The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast- Ten Tips for Preparing for a Day on the Water

This week we answer a listener’s question about a day in the life of an experienced fly fisher–but more how to prepare for a day than what he or she would actually do once on the water, which can vary greatly from day to day or on different kinds of waters. In this week’s fly box, we talk about what color is most visible on attractor fly wings (you will be as surprised as I was!), how to pick the right reel seat, and what color to choose on attractor flies. Plus Phil Monahan updates us on the latest juicy bits from the Orvis blog.

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Guide Tip: 3 Ways to Find New Water

3 way 1

Even on a river as popular as the Madison, you can find solitude if
you’re willing to walk far from the parking area.

photo by Philip Monahan

At the end of April, I and several hundred other Orvis-endorsed fishing guides headed to Casper, Wyoming, for a week’s worth of fishing and camaraderie. As I made my steady descent out of the high country of the Colorado Rockies into the bustling metropolis of Denver, I stared in amazement at the sheer abundance of urban sprawl. I make the drive all the time, and I always find myself wondering where all these people came from and how many more are coming. For most of us in the lower 48, the last couple of decades have been a sobering realization that the good ol’ days of uncrowded. . .

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Tying the Prince Nymph

In a recent poll of fly-fishing professionals asking them to identify their favorite searching nymphs, the Prince Nymph was one of the most popular choices. Although some argue that this style of nymph originated with Don and Dick Olson of Bemidji, minnesota, it is named for Doug Prince, a California tier of the 1940s. This pattern works great as a caddisfly nymph, a small. . .

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The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast; The Ten Most Endangered Rivers in America

American Rivers has released their annual, Orvis-sponsored Most Endangered Rivers list. Since Tom is out of the office this week, we thought it was a good opportunity for a podcast episode with American Rivers’ Senior Director of River Protection, David Moryc. We Skyped together just this afternoon and I think it turned out pretty well.

Click the Read More button to listen and find out if your river is on the list.

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Tuesday Tip: Look Before You Fish

Look before you fish

A pair of anglers surveys the stretch of river they’re about to fish.

photo by Sandy Hays

One of the more common mistakes that guides see is an angler stumbling into a river before taking a few minutes to figure out what’s going on. Observation is an undervalued tool, and too many fly fishermen skip this first step because they assume that they know what’s happening on the water. Maybe they fished the same spot yesterday or perhaps a guy at the local shop explained. . .

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Watch TU’s “On the Rise” Show on the Battenkill

Check out this week’s episode of TU’s “On the Rise” (trailer above) which takes place on the Battenkill and at the Orvis fly rod shop in Manchester, Vermont. Over the past several years, Orvis has raised more than $100,000 to help TU and the state of Vermont restore key in-stream cover to the famous Battenkill. The result is a success story, with restored stretches seeing fish returning in. . .

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High Water Success at Holter Dam

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When runoff causes the rivers of southwestern Montana to swell, Toby Swank
heads to the tailwater of the Missouri River below Holter Dam.

photo by Toby Swank

Tis the season for high water here in southwest Montana now that our spring melt is finally under way. Unless you’re fishing stillwaters, tailwaters, or a spring creek, chances are that you’re going to be looking at some very dirty water. It looks like the high water will be here for a while, as most of the mountain ranges in the region are well above their long-term averages in both snowpack and moisture levels. That said, there is still some great fishing to be found; it just requires a little different thought process and some variations of standard techniques.

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Stoking the Fire for the Next Generation

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Orvis Eastern ELOG Coordinator Scott McEnaney shows off a trophy
rainbow trout for a youngster.

photo by Lauren Mazzotta

Last week, Orvis held its semi-annual Kids Fishing Derby at the ponds beside the flagship retail store in Manchester, Vermont. It’s an opportunity to introduce kids to the joys of fly fishing, as well as a way for the folks at the store to remove some of the larger fish from the population to ensure the health of all. This year’s deby was quite a success, although those big ol’ trout are awfully wily and more difficult to catch than you’d image a semi-“tame” fish to be. All the kids had a wonderful time, as evidenced by the big smiles in the pictures below.

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Friday (the13th!) Film Festival 05.13.11

Friday 13

Welcome to the Friday the 13th edition of the OrvisNews.com Friday Film Festival, in which we scour the Internets for the best fly-fishing footage available. This week, we’ve got Atlantic salmon on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, barramundi Down Under, native brookies in the Shenandoah, and lots more. Don’t worry: there’s nothing too scary. (Thanks to Orvis designer extraordinaire James Daley for tweaking our logo to match the occasion.) Enjoy the show!

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The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast- A (very) Brief History of Fly Fishing

This week I give a brief and sorta rambling overview of fly-fishing history, which is difficult to do in a short podcast so I’ve included the names of a couple good books on the subject.

In this week’s fly box, we have two casting tips, a word about “lining” fish, a short discussion of what to do when faced with crowded trout streams, and help when trying to detect a strike when nymph fishing.

Lots of little bits and pieces!

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