Troutbitten

Fly tying is more popular than ever. With the prevalence of high quality materials and excellent videos showing how to build flies, more fly anglers choose to tie their own patterns than ever before. All of us at Troutbitten have been tying our own flies from the beginning, so we each have preferences for the tools we use. That's what this podcast episode is all about. We discuss the essentials, like vise, scissors and a bobbin, along with some other tools and gear that each of us considers i...

For this episode, we want to tackle a topic that’s been on our list for a long time — fly fishing myths and misunderstandings. We’re not here to argue about stuff or complain. We just want to acknowledge things that we hear repeated or we see in print or shown in videos — stuff that’s almost assumed as fact, when it’s often not true at all. We do think it’s important to try to clear the air about these myths and misunderstandings, because bad or incomplete information can really lead people d...

Devin Olsen has had an immeasurable influence on the nymphing game. Having been embedded in the competition scene for two decades now, Devin knows competition nymphing form the inside. While reading Devin's book and watching his videos, it's obvious that he puts in the work. Instead of slavishly recycling the ideas of others, Devin is a unique thinker and a tireless tester on the water. I've always admired his work. I asked Devin to go in deep about competition nymphing styles, while specific...

For our State of the Union 2025, my wife, Becky, joins me for a lighthearted look at what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (December 1). We talk about the book, the In Deep series, podcast plans, shop changes, a live podcast event, a Troutbitten Film Festival and the the New Trail Troutbitten beer. Becky and I also read a few listener comments. Resources VIDEO: Troutbitten | In Deep With John Shaner and Dry Fly Leader Design V...

All of us at Troutbitten, along with so many anglers across the country, use a Mono Rig for most underwater presentations. The tight line advantage and the drift control possible for both nymphs and streamers is fun and effective. But a lot has changed . . . Five or ten years ago, most tight line anglers were using a Mono Rig leader build with a butt section thick enough to mimic the functions of a fly line. This is what we call a Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig, and it's a hybrid system. So wi...