2 Guys and a River

Taking great fly fishing photos is much easier in an age of Instagram and Snapchat. No matter the apps and technology, though, there are a few principles that can help you up your game. We are not professional photographers, for sure, but in this episode, we offer nine commandments for better fly fishing photos. Through … Continue reading "S2:E41 Better Fly Fishing Photos" The post S2:E41 Better F...

Trout feeding behavior is not an exact science. And yet there are some signals that can help you select which flies to use. In this episode we discuss the four responses of trout when feeding on or near the surface. Listen to The Clues of Trout Feeding Behavior now. Great Stuff from Our Listeners At … Continue reading "S2:E40 Clues of Trout Feeding Behavior" The post S2:E40 Clues of Trout Feeding...

A new fly fishing season brings new expenses. It may be finally time to buy a new pair of waders. Or a new duffle bag or a pair of wading sandals. Too bad you didn’t purchase them last fall when some gear went on sale! In this episode, we discuss the new fly fishing season … Continue reading "S2:E39 Gearing Up for a New Fly Fishing Season" The post S2:E39 Gearing Up for a New Fly Fishing Season ap...

The Wisconsin Driftless region is known for its small spring creeks and bucolic, dairy-cows-and-old-barns setting. Recently, we escaped from the Chicago ‘burbs for a day to fish one of those creeks called the Blue River, a small stream just west of Madison, Wisconsin. Technically, it was winter, but it felt like spring. The day couldn’t … Continue reading "S2:E38 One Fine Day on the Blue River" Th...

If you haven’t yet made plans for a fly fishing trip this year, you’ll want to listen to this episode. Our fishing year is typically comprised of a series of short trips and at least one longer trip. We are do-it-your-selfers, so planning is essential. One important element is contingency plans: making sure you have … Continue reading "S2:E37 How to Plan Your Next Fly Fishing Trip" The post S2:E37...

Fly fishing physics are always at work if you’re at work on the river. From casting to striking to reeling to mending – the laws of physics won’t be denied. And the better you understand fly fishing physics, the more fish you might catch. Click now to listen to “Fly Fishing Physics 101.” Listen to … Continue reading "S2:E36 Fly Fishing Physics 101" The post S2:E36 Fly Fishing Physics 101 appeared...

Organizing your fly box is generally not a top priority until you’re on the river, scrounging for a size #20 BWO in your fly box, and realize you lost the last one on the previous trip. There are several ways to organize your fly box, depending on the number of flies you have, the different … Continue reading "S2:E35 Organizing Your Fly Box" The post S2:E35 Organizing Your Fly Box appeared first o...

Fly fishing spring creeks is a snap for those of you who cut your fly fishing teeth on the gorgeous eastern or midwestern creeks of the United States. We didn’t. We learned to fly fish on the freestone rivers in the West. You can imagine the shock to our system when we started fly fishing … Continue reading "S2:E34 Fly Fishing Spring Creeks" The post S2:E34 Fly Fishing Spring Creeks appeared first...

Fishing the wild places is one of the great thrills of the sport. Yes, it’s a lollipop if you are well off enough to fly fish Patagonia, Russia, and New Zealand, but there are many wild places near where you fly fish. Something about the chance of fishing the wild places gives us hope. There … Continue reading "S2:E33 Fishing the Wild Places" The post S2:E33 Fishing the Wild Places appeared first...

More money, more vacations, more fly fishing – who doesn’t want more of the good life? In this episode, we deconstruct the fly fishing myths of more – more days on the water, more fish, and more bigger fish. Don’t get us wrong: we both want to fly fish more this year. But the mindset … Continue reading "S2:E32 Fly Fishing Myths of “More”" The post S2:E32 Fly Fishing Myths of “More” appeared first...

Nymph fishing tactics can confound beginner fly fishers. If you’re just starting out, you may ask: How many split shot should I use? How far up should the strike indicator be? Why am I snagging on the bottom all the time? Click on “Nymph Fishing Tactics for Beginners and listen to our episode for beginner … Continue reading "S2:E31 Nymph Fishing Tactics for Beginners" The post S2:E31 Nymph Fishing...

Fly fishing expectations for the new year are in the air (or they should be!). We’re ready to make this next year our best ever, as we seek to find ways to get more days on the water. We’re not professional fly fishers or guides, so our days fly fishing will not be legion (we … Continue reading "S2:E30 Fly Fishing Expectations for the New Year" The post S2:E30 Fly Fishing Expectations for the New...

Fly fishing lessons do not necessarily involve expense. They’re all about learning, growth, and becoming better at the sport. In this episode, we look back on 2016 and discuss what we learned most from our days on the water. Click now to listen to “This Past Year’s Fly Fishing Lessons” in your browser. Listen to … Continue reading "S2: E29 This Past Year’s Fly Fishing Lessons" The post S2: E29 Thi...

Willow Creek is a gorgeous tailwater stream that flows out of Harrison Reservoir about an hour west of Bozeman, Montana. The willow-thick creek makes its way to the Jefferson River, which eventually flows in the Missouri. This fall, we spent a day fishing streamers on Willow Creek, and it became one of several highlights of … Continue reading "S2:E28 One Fine Day on Willow Creek" The post S2:E28 O...

Catching big fish is no doubt a signal of skill. Then again, it may not be. A 10-year-old on a guided fly fishing trip can hook and crank in the largest rainbow that the guide has ever seen on that stretch of river. That’s not really skill. Or maybe it is: It’s the skill of … Continue reading "S2:E27 The Myths and Truths of Catching Big Fish" The post S2:E27 The Myths and Truths of Catching Big Fi...

Fly fishing satisfaction is situational. And personal. Folks fly fish for many reasons. There’s no single marker of fly fishing satisfaction, with the exception of “catching lots of and big trout.” Click now to listen to “The Markers of Fly Fishing Satisfaction.” Listen to our episode “The Markers Fly Fishing Satisfaction” Great Stuff from Our … Continue reading "S2:E26 The Markers of Fly Fishing...

A fly fishing buddy (if you can find a good one) can improve your game. You’ll catch more fish. You’ll have to work through the dreary competitive stage, but eventually, you’ll have a partner to shoot the pic of your humongous brown and regale you at dinner about the ones you hooked but lost. Click … Continue reading "S2:E25 Benefits of a Fly Fishing Buddy" The post S2:E25 Benefits of a Fly Fishin...

Fly fishing gear matters. It just does. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive or the brand of choice of the fly fishing literati, but the right fly fishing gear can make a good trip great. In this episode, we discuss our fly fishing gear and how it performed during our most recent trip … Continue reading "S2:E24 Assessing Our Fly Fishing Gear" The post S2:E24 Assessing Our Fly Fishing Gear appe...

The Gardner River gave us two days of memorable fly fishing last month. During our second day on the river, we had even a better day than the first, and we learned more about the art of nymph fishing. Every time we spend a couple days on the river, we are either reminded about something … Continue reading "S2:E23 One Fine Day on the Gardner River (Day 2)" The post S2:E23 One Fine Day on the Gardne...

The Gardner River near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park is a gorgeous fishery – with the added bonus of deer, bison, elk, and grizzly bears. In this episode, the first of a two-part series, we describe in detail one of the best days we’ve had fly fishing. We caught lots of fish (browns, … Continue reading "S2:E22 One Fine Day on the Gardner River (Day 1)" The post S2:E22 One Fine Da...

Fly fishing mentoring is a lot of work. For starters, it takes patience. A lot of patience. And many of us are not wired to watch someone else fly fish. In this episode, we discuss the importance of fly fishing mentoring and discuss some basic ideas to keep both parties sane, especially if one party … Continue reading "S2:E21 The Art of Fly Fishing Mentoring" The post S2:E21 The Art of Fly Fishing...

Fly fishing passion can ebb and flow throughout life. If you’re in your twenties, with no or few family obligations, then your days on the river may be unlimited. As your life accumulates obligations, it’s more difficult to sustain your fly fishing passion. But often life opens up again for some in their fifties and … Continue reading "S2:E20 Sustaining Your Fly Fishing Passion" The post S2:E20 Su...

Wild trout – those two words together make no sense. Aren’t all trout wild? We all know the story of hatchery trout, but what about wild and native trout? What are the differences between the two? Understanding the category of trout that you catch may not necessarily help you catch more of them. But it … Continue reading "S2:E19 Differences between Native and Wild Trout" The post S2:E19 Difference...

Fly fishing trip preparations are necessary to make the outing memorable. But a little planning also creates anticipation, which is part of the entire experience. We are about to take our yearly trip to Montana for several days on the Missouri, Yellowstone, and several smaller creeks. We selected mid fall because we wanted to see … Continue reading "S2:E18 Fly Fishing Trip Preparations" The post S...

Fly fishing solitude is not something you’ll find during vacation season and most weekends. In today’s climate, with growing pressure on the rivers, it takes some work to find a stretch with no other fly fishers. Yet, it is still doable. Click here to listen to how you can discover more fly fishing solitude. Listen … Continue reading "S2:E17 Finding Fly Fishing Solitude" The post S2:E17 Finding Fl...