Building
Presentation, mending, reading water
You've caught a few. Now sharpen the basics: drag-free drifts, mending, fly choice, and the small adjustments that turn slow days into good ones.
11 cardsThe Dead-Drift
The most-talked-about cast in fly fishing. Here's what it actually means and why it matters.
Choosing a Crankbait
Pick by depth first, then color, then size. Get those three right and a crankbait fishes itself.
The Carolina Rig
Drag a soft plastic across the bottom on a long leader. The most reliable summer bass rig — and it works for big lake trout, too.
Choosing a Spinner
Inline spinners catch fish, but the wrong choice catches none. How to pick weight, blade, and color for the water in front of you.
Jig Fishing for Trout
A small marabou jig under a bobber catches trout most days, even when nothing else does. The setup, the cadence, and the where-to-cast.
Reading Rises
Splash, sip, or dimple — what the rise form tells you about which fly the fish actually wants.
Streamer Basics
When nothing's rising, big flies on the strip can save the day. The basic rig and three retrieves to learn first.
The Hopper-Dropper
A buoyant terrestrial up top, a heavy nymph below. The summer rig that catches fish where dries alone get refused.
Tying on a Dropper Rig
Running a nymph below a dry — the workhorse rig that gives you a strike chance on the surface and below at once.
Drop Shot for Trout
A bass finesse rig that quietly destroys stillwater trout. Suspend a small bait six inches off bottom and shake — most strikes happen before you even retrieve.
The Egg Loop Knot
The bait knot for steelhead and salmon. Holds soft baits without piercing them — clean drift, intact eggs, less time re-baiting.