First Cast
Zero to first fish
The shortest path from "I want to try fly fishing" to landing your first trout. Gear, the basic cast, the only knot you need, and what to do when a fish takes.
11 cardsSetting the Hook
What to do in the half-second after a fish takes — and how to not blow it.
The Improved Clinch Knot
The only knot you need to tie a fly on. Holds, doesn't slip, fast in the cold.
The Overhead Cast
How to make a fly land where you want it without hooking yourself in the ear.
Your Starter Kit
The shortest list of gear that'll actually catch fish. Skip the marketing.
The Bottom Drift Rig
Bait fished on the bottom, drifting with the current. The simplest effective setup for trout in pools and runs.
The Palomar Knot
The strongest connection between line and lure, especially with braided line. The knot every spin and bait angler should know.
The Slip-Bobber Rig
Live bait at any depth, fished without dragging bottom. The setup that catches everything from panfish to trophy walleye.
The Catfish Bottom Rig
A heavy sinker, a tough hook, and a smelly bait sitting still on the bottom. Catfish hunt with their noses — give the bait time to call them in.
The Inline Spinner Retrieve
A good spinner retrieve isn't a steady reel-in. It's a five-step rhythm that triggers strikes on the pause, not the pull.
The PowerBait Stillwater Setup
The reliable way to put a stocked rainbow in a creel. A simple slip-sinker rig with a small treble, set off bottom and forgotten about.
Worm Rigging for Trout
A live nightcrawler is the deadliest small-stream bait there is. The trick is hooking it so it acts alive in the current, not dead at the end of a line.