2 Guys and a River

Expensive fly fishing gear won't improve your catch rate. And least not significantly. In this episode, we provide an overview of the common fly fishing brands as well as some of the essential clothing and gear for safety and comfort while you're on the river. It's not an extensive list, but it's a start as you prepare your holiday wish list.   Our Fly Fishing Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's B...

Learning to cast is the first act of the beginner fly fisher. For natural athletes, casting is almost an extension of their arm. And soon the fly fisher is casting 80 to 100 feet with grace and beauty. For the rest of us, however, the long cast is a long obedience in the same direction. For example, the double haul cast may take years to perfect. In this episode, we celebrate the shorter cast - th...

You can read about fly fishing. Watch videos. And listen to podcasts (this one, hopefully!).  To become even moderately competent, though, you need to "do" fly fishing. There are no shortcuts. You need days on the river when you don't catch a thing. In this episode, we identify five big buckets or categories that you need to master (or at least become moderately proficient at) to catch fish and en...

Can you remember the first brook trout you caught? They're not the biggest fish in the river (except, perhaps, the ones you catch in Labrador), but the beauty and ease of catching a brook trout creates joy for even the most experienced fly fisher. This episode is not so much a how-to show as it is an "ode to brook trout fishing" episode. We're celebrating the wonder of brook trout and catching the...

Sophisticated fly fishers don't false cast, right? How many times have you heard someone say, “You won’t catch fish with your fly in the air. So, stop all the false casting"? Well, that's just plain wrong. Or at least only partially true. False casting is not just for beginners. It's for veterans as well. Recently, Hatch Magazine published an excellent article by Todd Tanner titled “The Truth abou...

There's nothing like a fisheries biologist to clear up a few myths about the trout in your favorite stream. In this episode, we interview Driftless fisheries biologist Kirk Olson, who is lucky enough to work in four of the top trout fishing counties in southwestern Wisconsin: Monroe, Vernon, La Crosse, and Crawford counties, with more than 1,300 classified miles of trout streams. We cover topics l...

Later beats earlier. That is one of best nuggets of insight when considering a time to fish the rivers in the Yellowstone ecosystem in the fall. Less crowds. More solitude. The possibility of runners. And even a few late mornings with a BWO hatch. In this episode, we discuss our fall fly fishing wisdom from almost fifteen years of fishing in Montana. Our Fly Fishing Book for Beginners The Fly Fish...

It's not just the early bird who gets the worm. Sometimes, so does the late bird. Many fly fishers leave way before dusk. We often do, especially if we've been fishing all day. But later in the day can produce some great moments on the river. And bigger fish. In this episode, we discuss the opportunities of fishing at dusk.   Our Fly Fishing Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Websit...

Look, look, look - that's solid advice for every fly fisher who wades into the river. In this episode, we identify several key ways to slow down to observe what's happening in the river before you step into it. Too often, we equate casting with fly fishing. It's better to pause before you sling your fly and observe what's happening at the pool you want to fish - as well as the ones above or below...

Learning to fly cast is the first act of the newbie fly fisher. Fly casting well is fundamental to catching fish. It's a skill that is developed over time. But we've discovered that you never arrive. That is, we've noticed that our fly casting can get worse over time, if we don't keep honing the skill. In this episode, we offer 9 simple fly casting tips to improve your catching. In the end, it's a...

We both got our early fly fishing chops from slinging flies into the bigger rivers in the inter-mountain West - the Madison, Gallatin, the Yellowstone, the Missouri, the Boulder, and others. In mid-life, we both moved to the Chicagoland area and had a rude awakening when fishing the spring creeks of the Driftless region. We caught fewer fish, and the rivers were not really rivers but small creeks....

There's no greater thrill than catching a trout on a dry fly. We love to fish streamers and nymphs, but when push comes to shove, we'd rather tie on a dry. In this episode, we recall a bunch of terrific days (or, in some cases, minutes) catching rainbows, cutthroat, or browns on a dry fly. We also layer in some key takeaways from each story to provide some practical help.   Our Fly Fishing Book fo...

It takes a village to raise up a fly fisher. The first person of the village is likely a parent, friend, or acquaintance who walked beside us in the early, awkward days of learning to cast, read the river, and tie a basic knot. Next are the fly shop owners and guides who drip insight into us as we buy flies and purchase float trips. Then there is the army of Trout Unlimited volunteers who spent we...

You've set the hook. Now what? In this episode, we offered up some of the best practices for netting and releasing your fish. One of the most important reminders is to monitor the interval between the time you hook the fish and when you release it - the shorter (obviously) the better.   Our Fly Fishing Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Website https://2guysandariver.com/ Instagram...

“Trout do 80% of their feeding underwater.” We've repeated that platitude often over the years. In a recent issue of TROUT magazine, a publication of Trout Unlimited, Tom Rosenbauer labels that platitude a  "trout myth.” In this episode, we discuss seven points that Rosenbauer makes in the article and apply them to our fly fishing experience. Our Fly Fishing Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Boo...

New resolutions are often tied to the new year. We've decided to release our resolutions near the beginning of the real fly fishing year - spring. We love fishing in winter, but we catch most of our fish and spend most of our days on the water in spring, summer, and fall. In this episode, we each offer up four resolutions for upcoming fly fishing season. Our Fly Fishing Book for Beginners The Fly...

We hit the river a couple weeks ago and discovered once again that winter fly fishing is not like fishing in the other three seasons. A recent fly fishing newsletter helped put winter fishing into perspective with a few tips. We thought you might benefit from these as much as we did. Spring is coming! Our Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Website https://2guysandariver.com/ Instagr...

Just like every other craft, a fly fisher must occasionally return to the basics of the art and skill of fly fishing. In this episode, we identify several key elements of fly fishing that we've had to relearn or remember. Just like writing or playing a sport, the veterans return to the essential skills again and again. Our Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Website https://2guysanda...

Steve spent some time in Alaska this summer, breaking his fly rod, catching a few rainbows, and netting a silver. Listen in as Dave interviews Steve about his Alaskan fly fishing experience while on a trip to visit family. Some things about fishing are always true, no matter where you fish: Some days are diamonds, some days are stone.   Our Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Website...

Steve screaming after almost stepping on a rattlesnake, Dave in his underwear, and buying bear spray at closing time - these and other crazy fly fishing stories make our last trip to Montana memorable. This is not a practical episode. Hopefully, it makes you recall some crazy memories of your own from a recent trip.   Kindle Version of Our Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Website...

Every fly fishing trip can't be the best ever. Nor can every day on the river exceed your expectations. We recently had an "okay" fly fishing trip to Montana, if measured by the number of fish we caught. We caught fish, no doubt, but what made the trip memorable was the entire experience.   Kindle Version of Our Book for Beginners The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists Website https://2guysandariver.com/...

Make your fly fishing more simple. And thus more enjoyable. When first starting out, most of us feel overwhelmed with the many types of fly rods, sizes of flies, tippet weights, leader lengths, casting techniques, how long the tippet should be, and where to put the split shot when fishing nymphs. There's a lot to learn! But over time, it's important to simplify the sport as much as possible. In th...

Fly fishing high mountain lakes requires a modicum of thought and preparation. In some ways, a "hike and fish" means packing lots of water, the right rod and flies, a rain jacket, and the right mindset. We don't fish a lot of high mountain lakes ... but when we do, we try to keep a few basics in mind.   Our Book for New Fly Fishers The Fly Fisher's Book of Lists: Life is short, catch more fish Web...

It's the dog days of summer, and hopefully you are slinging some grasshopper patterns or other terrestrials to catch fish on the surface. In this episode, we've identified four buckets of dry fly patterns for summer fly fishing. We also offer up our three must-have dry fly patterns for this wonderful season. Website https://2guysandariver.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/2guysandariver/ Fa...

Fly fishing with the summer crowds seems inevitable, if you plan to get out this summer. Warm weather and vacations bring out even more fly fishers to your favorite stream. In this episode, we offer several strategies to avoid the summer crowds, find a bit of solitude, and, hopefully, catch a few fish. Website https://2guysandariver.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/2guysandariver/ Facebook...