This week’s picture is brought to you by Douglas.
He pulled this bow out of some nice looking water in the Meramec River, Missouri.

Submit pic here

Over my last decade of guiding I’ve been consistently surprised to find anglers who are upset that they can’t catch more fish on their once-a-year fly fishing outing. Fly casting isn’t just like riding a bike. If you don’t have the chance to get out fishing try getting out casting at least.

You’d be surprised how much fun you can have with a yarn fly and some strategically placed paper plates in the park. When it comes time to get out on the water the rod will feel more natural and you won’t need it to double as a magic wand in order to get the fly in front of the fish.

This week’s picture is brought to you by Scott.
Scott pulled this beaut at the end of November out of the Yampa River, Colorado.

Submit pic here

I sometimes get a chuckle out of watching people fish. Waders are a vital piece of angling equipment but just because you have them on doesn’t mean you always need to be waist deep in the water.

Many, in fact most, trout live nearer to the edges of rivers than to the middle. How many times have you been out deep and seen fish darting from somewhere near the edge? It often pays to approach the stream slowly and make your first casts from a good distance away from the water, even if you have to land part of your line on the bank.

This week’s picture is brought to you by Susan.
This mammoth was netted on the North Island of New Zealand in the Lake Otomangakua canal.

Submit pic here

It’s midge time on many trout streams. One of the most inventive and successful midge patterns to come along in recent years is the Parasol Midge Emerger.

Many fishers have been stumped during the early stages of a midge hatch by trout that appear to be rising but won’t take midge adults or cluster patterns. Try a Parasol fly for those fish that seem to be rising but refuse adult midges. You’ll be putting the fly right in their face and you should be pleased with the results.

This week’s picture is brought to you by Adam.
I am the chef at Fishing Unlimited lodge. I get a few lucky days to fly out and this was one of them. This rainbow was caught on the Lower Talarik Creek in the Illiamna drainage in Alaska. This is exactly were they want to build the largest pebble mine in the world and would wipe out this river totally. If you have a chance to get up here do it before its gone. Please get in touch with Trout Unlimited Alaska and voice your opinion. This is the last healthy wild salmon run. And as you can see the rainbow fishing isn’t bad either this is a small one. Many bigger fish were lost that day!

Submit pic here

Hopefully we’re all effectively hinting about a new fly rod for under the tree. There are obviously many great choices in fly rods. Here’s a couple of quick suggestions that might help you hint better.

Though they can be fun, short fly rods (7 1/2 feet and under) are often less effective fishing tools than you might have hoped. A 7 1/2+ to 9 foot rod, even in 2, 3, or 4 weight, is usually more versatile. Go short for sure if you often fish under a canopy of trees or if you just have to have that fun little toy but for most things a little longer rod makes more sense.

Fly rod action is one of the more muddled concepts out there. Faster or stiffer (for lack of a boring explanation on rod tapers and resulting action) doesn’t necessarily mean better. Carefully consider what you’ll be using the rod for. A fast action rod may help you cast farther but a little slower rod with a “classic” or “traditional” action will help protect tippets and help you to keep fish hooked. A fast rod is generally easier for a beginner to figure out but may not be the right choice for fishing short casts or small water. Study it out. If you want an all-around rod consider something that’s medium to medium fast action in the appropriate line weight for the fishing situations you most often encounter.

Or if you’re like me, just go broke and get one of everything because you’re sure you need that extra rod.