The first time I went trout fishing in winter was in the early 90s, not long after I had gotten pretty serious about the sport. Although I’d read plenty about how to catch trout during the colder months, I wasn’t quite convinced that it was possible . . .

The post Pro Tips: Three Tandem Rigs for Winter Trout appeared first on Orvis News.

I get frequent requests for suggestions on what fly-fishing literature to read during these long winter nights when you want to enjoy fly fishing but don’t want to snuggle up to something lighter.  I invited David Van Wie (interview starts at 45:10), author of the recently published book Storied Waters—subtitled “35 Fabled Fly Fishing Destinations and the Writers and Artists Who Made The Famous”—to share with me his favorite writers and books.  It is pretty much an eastern-oriented tour of these books, but don’t worry.  I have an idea for someone to do a similar podcast on western North America writers on a future podcast so stay tuned. 

In the Fly Box this week, we have some great questions and suggestions from listeners—and one who slapped my hands:

• A listener who took me to task for encouraging another listener to try to introduce mayflies from one watershed into another.  Shame on me.  I didn’t think about also transferring other unwanted critters and I should have known better
• Can I use the same nymphs under an indicator that I use when Euro nymphing and vice versa?
• A suggestion from a listener about the great classes available at Orvis stores
• What are the pros and cons of indicator vs. non-indicator nymphing?
• What is your opinion on click-and-pawl fly reels?
• Does anyone rent waders?  I don’t want to pack them into my luggage.
• What gear do you carry when saltwater fly fishing that you would not carry on a trout stream?
• Can I attach droppers to a tippet ring?
• Why can’t I catch stocked trout when conventional anglers are yanking them in on Power Bait?
• I had a trout take my plastic strike indicator.  Does this ever happen to you?
• Does perfection matter when tying flies?  I have trouble tying a size 20 Purple Prince.
• Do midges migrate to Indiana during the winter?
• Why can’t I catch stocked trout on surface flies?

Welcome to the latest edition of the Orvis News Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival! Each week, we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing videos available and then serve them up for you to enjoy. This week, we’ve got a baker’s dozen videos to feed your . . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 01.17.20 appeared first on Orvis News.

Congratulations on your new puppy or dog…and double congratulations on setting up a crate training schedule. A crating schedule will help you raise a wiggly eight-week-old puppy into a dog who is full of good habits (chewing on appropriate items, settling quietly, going to the bathroom where you want) and free of bad habits (house … Continue reading "How to Create a Crate Training Schedule for a New Puppy or Dog"

The post How to Create a Crate Training Schedule for a New Puppy or Dog appeared first on Orvis News.

The rallying cry is “No Pebble Mine!” but in reality, the mine itself is only part of the problem. To support such a massive operation huge amounts of machinery, materials, and goods will have to be trucked across the pristine landscape of . . .

The post Wednesday Wake-Up Call 01.15.20 appeared first on Orvis News.

In the seventh episode of the series, Ronnie and Susanna discuss the importance of recall (“here” or “come”) and how they use cues and rewards to build that behavior. Their use of the line ensures that the proper response happens every time. Note that . . .

The post Orvis Dog-Training Tips, Episode 7: How to Teach Recall appeared first on Orvis News.

The latest how-to video from Tightline Productions, Tim Flagler shows you how to tie a great midge-larva imitation that looks great is the vise and even better in the water. As usual, Tim has come up with an ingeniously simple method for getting the . . .

The post Video: How to Tie a Corded Midge Larva appeared first on Orvis News.

Although it’s now an internationally famous permit destination, just twenty years ago, southern Belize around Punta Gorda was terra incognita for most anglers. The story of how the fly-fishing industry came to southern Belize to create a . . .

The post Join Us in Helping a Flats-Fishing Legend and His Son appeared first on Orvis News.

This week,Tim talks about why he loves using pine squirrel in streamer patterns. The material is relatively inexpensive, has fine markings that imitate baitfish, and it undulates in the water nicely. Try tying your favorite patterns, substituting pine . . .

The post Video: Why You Should Tie with Pine Squirrel appeared first on Orvis News.

Here’s another killer full episode of The New Fly Fisher, this time focused on giant, dry-fly-eating brook trout in Labrador. Host Bill Spicer casts both from a boat and while wading, and the fish seem more than willing. There are also plenty of great . . .

The post Video: Huge Dry-Fly Brook Trout in Labrador appeared first on Orvis News.

Ed Ward is a legend in the Spey- and Skagit-casting world, and here he explains the key to making good dynamic roll casts with a single-hand rod. According to Ward, you need to lock your casting elbow in place to keep the pivot point “in the box”–that is, in the same position through the sweep … Continue reading "Video Pro Tips: Staying “In the Box” for Single-Hand Spey or Skagit Casting"

The post Video Pro Tips: Staying “In the Box” for Single-Hand Spey or Skagit Casting appeared first on Orvis News.

Tucked in the bottom corner of the Lone Star State, Baffin Bay is home to trophy-size seatrout and redfish, drawing anglers from around the country. (Not to be confused with Canada’s Baffin Bay, thousands of miles to the north.) Capt. Sally Ann Black has . . .

The post 5 Questions with Capt. Sally Ann Black appeared first on Orvis News.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Orvis News Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival! Each week, we scour the Web for the best fly-fishing videos available and then serve them up for you to enjoy. This week, we’ve got a baker’s dozen videos to feed your . . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 01.10.20 appeared first on Orvis News.

Tired of crowded trout streams? Looking for a new fish to catch that will give you a tussle and challenge your skills? Look no further than the white bass, which is a common fish in many parts of the US, from the Great Lakes to . . .

The post Podcast: Chasing White Bass, with Jim Weatherwax appeared first on Orvis News.

Tired of crowded trout streams?  Looking for a new fish to catch on a fly rod that will give you a tussle and challenge your skills?  Look no further than the white bass, which is a common fish in many parts of the US, from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi drainage and has even been introduced into some western lakes.  My friend Jim Weatherwax is a white bass fanatic (he also fishes for wipers in the same waters, which are a freshwater sterile hybrid of a white bass and a striped bass) and offers solid advice on where to find these great fish, what tackle to use, and best techniques to catch them.  Warmwater fish like this are great ways to spread out the fishing pressure that we all experience from time to time.

We have a long fly box this week, with lots of interesting questions and tips from listeners, including:

• What does it mean when a fly rod is rated for more than one line size, like 5/6?
• Should I use a full fluorocarbon leader when fishing with indicators?
• A suggestion on looking for blue cheeks and clean halos when trying to tell if a brown trout is wild.
• What is the difference between the new Recon 2 and the Helios 3 rods? 
• Should I buy a wading shoe one size larger than my shoe size when buying wading bots online?
• What do you think of using 2X short hooks for small nymphs?
• I am not able to catch fish on streamers during the winter in a tailwater.  What am I doing wrong?
• Are fluorescent hot spots on nymphs effective?
• Is it ethical to trim small tree branches in trout streams?
• Why do trout only take big attractor dry flies right after they land on the water?
• Are UV resins really effective?
• Why am I losing so many trout when fishing small nymphs?  Am I setting the hook wrong?
• Do you have some suggestions for catching American shad?
• Is it worth it to tie your own leaders?  And if I do, how can I attach them to my fly line without a loop-to-loop connection?
• Why do small brown trout attack huge streamers?
• Should I get a Helios 3 D or F version for fishing UK chalk streams?
• A suggestion for wearing nitrile gloves for winter fishing.

Welcome to another edition of our weekly trivia challenge, in which we test your knowledge of all things fly fishing and where you might learn a thing or two about this sport we love. This week, we’ve got a classic selection of 10 questions about famous angling rivers, fly designers, fish species, and Tom Rosenbauer’s … Continue reading "Take a Classic Phil Monahan Fly-Fishing Trivia Challenge 01.09.20"

The post Take a Classic Phil Monahan Fly-Fishing Trivia Challenge 01.09.20 appeared first on Orvis News.

In the sixth installment of the “Buffet Series” from Gilbert Rowley and Phil Tuttle, they fish a gorgeous lake in southern Utah for spectacular rainbow trout. Some underwater inspection shows that leeches and cranefly larvae are on the menu, and . . .

The post Video: Stillwater Rainbow Buffet appeared first on Orvis News.