Untangled: Fly Fishing For Everyone | Ventures Fly Co.

Catching trout is often the focus of most fly fishing media. But not all of us live near great trout fishing! You might live next to a farm pond full of panfish, or on the coast near striped bass. So, all the trout-centric fly fishing content can get kinda old. Here's what most folks don't immediately understand, though -- the skills you need for trout fishing overlap with the skills you need for...

Have you ever wanted to go fly fishing in some incredible place, but you're unsure if you'll ever be able to afford it? I mean, with how expensive eggs are, traveling to fish is just out of the question - right?  Not necessarily. If you're willing to make a few compromises, you can have an AMAZING fly fishing trip for relatively cheap. In this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant will walk you th...

We all dream of catching a fish that we'll never forget. You know the kind - a big one, or one that required a crazy cast, or maybe just one that surprised you. Often, these unforgettable fish are what keep us coming back to the river. But what  exactly  makes some fish stand out more than others?  In this episode of Untangled, you'll hear five stories about fish that Spencer hasn't forgotten. Fro...

Have you ever wondered WHY a fish rejects your fly? Well, we know that presentation matters, but is there something about the fly itself that makes a trout decide to eat - or reject it entirely?  Well, you can find some answers to those questions when you look at exactly how trout see your flies. Their vision is great, but not without its faults. Understanding how trout view the world will give yo...

We spend A TON of time talking about dry flies, nymphs, and streamers. But there's another type of fly out there that doesn't get enough love. This fly is supposedly the easiest to use, AND it's the favorite of some of the world's best anglers.  I'm talking about wet flies, or soft hackles (they're the same thing).  In this episode of Untangled, you'll learn what soft hackles are, what they imitat...

Have you ever been told that you HAVE to get a perfect, drag-free drift if you want to catch fish on dry flies? What about the need to keep your rod tip sky-high when you're fighting a fish? Or that you'll catch big fish if you're using big flies?  These may sound like they're rules, but there are actually NO RULES in fly fishing. There are only guidelines, and just a few at that.  On this episode...

What fly fishing skills will ACTUALLY move the needle and make you a better angler? Well, if you asked 5 different anglers, you'd probably get 20 different answers! And trying to master 20 new skills in a single year sounds like too much for it to be of any use.  On today's episode of Untangled, Spencer will share the 5 skills that have made the biggest difference in his own fishing. These are thi...

What flies are go-to patterns for winter fly fishing? And how do you know which flies you should be fishing in winter, anyways? On today's episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant walks you through which aquatic insects are most active in the winter, the flies we use to mimic them, and a few tips for how to fish them. This list of the 12 best winter fly fishing flies will have you set to start catchi...

When the fish are eating everything EXCEPT your fly, what do you do? How do you save yourself from getting skunked? Well, there's a simple process you can use to troubleshoot your way out of a bad day on the water. On today's episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant will walk you through the five steps that will almost always help you put a fish in the net.  You'll also learn about:  Tips for setting...

Picking the right fly rod is like when your wife asks you if those pants make her look fat. How are you supposed to answer that question?  Well, we can't help with that--but we CAN help with fly rods! There's a lot that goes into the world of fly rods, and understanding the language, terminology, and prices can be daunting. Spencer Durrant has reviewed fly rods for major fishing magazines for a de...

What is it about fly fishing that keeps us coming back? Why is this sport so addicting? Is it the simple pleasure of watching fish eat dry flies, or the rush of hooking and landing a trophy trout? Tons of folks have tried to answer this question, and in a slight departure from the norm on this show, Spencer Durrant will dive into why he thinks fly fishing is so addicting.  You'll also learn about:...

I know, winter is cold. You've gotta bundle up like the Stay Puft Marshmallow man, and on top of that, the fish aren't all that active, either! So, why do some people just LOVE winter fly fishing? Well, it has enough redeeming qualities to make it worth the effort. The solitude and peace are hard to beat, and you can get into some fantasitc fish, too. On this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant...

Is it enough to just know WHAT the best flies are? Or should you spend the time to understand WHY those flies are so effective?  Well, if you want to become a great angler, then you need to understand WHY the best flies work so well. On today's episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant will walk you through what real-life insects the flies we use imitate, and a list of 15 flies you should never leave...

Where a fish lives has a HUGE impact on how it behaves and what it eats. Now, this matters to anglers, because if you understand how fish behavior and bug activity changes from a freestone to a tailwater, you'll eliminate A TON of frustration that many beginners experience. On this episode, Spencer Durrant will walk you through the information you need to know about the three main types of rivers,...

You can learn a lot about fly fishing from reading books or watching videos, but they don't always tell the complete story. Often, the lessons that stick with us the most are the ones we learn when we have a tough day on the water, or when we finally figure out how to catch a certain fish that's been elusive all season.  On this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant and Alex Stulce talk about the...

Nymphing is by far the most effective way to catch fish on a fly rod. After all, 80% of a fish's diet is made up of nymphs! But how do you become FANTASTIC at nymphing? Once you have a good grasp of the bascis, what are the skills and techniques you should focus on to become confident with your nymphing?  On this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant will walk you through four advanced nymphing st...

Dry fly fishing is the toughest style of fly fishing to master. You need to get SO MUCH right if you want to catch the biggest, pickiest fish on dry flies. Your presentation has to be solid, your knowledge of hatches has to be great, and your casting needs to be on point.  So, how do you get to that level? How do you avoid those extremely frustrating moments when you're fishing a hatch, only for t...

If you want to progress from lucking into fish every now and then, to consistently catching fish, what are the most important things to focus on? What skills or techniques bring you the most bang for your buck?  Well, if you're serious about unlocking your potential as an angler, then you'll pay attention to the three things Spencer Durrant discusses in this show. He'll give you an in-depth look a...

If you've ever walked into a fly shop to get outfitted for fly fishing, you've probably felt like you were floating in the Pacific Ocean with NO LAND in sight! The amount of things you CAN buy is overwhelming! So, what do you actually need to get started? On this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant walks you through a list of all the gear beginners need, and he explains WHY this is the gear you...

If you're a beginner, you probably have TONS of questions about fly fishing! And while we try to answer a lot of those on Untangled, sometimes we miss a few.  So on this show, Spencer Durrant and Alex Stulce sat down with two beginning fly anglers, to answer their questions and hopefully point them in the right direction. The beginners ask everything from how to adjust your reel to the best way to...

What flies do you ACTUALLY need in your box? And how do you know which ones to choose? Is there some sort of secret that we're just not telling the fly fishing masses? Not really. Knowing what flies to take with you to the water (so you don't end up hauling 1,000 flies every time) comes with experience. But on this episode of Untangled, we're going to short-circuit that experience and give you all...

If you don't rig your flies correctly, you won't catch fish.  Alright, that's a bit dramatic - but it's not far off from the truth! The way your flies are rigged impacts your ability to present them in as realistic a way as possible. And since our goal is to fool fish into thinking our fake fly is the real thing, you can see how important it is to correctly rig your flies. In this episode, Spencer...

The single most important skill you can develop is to present your flies in as lifelike and natural a way as possible. You could have the PERFECT fly, but it won't matter if you can't put that fly in front of a fish in a way that mimics the real thing. In today's episode, Spencer Durrant walks you through six tips that will help you perfect your presentation and immediately start putting more fish...

Beginners don't always have a guide, or even an experienced fishing buddy, to help them overcome the mistakes they make on the water. There's A LOT of trial and error that goes into learning to fly fish, especially if you're doing it on your own. Today's show breaks down four of the most common beginner fly fishing mistakes, and how to fix them, so you can quickly improve your skills and have a be...

Have you ever wanted to fly fish in Alaska? Okay, that's probably a dumb question. Alaska is an AMAZING place, and Spencer Durrant just got back from a week chasing salmon, trout, and grayling. He shares the story of that trip, along with some of the most important lessons he learned, that apply not just to fly fishing in Alaska, but chasing fish EVERYWHERE. This is an episode of Untangled you don...