This is gold- great insights and tips . Since I have started watched your videos my catch rate has tripled, and I am thinking about entering my first competition. Thanks from NZ!
I actually came home from fishing yesterday and did not watch your video until today. Fortunately, as I went through your tips, I actually used your tips without knowing it for the fish that I did catch, except for the 7x tippet and I do recall places where that would have helped. Great video!!
I think I counted 13 casts in like 60 seconds for the first fish by the rock. This is one of the many reasons you’re a pro and I never will be. Excellent post, loads of info, thank you very much.
I’ll be fishing a series of mountain streams in Utah between now through early November depending on the weather. Best tip you mentioned is to not pass up runs of shallow water. It’s amazing they’ll hold in water that their dorsal fins are literally sticking out of.
One thing I’ve learned over time is that fish are a lot better at assessing their home than we are. They certainly hold in places that can be surprising but they obviously do it for a reason. I always try to keep my eyes open as I’m wading around to look for fish holding where I don’t expect them. If there is one in a certain type of water, there will often be more.
Nicely done ! Great informative video! And yes I see it all the time , guys walking right over fish ! It makes me cringe! Stay small on the water and be stealth! Tight lines !
just got back from 3 days of nymphing grayling here in sweden :) , and the rest of the family looks strange at me for watching more fishing. Nicely done Devin, keep it up. // Jonas (team Sweden)
Amazing video - lots of great insight. What is your opinion on using miniature split shot weights inches above a nymph to control weight rather than changing the bead size of the fly? I don't tie flies and would rather not buy 4 or 5 variations of each pattern if I can avoid it. Does adding separate weights impact the natural drift in a negative way?
I come from a background of indicator nymphing and using split shot. There's no doubt you can catch fish that way as well. However, I've done lots of back and forth comparisons with various split shot rigs and straight weighted nymph rigs. The weighted nymph rigs come out ahead consistently for me.
Devin, Thanks for the great tips. I believe you’ll be getting a order from me and I’m going to tie up the flies I use most but have them in 2, 2.3,2.5 and 2.8 bead sizes as a extra box to use for those certain situations
Your advice and material worked very well in my situation. fishing under rocks worked well, hooked my biggest fish of the trip do so though, I have to admit the trout ate my lunch ans is now enjoying it's victory in the wilderness lol. What's strange is I would've ignored many of these pockets because they were so close to shore. I did some numbers and realized that 70% of my strikes happened no more than 2-3 feet of either bank and under trees or brush were "bonus spots". One fish I caught I started with a 2.5 Perigon I tied up with your materials. That flashed the fish and after a few more tries I'd usually move on and maybe try it later. But, I thought I'd drop down to a 2.0 mm bead and the trout ate. Great video!
@@JacobJeffcott-mh2bl that lanyard was made by a company that went out of business. We do carry the C and F 830 in our shop that is similar but we are currently waiting for a restock from the distributor. Here is a link to the sling packs we carry. tacticalflyfisher.com/collections/packs-and-bags?filter.p.product_type=Sling+Packs&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=&sort_by=best-selling
Great tips! I’d like to start tying smaller jig patterns, but an issue I have now is that my current size 16 hooks have too light of wire and bend out easy, do you have a preferred hook for smaller patterns? (18-20)
Chris W smaller tippet will give you better sink rate and less drag in general regardless of the water type. Especially when combined with small flies, the drift will look more natural to the fish and you’ll be able to fish less weight to achieve the same depth. 5x is a good place to start and it was my primary choice for a long time as well. As I gradually worked my way smaller, I noticed definite changes in drift speed and behavior and I was able to fish single small lightly weighted flies in places I used to fish 2 flies or a heavier single fly.
Devon thanks for sharing, wish I would have watched this before fishing last week, so much rock snot and I now know I shouldn't have been so heavy. Your leader you have said is a micro thin from AFF but it looks white and not orange variegated, what brand indicator line is that?
Nancy Savidge it’s super yellow cortland indicator mono. My actual sighter is Skafar’s wax on my tippet. The full formula is in our film Adaptive Fly Fishing.
I usually wear hydroskins from NRS when the water is a bit chilly and then add a layer more on top then I think I’ll need. I can take the top layer off when it warms and the hydroskins help take the sting off the cold water.
Thanks Devin, I haven't heard of hydroskins, I'll check them out. The video really pointed out the value of matching the weight of the fly to the conditions. NOTHING IS WORSE THAN LOSING A FISH TO A BADLY TIED KNOT. You must change flies 25+ times a day, what knot do you recommend that is both easy to tie on the river and still dependable. ? Thanks very much !
When you change bead size do you change hook size as well? For example when you changed from a 2mm to a 2.3 mm did the hook size change or did use the same size hook? 2.5mm seems to be the right size to change to something like a #18 to#16 but, I'm not entirely sure.
James Dillard I often have 3 sizes of beads on the same size hook to choose from. If I feel like I need to stick to the same size hook then I will. In the video I believe I stuck to the same size hook if I remember correctly.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 What size hook were you using and what is the type of line you had on. It looked like actual fly line and not just a mono leader.
@@djTorchLive I was using 18-20 hooks. I use a Cortland Competition Nymph Line with a micro Euro nymph leader. The full details are found in our film Adaptive Fly Fishing.
A great addition to your body of indispensable videos. Could you tel me what fly box you use in the video (is it the C&F Design that you have on your website?).
Thanks for the content! Very useful. I have bought a couple of crappy thermometers in the past. Do you have any recommendations on thermometers for the water that give a quick and accurate reading? Have you ever tried a meat thermometer?
Hi Devin, is the new 6 wt. T&T Contact II 10'8" appropriate/suitable for Lake Ontario tributary steelhead? If so, what reel weight would you pair it with and which line? Thank you for your input.
I would probably use the 5/6 weight Ross Gunnison with that rod. For the line, I would use the Cortland Competition Nymph Line. You can find both on our site at Tacticalflyfisher.com
I separate categories of nymphs (tag nymphs, perdigons, pheasant tail variations, hare's ear variations, etc.) into specific boxes. Within those boxes I arrange them in rows of the same bead type/size.
I normally use tippet that is the smallest I can get away with given the current conditions. For runoff and high water that might be 5x. Shortly after when the water drops and clears a bit, I'll typically use 6x. If the river is low and clear then I may switch to 7x. However, this is all dependent upon the size of the fish in the river, the fishing pressure, and the flies and technique I'm using.
Do you ever worry about catching your second rod on the trees/brush along the bank? I’d like to take two rods with me but I feel I’d be fighting the second rod more than I’d be fishing.
I disagree on the shallow water one fly tip, even in skinny water i fish two nymphs (12" apart usually) and lay my sighter almost horizontally not touching the water. It just gives the trout 2 nymphs choose from.
Tactical Fly Fisher Do you generally fish a 2 to 3 weight on these size streams year round? Great instruction, I look forward to learning more in your book.
Hi Devin. It looked as though you may have been using a regular fly line in some of the video. If so, in what situations would you use one, other than dry fly? Thanks. p.s. I see that Howard Croston uses regular fly line in traditional upstream nymphing rather than a French/Euro leader. Were you doing a variation of that? Thanks again.
Thanks for sharing! always eager for contents from tactical fly fisher! What leader formula were you using? 3-4X to tippet ring then tippet? are you now replacing the indicator mono with wax?
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 fantastic! I'm starting to practice your micro thin leader formula once I got the leaders material bought from your shop. Cheers!
@johnathan I've been fishing the micro leader since it was published in the tactical fly fishing book, and I've had great luck after the inevitable learning curve and adjustments to my cast. Also, adopting a 7x tippet, with the half sizes to work up (as needed for fly and fish size) made a huge difference in my presentation, my eat rate, as well as my fish landed rate. Now when I can only fish for an hour or two, I'm catching 6-10 fish per hour instead of just one fish per trip (back when I was just a dry fly purist).
When switching from two fly to one fly, do you leave the tag in place and just fish the point fly spot alone, or do you trim the tippet up to the knot and then re-rig to switch back to two flies?
what were you wearing under your shorts? I want to do more wet wading but my shins get all scratched up. looks you found a solution to my problem with the black leggings (i assume)
@sebastian, I wear lightweight hiking pants that help a lot. Columbia silver ridge, outdoor research Ferrosi (although I've had some damage done from thorny bushes pulling threads), and most recently the Patagonia guide pants.
I love how you expanded upon your process at the little hole where the whitefish was, a spot that many would disregard. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
This is gold- great insights and tips . Since I have started watched your videos my catch rate has tripled, and I am thinking about entering my first competition. Thanks from NZ!
Glad you enjoyed it Steve. Thanks.
Today I caught a fish on a drop shot nymph rig and a euro leader. I learned it from your book thanks!
Spot on, killer tips. Single nymph, 7x, plus your video on light line fighting tech has me on some PB days in tough conditions. Thanks much.
David Woods glad it’s helped
Solid white fish!! Great video as always guys!
Richard Ferrara thanks!
Thanks! Great video with great tips explained great as usual!
Michael Bednarcyk thanks for watching!
I actually came home from fishing yesterday and did not watch your video until today. Fortunately, as I went through your tips, I actually used your tips without knowing it for the fish that I did catch, except for the 7x tippet and I do recall places where that would have helped. Great video!!
LeeRoy Peinado glad you liked it and that you had a good day on the water.
Your tips have helped me a lot. Hats off, you make it look easy! Thanks for taking the time to make these fantastic tutorials.
Certainly glad you enjoy them.
Casting is most impressive! Thanks for the tips 🎣🙏
Bobby K thanks!
I think I counted 13 casts in like 60 seconds for the first fish by the rock. This is one of the many reasons you’re a pro and I never will be. Excellent post, loads of info, thank you very much.
Mark Gallo thanks. I/we appreciate the support!
thank you again for the practical really applicable information and the details that make all of the difference. much appreciated.
Mon Lun Yee you’re welcome. Hopefully it will help you on the water.
Awesome video 🤘🎣
Thanks Freddie. Happy Fishing.
These are great videos, Devin! Looking forward to fishing with you one day!
Chris Evans thanks. Glad you’ve enjoyed the videos.
I’ll be fishing a series of mountain streams in Utah between now through early November depending on the weather. Best tip you mentioned is to not pass up runs of shallow water. It’s amazing they’ll hold in water that their dorsal fins are literally sticking out of.
One thing I’ve learned over time is that fish are a lot better at assessing their home than we are. They certainly hold in places that can be surprising but they obviously do it for a reason. I always try to keep my eyes open as I’m wading around to look for fish holding where I don’t expect them. If there is one in a certain type of water, there will often be more.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Keeps confirmation bias in check. That's the scientist part.
Another great informative video!!
Scott T thank you
Love your tautorials. Practical tips easily described for understanding, thanks!
Good stuff. Don’t forget about your terrestrial nymphs beetles, ants, and for us East coast boys inchworms. Also I like a lot of weightless nymphs.
Love the videos and the online store. Keep the videos coming!
Dan Jensen will do and thanks!
Great video just getting started and this video has been quite helpful in trying to match the hatch with the season. Thank you!
Great video, some good tips I can try out tomorrow on the river Devon :) although we had a storm a few days ago so who knows what will happen
Trout Pursuit have fun on the water. I’ll be out myself as well.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 you too, hopefully I get good footage of it to review :)
Nicely done ! Great informative video! And yes I see it all the time , guys walking right over fish ! It makes me cringe! Stay small on the water and be stealth! Tight lines !
Chasingbowsnbrowns 365 thanks! Same to you!
Thank you. I appreciate you for being free with your knowledge.
Jake the Welder glad you enjoyed it.
Jake the Welder glad you enjoyed it.
just got back from 3 days of nymphing grayling here in sweden :) , and the rest of the family looks strange at me for watching more fishing. Nicely done Devin, keep it up. // Jonas (team Sweden)
rockabillyboy83 the more you get, the more you want! Hope you’re well Jonas.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 thats for sure. im doing good get a lot of time by the waters so i cant complain :D
This had great tips. Could you do these for each season?
Tanner Stones yes we can do that over time.
Amazing video - lots of great insight. What is your opinion on using miniature split shot weights inches above a nymph to control weight rather than changing the bead size of the fly? I don't tie flies and would rather not buy 4 or 5 variations of each pattern if I can avoid it. Does adding separate weights impact the natural drift in a negative way?
I come from a background of indicator nymphing and using split shot. There's no doubt you can catch fish that way as well. However, I've done lots of back and forth comparisons with various split shot rigs and straight weighted nymph rigs. The weighted nymph rigs come out ahead consistently for me.
Devin,
Thanks for the great tips. I believe you’ll be getting a order from me and I’m going to tie up the flies I use most but have them in 2, 2.3,2.5 and 2.8 bead sizes as a extra box to use for those certain situations
Sounds good Corey. The small increments can definitely be a big help in certain situations.
Your advice and material worked very well in my situation. fishing under rocks worked well, hooked my biggest fish of the trip do so though, I have to admit the trout ate my lunch ans is now enjoying it's victory in the wilderness lol. What's strange is I would've ignored many of these pockets because they were so close to shore. I did some numbers and realized that 70% of my strikes happened no more than 2-3 feet of either bank and under trees or brush were "bonus spots". One fish I caught I started with a 2.5 Perigon I tied up with your materials. That flashed the fish and after a few more tries I'd usually move on and maybe try it later. But, I thought I'd drop down to a 2.0 mm bead and the trout ate. Great video!
Thanks for the report James! I'm really glad the video helped you pick up some extra fish. Keep it up!
Your box on your chest with a sling pack is genius.. Do you have a link to any of this gear? Thank you
@@JacobJeffcott-mh2bl that lanyard was made by a company that went out of business. We do carry the C and F 830 in our shop that is similar but we are currently waiting for a restock from the distributor. Here is a link to the sling packs we carry. tacticalflyfisher.com/collections/packs-and-bags?filter.p.product_type=Sling+Packs&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=&sort_by=best-selling
Great tips! I’d like to start tying smaller jig patterns, but an issue I have now is that my current size 16 hooks have too light of wire and bend out easy, do you have a preferred hook for smaller patterns? (18-20)
Grady Strand I’ve been tying most of my flies lately on the Dohiku 303, Dohiku 302, and Fasna 415.
Great Content! My goto tippet is 5X at the moment, what are the pros of using 7X in shallow water like this?
Chris W smaller tippet will give you better sink rate and less drag in general regardless of the water type. Especially when combined with small flies, the drift will look more natural to the fish and you’ll be able to fish less weight to achieve the same depth. 5x is a good place to start and it was my primary choice for a long time as well. As I gradually worked my way smaller, I noticed definite changes in drift speed and behavior and I was able to fish single small lightly weighted flies in places I used to fish 2 flies or a heavier single fly.
Devon thanks for sharing, wish I would have watched this before fishing last week, so much rock snot and I now know I shouldn't have been so heavy. Your leader you have said is a micro thin from AFF but it looks white and not orange variegated, what brand indicator line is that?
Nancy Savidge it’s super yellow cortland indicator mono. My actual sighter is Skafar’s wax on my tippet. The full formula is in our film Adaptive Fly Fishing.
Thanks Devin, great video. When it is still too warm for waders, but a little to chilly to wet wade, what leg insulation do you recommend? Thanks much
I usually wear hydroskins from NRS when the water is a bit chilly and then add a layer more on top then I think I’ll need. I can take the top layer off when it warms and the hydroskins help take the sting off the cold water.
Thanks Devin, I haven't heard of hydroskins, I'll check them out. The video really pointed out the value of matching the weight of the fly to the conditions. NOTHING IS WORSE THAN LOSING A FISH TO A BADLY TIED KNOT. You must change flies 25+ times a day, what knot do you recommend that is both easy to tie on the river and still dependable. ? Thanks very much !
rjf I use the 16/20 knot
How long was your tippet?
Joey Nix my tippet was ~8’ but I marked my sighter with wax around 2.5-3’ above my fly.
When you change bead size do you change hook size as well? For example when you changed from a 2mm to a 2.3 mm did the hook size change or did use the same size hook? 2.5mm seems to be the right size to change to something like a #18 to#16 but, I'm not entirely sure.
James Dillard I often have 3 sizes of beads on the same size hook to choose from. If I feel like I need to stick to the same size hook then I will. In the video I believe I stuck to the same size hook if I remember correctly.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 What size hook were you using and what is the type of line you had on. It looked like actual fly line and not just a mono leader.
@@djTorchLive I was using 18-20 hooks. I use a Cortland Competition Nymph Line with a micro Euro nymph leader. The full details are found in our film Adaptive Fly Fishing.
A great addition to your body of indispensable videos. Could you tel me what fly box you use in the video (is it the C&F Design that you have on your website?).
@@TheFlyFishingFilmmaker Thank you, Mark.
Thanks for the content! Very useful. I have bought a couple of crappy thermometers in the past. Do you have any recommendations on thermometers for the water that give a quick and accurate reading? Have you ever tried a meat thermometer?
Cory Gayheart digital meat thermometers are a good option.
What leader set up and line were you useing
I cover the leader in this video. I was using either the Cortland or Airflo Euro nymph lines.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 thank you I'll give it a watch
Another great video Devin. Can you share what leader you were using with the Dry/Dropper? Ultra thin or modular. Thanks
it's in his book.
I was using the micro thin leader I talked about in Adaptive Fly First Fishing.
Hi Devin, is the new 6 wt. T&T Contact II 10'8" appropriate/suitable for Lake Ontario tributary steelhead? If so, what reel weight would you pair it with and which line? Thank you for your input.
I would probably use the 5/6 weight Ross Gunnison with that rod. For the line, I would use the Cortland Competition Nymph Line. You can find both on our site at Tacticalflyfisher.com
Tactical Fly Fisher so that rod is suitable for Lake Ontario trib steelhead?
And the Cortland .022 level core line?
Brooktrout Angler yes. That is what I would use. I’ve used that setup for northwest steelhead quite a few times.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 The 6wt comes standard with an up locking reel seat. Would you go with that version, or get the down locking seat? Thank you.
Hello overthese,
Are you satisfied with the Simms Z sling pack?
Maybe I want to buy that one.
Greetings from The Netherlands.
The pack is nice. It could use slightly more space and more organizational pockets on the inside but it is good overall.
Thank you for another awesome video , how do you pack your fly boxes so you know what weighted flys you are using
I separate categories of nymphs (tag nymphs, perdigons, pheasant tail variations, hare's ear variations, etc.) into specific boxes. Within those boxes I arrange them in rows of the same bead type/size.
Your videos always help me out. :) Do you switch up your tippet strategy as the year progresses?
I normally use tippet that is the smallest I can get away with given the current conditions. For runoff and high water that might be 5x. Shortly after when the water drops and clears a bit, I'll typically use 6x. If the river is low and clear then I may switch to 7x. However, this is all dependent upon the size of the fish in the river, the fishing pressure, and the flies and technique I'm using.
Do you ever worry about catching your second rod on the trees/brush along the bank? I’d like to take two rods with me but I feel I’d be fighting the second rod more than I’d be fishing.
Browninglover1 that can be a problem in smaller rivers. I actually stored my second rod on the bank for half the time we were there.
Hi! Are you using shorter rods in such small creeks? ✌️
I only drop to a shorter rod if it is a very small creek with a full tree canopy. Otherwise, I still prefer the upstream reach of a 10' rod.
Tactical Fly Fisher thanx! And thank you also for your what you are doing for this passion!!!💪👍
Do you mind me asking what reel that is? Thanks.
scott corsale Ross San Miguel
I disagree on the shallow water one fly tip, even in skinny water i fish two nymphs (12" apart usually) and lay my sighter almost horizontally not touching the water. It just gives the trout 2 nymphs choose from.
What kind line rig you have your nymphing reel?
You can find my leader formula in our film Adaptive Fly Fishing or my book Tactical Fly Fishing. There are links in the video description for both.
Devin, I noticed your outfit in this video. What do you recommend for minimal wet wading during the summertime?
Braden Livingston I wear men’s leggings under quick dry shorts.
When you're switching out your nymphs all the time are you tying them all on individually for using rings?
Matt Schaffer Individually.
What rod were you fishing? Length & wt.?
Jeff Abramson 10’ 2 weight T and T Contact II
Tactical Fly Fisher Do you generally fish a 2 to 3 weight on these size streams year round? Great instruction, I look forward to learning more in your book.
Matthew Rhoades yes I’m always fishing a 2 to 3 weight Euro rod on my home rivers.
Hi Devin. It looked as though you may have been using a regular fly line in some of the video. If so, in what situations would you use one, other than dry fly? Thanks. p.s. I see that Howard Croston uses regular fly line in traditional upstream nymphing rather than a French/Euro leader. Were you doing a variation of that? Thanks again.
Harold Steele I was using a euro fly line with a micro leader throughout.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Thanks. I looked up the formula in your book. It's a great resource.
Thanks for sharing! always eager for contents from tactical fly fisher! What leader formula were you using? 3-4X to tippet ring then tippet? are you now replacing the indicator mono with wax?
Jonathan Huang 4x to the tippet ring. And yes the sighter was wax.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 fantastic! I'm starting to practice your micro thin leader formula once I got the leaders material bought from your shop. Cheers!
@johnathan I've been fishing the micro leader since it was published in the tactical fly fishing book, and I've had great luck after the inevitable learning curve and adjustments to my cast.
Also, adopting a 7x tippet, with the half sizes to work up (as needed for fly and fish size) made a huge difference in my presentation, my eat rate, as well as my fish landed rate.
Now when I can only fish for an hour or two, I'm catching 6-10 fish per hour instead of just one fish per trip (back when I was just a dry fly purist).
Patrick Hatch nice!
When switching from two fly to one fly, do you leave the tag in place and just fish the point fly spot alone, or do you trim the tippet up to the knot and then re-rig to switch back to two flies?
Patrick Hatch I often carry two rods so I can swap back and forth. If I don’t have two, then I’ll just leave the tag in place.
what were you wearing under your shorts? I want to do more wet wading but my shins get all scratched up. looks you found a solution to my problem with the black leggings (i assume)
sebastian walker yes they were just cheap black men’s leggings I found online.
@sebastian, I wear lightweight hiking pants that help a lot. Columbia silver ridge, outdoor research Ferrosi (although I've had some damage done from thorny bushes pulling threads), and most recently the Patagonia guide pants.
Hello, good video. one thing are you wearing waders?
Andrew Player no. Leggings under shorts.
Tactical Fly Fisher what wading shoes are you using? And wading shoe guards or socks?
I watch my shadow when walking along and approach the water from behind a tree or something to block my shadow
Excellent vid but the ad about fracking is total BS! Fracking is the disaster! I know you don't control the ads placed on your channel.😉
Ray Ray unfortunately I don’t have control over the ads that TH-cam shows. I wouldn’t be showing that myself.