News On The Fly

Loop knots give a streamer more action in the water.

A couple years ago, we introduced a new weekly “Ask the Experts” Column and asked you to pose some questions for our panel of experts. Our latest question for them to chew on is: “What ...

The post Ask the Experts: What Knot Do You Use to Tie on a Fly? appeared first on Orvis News.

To continue our celebration of flies with the Giant Fly Sale, this week I have a long talk with Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, maker of the finest tying videos on the web. This is always one of the most eagerly awaited podcasts of the year, and it’s also one I look forward to because I enjoy talking to Tim about fly tying and always learn so much from him. I get a lot of questions about material substitutions, so what Tim and I decided to do was to take six popular flies, dissect them material by material, and recommend our favorite substitutes for each step. Here are the flies we include: Parachute Adams Clouser Minnow Prince Nymph Woolly Bugger Tunghead Zebra Midge Drunk & Disorderly Deceiver (we had to put one complicated pattern in there) In The Fly Box this week, we have the following questions: How do I keep split shot from sliding on my small diameter tippet Why do I keep losing fish? How do I get a tiny Baetis nymph deep? When is an indicator better than a Euro nymphing rig? What is a Cuda Tube? How do feeder streams affect fishing in a lake? What rod would be best for smaller streams in the East? Why could I not catch trout on a Zebra midge when there were midges all over the water later in the day? A terrific suggestion from a listener on how to turn a landing net into an insect seine by using panty hose How should I fish scuds in a spring creek? What is meant by “big streamers” as opposed to “small or medium streamers” and what line sizes work best with them.

Tom Rosenbauer fishes almost exclusively with flies that he ties himself, and he's no slouch at the vise. Last time he was in Belize, at El Pescador, with the folks from The New Fly Fisher, they shot some cool tying videos. Here, Tom shows the version of a . . .

The post Video: How to Tie a Crab Fly, with Tom Rosenbauer appeared first on Orvis News.

Getting the right amount of dubbing on your thread to make a fly body can be tough for some tiers, and the tendency is to use too much dubbing. The result is often a body that’s fatter than you want it to be, or you have to try to get the dubbing off your . . .

The post Video: How to Dub a Super-Slim Body appeared first on Orvis News.

After marinating the idea for four years, we are launching the inaugural Orvis-Endorsed Flying B Ranch Wingshooting Guide School from April 7-15. The title is a mouthful, we know, but it is important to note that this is no standard guide school. . . .

The post Orvis-Endorsed Wingshooting School at Flying B Ranch appeared first on Orvis News.

Regular blog readers know we’ve been enjoying the new series of videos by Ben Sittig, a guide from Colorado, who goes by the moniker Huge Fly Fisherman. Normally, his videos are funny, snarky, and offer some solid . . .

The post Video: The Basics of Trout Identification appeared first on Orvis News.

Editor’s Note: To celebrate the kickoff of the 2019 Giant Fly Sale, here’s a great backcast epiaode about choosing the right fly for a given situation. This week, I interview aquatic biologist and fly fisher Peter Stitcher, who not only has a great way of organizing fly boxes (a question I have always neglected to answer properly), but he also has some great guidance on how to figure out what is in the river and how to pick a fly from your box that will do the best job of imitating that insect—without any detailed knowledge of entomology. If you learn his acronyms PAUSE and MATCH, I am convinced you will have all the knowledge you need to be more successful. Listen to the podcast to learn what these acronyms mean.

If you have a dog, petting your furry BFF probably feels second nature. But soon-to-be dog owners, kids, and even experienced dog people can miss telltale cues that their petting technique is off. When done right, petting is pleasant for dogs and people, and promotes bonding. When done wrong, it can be uncomfortable—even scary—for your dog.

The post Guide to Petting Dogs 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. For the second week in a row, we . . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 03.01.19 appeared first on Orvis News.

Those of us in the North can sense that a new fishing season is fast approaching, and you can see from the video above just how excited Tom Rosenbauer is to wet a line in his local river. (Those of you who get to fish year. . .

The post The Orvis Giant Fly Sale: 20% Off Everything! appeared first on Orvis News.

Welcome to a new 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’re serving up ten new questions about famous rivers, fly . . .

The post Take an All-New Phil Monahan Fly-Fishing Trivia Challenge 02.28.19 appeared first on Orvis News.

About four years ago, Capt. David Mangum was accompanying his crafts-obsessed six-year-old daughter on their weekly trip to the local Michael’s store, when something caught his eye. The Squirmle is a tapered-chenille “magical pet,” with two eyes glued . . .

The post Chasing Big Fish with Dragon Tails appeared first on Orvis News.

Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). A tool for decision making, the Draft EIS describes positive and negative environmental effects of Pebble’s current proposal, lists four alternative actions . . .

The post Wednesday Wake-Up Call 02.27.19 appeared first on Orvis News.

Walter Foster has been painting and drawing since he was a young kid growing up in a small town in Vermont, where he explored the small streams around his home, catching wild trout. Foster started his fly fishing career with Orvis in . . .

The post Angling Art: Walter Foster’s Detailed Visions appeared first on Orvis News.

In the latest great fly-tying video from Tightline Productions, Tim Flagler ties an imitation of the Baetis nymphs that he finds in his local stream, the South Branch of the Raritan River in New Jersey. This pattern is meant to sink . . .

The post Video: How to Tie the Beadhead <em>Baetis</em> Nymph appeared first on Orvis News.

Written by: Mike Canady of Ellensburg Angler

The rainbow trout of the Yakima just love the Pat's Stone.
Photo by Mike Canady

Meet the Pat's Stonefly (a.k.a. Pat’s Rubberlegs, Pat's Stone, or just Pat's). But it’s not just a Pat’s Stonefly; it’s my go-to confidence fly. It’s a key factor in any success I have when fishing, even. . .

The post A Guide’s Advice on Fishing Your Go-To Fly Pattern appeared first on Orvis News.

Does your state require dogs be harnessed in the car? Dogs and Distracted Driving. What type of dog restraint law does your state enforce? Click Law Types Below Yes This state has a law . . .

The post Does Your State Require Dogs Be Harnessed in the Car? appeared first on Orvis News.

Last week, Tim covered UV-cure resins, and here he focuses on the older technology of epoxy resins. As Tim notes, many tiers prefer epoxy resins because they are cheaper and result in an almost indestructible coating. As usual, . . .

The post Video: How to Use Epoxy Resins appeared first on Orvis News.

Here's a great video that shows you how to tie a double uni knot, which entails creating two unis and then sliding them together. According to the folks at Fly Fishing & Dreams, who made . . .

The post Video Tuesday Tip: How to Tie the Double Uni Knot appeared first on Orvis News.

Ben Sittig, a guide from Colorado, has been a busy beaver of late, making funny how-to fly-fishing videos under the name Huge Fly Fisherman. His sardonic wit and goofy antics don't get in the way of the good information he's passing on, though. His . . .

The post Video: How to Remove a Hook from Skin appeared first on Orvis News.

Dogs howl to communicate. With her doleful, drawn-out vocalization, your dog may be talking (saying “look what I found!”), seeking attention, or sharing that she’s in pain, bored, or lonely. Howling is one of those dog behaviors that sparks curiosity and questions. Do all dogs howl? Why do dogs howl when left alone? And if your dog is a howler, how do you keep her “ah-oooos” to a minimum? Let’s start where the howling began.

The post Why Do Dogs Howl? appeared first on Orvis News.

Exercise recommendations for dogs range between 30 minutes and two hours of moderate to high-intensity exercise daily. The time and intensity vary so widely because different dog breeds have distinct exercise needs. Some breeds are natural athletes with an abundance of energy to burn throughout the day. Other breeds take life at a slower pace and don’t require the dog equivalent of CrossFit—a few daily walks do the trick.

The post Dog Exercise Needs by Breed appeared first on Orvis News.

Exercise recommendations for dogs range between 30 minutes and two hours of moderate to high-intensity exercise daily. The time and intensity vary so widely because different dog breeds have distinct exercise needs. Some breeds are natural athletes with an abundance of energy to burn throughout the day. Other breeds take life at a slower pace and don’t require the dog equivalent of CrossFit—a few daily walks do the trick.

The post Dog Exercise Needs by Breed appeared first on Orvis News.

I have a confession to make: I write these articles to self-medicate. I share all the mistakes and troubles I have on the water to provide countless examples of what I hope is our collective suffering. One recent experience . . .

The post Pro Tips: Lighten Up to Catch More Trout appeared first on Orvis News.

News that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement relating to the proposed Pebble Mine raises the important question "Why are we so opposed to the plan?" In a great article from Save Bristol Bay . . .

The post What’s in the Pebble Mine Plan That’s So Troubling? 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 baker’s dozen productions from. . .

The post Friday Fly-Fishing Film Festival 02.22.19 appeared first on Orvis News.

It’s cold out, the river is mostly frozen, and my time on the water is limited. A wandering mind–unfocused by a regular dose of flinging feathers-is a dangerous thing. I recently listened to an Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast about the “7 Deadly Sins of . . .

The post Pro Tips: The 7 Deadly Sins of Fly Fishing appeared first on Orvis News.