News On The Fly

Nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, inhabit many bonefish flats, and while the fish display the dorsal fin and profile that send a shiver down the spine of anyone who has seen Jaws, the species is usually not aggressive. In fact, swimming with . . .

The post Black Friday #MomentofChill: Lord of the Flats appeared first on Orvis News.

This week I have another podcast with John McMillen, as I have to confess I love talking to John about fishy stuff. His knowledge and enthusiasm and passion are infectious and I think his interviews are always enlightening. This week we talk about The Colors of Troutcan we tell anything from the coloration of trout about their life history? Is there a good way to tell a hatchery form a wild fish? What does it mean when trout carry parr marks into adulthood? How quickly can trout change their coloration? And are the spot patterns on trout like fingerprints? Warningwe come up with more questions than answers and you may as well.

In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions and tips:

• A way to get a dropper off a surgeons knot to stand at 90 degrees to the tippet
• A suggestion for an all-around rod for bass and Great Lakes steelhead
• How to carry a sinking line without lugging around a second rod
• Can I add 4X tippet to a 5X leader?
• What is the best way to dispose of tippet clippings?
• What is the difference between Euro, Tightline, Direct Contact, Spanish, Czech, and French Nymphing?
• Does it make sense to try a mouse fly during the winter?
• Do trout live in different places in freestone rivers than in tailwaters?
• Do mayflies live in warm waters?
• What is the best rod for an 8-year-old kid?
• What is the best way to thin UV Cure epoxy?
• If you see nymphs on the bottom, can you predict what adult insect to imitate?

Here is today’s #MomentofChill, a from Trey Mullen of Brush Creek Ranch, which features a beautiful cutthroat trout gorging itself on mayflies. I hope you have the opportunity to do the same with family and friends today! Cutthroat trout . . .

The post Your Happy Thanksgiving #MomentofChill appeared first on Orvis News.

Since I guide year-round at 9,000 feet of altitude, I don’t have much choice about guiding in winter conditions. But other anglers do. And many people choose not to fish in the winter because the thought of standing in water when the air temperature . . .

The post Pro Tips: How to Gear Up for Winter Fly Fishing appeared first on Orvis News.

Today’s #MomentofChill, features our very own Scott McEnaney, Director of Orvis Adventures, and his dog, Brix, strolling through an overgrown field. Shot just minutes from Orvis HQ in Sunderland, Vermont, the video portrays the kind of landscapes our . . .

The post #MomentofChill 11.26.19: Autumn in the Grouse Woods appeared first on Orvis News.

Last Wednesday, snowboard pioneer Jake Burton Carpenter passed away in Burlington, Vermont, from complications of cancer. As a company founded in a small shop in Manchester, Vermont (in 1856), Orvis has always felt a kinship with Burton, . . .

The post Tribute to a Vermont Sporting Icon appeared first on Orvis News.

The Atlantic coast of Maine is a harsh environment for a brook trout, yet these hardy natives have existed in the streams and ponds of Acadia National Park since the last ice age. Brook trout require cold, clean well-oxygenated water to survive, and . . .

The post #MomentofChill 11.25.19: Acadia Natives appeared first on Orvis News.

James Marshall and his five-year-old British Labrador Retriever had a banner day hunting pheasants near Seneca, South Dakota. Mr. Marshall snapped this epic photo of Samantha and all the birds she found to commemorate the experience. Here’s to . . .

The post Photo of the Day: A Proud Day appeared first on Orvis News.

Welcome to the another 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 cools dozen videos shot mostly in . . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 11.22.19 appeared first on Orvis News.

Much of Russia’s Kola Peninsula—one of the world’s last great Atlantic salmon fishing regions—sits above the Arctic Circle, so the weeks around the summer solstice provide almost 24 hours of daylight. This means that anglers can cast Spey rods for . . .

The post #MomentofChill 11.22.19: White-Night Salmon appeared first on Orvis News.

The rallying cry of Courtney Despos, director of education and guide for Trouts Fly Fishing in Denver, is the title of this podcast. Courtney is a self-professed streamer fanatic, and she fishes them all season long, even in the dead of winter, when most . . .

The post Podcast: There is no such thing as streamer season, with Courtney Despos appeared first on Orvis News.

There's no such thing as streamer season.

Thats the rallying cry of Courtney Despos, director of education and guide for Trouts Fly Fishing in Denver. Courtney is a self-professed streamer fanatic and she fishes them all season long, even in the dead of winter when most people are dragging nymphs along the bottom. Courtney shares her tips on winter streamer fishing, showing us how you can be successful fishing these flies all year longas well as her tips for keeping warm when winter fishing.

In the Fly Box this week, we have the usual mashup of questions that range all over the place, including:

• When I am fishing a hopper/scud combination, why do I have trouble hooking fish on the hopper even though the trout appear to be taking it?
• A past fan of very fast rods details why she now enjoys rods with a more moderate action.
• A listener gives a detailed plan for killing carpet beetles in fly-tying materials
• Has anyone ever made a fly rod out of aluminum?
• When is the second season of the Orvis TV show going to launch?
• What are some good casting drills for the off season?
• A plea from a listener in Louisiana for fly tiers to use nutria fut
• What is a good entomology book for the Sierra region?
• What is your opinion on furled leaders?
• What are your thoughts on fluorocarbon? What sizes should I carry?
• Further advice from a taxidermist on curing hides for fly tying
• I need some advice on fighting large trout in a tight stream
• A specialist in opthamology and visual sciences weighs in on dizziness after being in a drift boat
• Can I use my 9-foot 6-weight bass rod for trout?
• Why does the loop in my clear intermediate line keep cracking and what can I do to fix it?
• Do whitefish and trout live in the same places?
• Can I use my 9-foot 8-weight rod uplined to a 9-weight for trout in northern lower Michigan?

The clinch knot must be the most written-about, talked-about, and argued-about knot in fly-fishing history. Topics have included: Is it really the strongest knot? How many wraps provide optimal strength? Should you always “improve the clinch knot?”

The post Video: Why NOT to Improve Your Clinch Knot appeared first on Orvis News.

During my time on the 5 Rivers Odyssey, I was tasked with being in charge of the greater Deschutes area, a place that I became very close to over the course of a week. Our time on the Deschutes River was spent with numerous stakeholders—from fly . . .

The post 5 Rivers Odyssey, Part I: Trouble on the Deschutes appeared first on Orvis News.

The final stage of a mayfly’s life cycle is called an “imago” or “spinner,” and clouds of these mating insects are often visible dancing in the air above a river. Spinners are usually easy to identify by their transparent wings, extra-long tails, and . . .

The post #MomentofChill 11.21.19: Waiting for the Fall appeared first on Orvis News.

The RS2 pattern was developed by Colorado angler and tier Rim Chung more than three decades ago. The name of the fly is short for “Rim’s Semblance 2,” and it fishes well as both a midge or a mayfly emerger. The original version featured natural beaver . . .

The post Video: How to Tie the RS2 appeared first on Orvis News.

This week, Tim shows you an ingenious and simple method for creating the “bubble” body of a Sparkle Pupa, one of Gary Lafontaine’s greatest creations. Many tiers struggle with this feature, but Tim has an “automagic” way to “inflate” the . . .

The post Video: How to Make a Sparkle Pupa Body appeared first on Orvis News.

The latest how-to video from Ben Sittig, a.k.a Huge Fly Fisherman, is about an evergreen safety topic. Anyone who spends a good amount of time on the water has gone for a swim and has seen other anglers doing things they shouldn’t be doing. As usual, . . .

The post Video Pro Tips: How to Wade Safely appeared first on Orvis News.