Tips & Tutorials
The tailwater looks quiet in November. No rises, no bugs in the air, and trout swaying in the weed beds anyway. They're eating crustaceans, and scuds and sowbugs are on the menu every day of the year. Here's how to tell them apart, where to find them, how to rig and fish them, and the eight patterns we'd carry.
The fly disappears in a swirl, you lift, and there's nothing there. Every angler misses trout, but when it keeps happening there's usually something you can adjust: the drift, the slack between you and the fly, the timing of the set, or the hook itself. Here's how to figure out which one it is and change it on the next cast.
The gray, drizzly day that makes the couch look good is often the best trout fishing of the week. What cloud cover, cold fronts, wind and rain actually change on the water, what the barometer is really telling you, and how we'd adjust for each — including the bright, cold day after a front.
Cooler mornings are a good excuse to make room in the fly box. What to set aside as terrestrial season winds down, what stays in year round, the small mayflies, midges and streamers worth adding, and how to give the summer flies some care before they go on the shelf.
The lake looks the same as it did a month ago. It isn't. A complete guide to fall stillwater — following the water temperature, reading the shoreline, finding the depth, and the eight flies that cover a cooling lake.
