Fly On The Water

06/05/2026

I am looking forward to the upcoming trip I have with my Dad to target big Smallmouth. I should get some on top, so you know I will be happy. This was one from my last trip about a short while ago.

06/04/2026

I thought I invented swing nymphing.

That's not a joke. Back when I was still fishing for Smallmouth Bass with spinning rods, I learned to work jigs and soft plastics along the river bottom. It was deadly effective. When I made the switch to fly fishing, I just tried to do the same thing. Took me a few trips to figure out how to get my flies down deep enough, but once I did, it worked exactly the same way.

Turns out Charlie Brooks had already written the book on this technique. On the Madison & Yellowstone, decades before I ever picked up a fly rod.

I didn't realize how elegant the whole system was until I sat down to write about it. That's what writing does sometimes - it makes you see something you've been doing for years in a completely different way.

My Swing Nymphing piece is in the Summer 2026 issue of Dark Skies Fly Fishing Magazine (Issue 12). Four pages covering the setup, the seven steps, the flies that work, and a species list that took me over twenty years to catch - one river, one fish at a time.

If you've never tried this technique, you're leaving fish in the river.

The link to subscribe is in the comments.

05/19/2026

Please be vigilante!

In the last few weeks the WDNR has confirmed the presence of invasive New Zealand Mudsnails in Seas Branch, a tributary to the West Fork of the Kickapoo River in Vernon County.

Please help control the spread of these invasive by checking, cleaning, and drying your gear often. Consider dedicating a separate pair of wading boots for fishing waters with know NZMS populations.

See the full list here (or use the link in our bio).
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/NewZealandMudsnail

Help us spread the word (not the mudsnails) by sharing this post.

05/16/2026

West Virginia brown trout water is calling and I am heading back with my dad.

We fish together often and there is something about brown trout water that makes it feel like the right place to be.

This one came on a tan Wooly Sculpin and did not want to let go. Can’t wait to get back out there.

05/14/2026

Just got back from Alabama and the hybrid stripers were eating well.

This one crushed a Vortex Diver. You can see exactly where the fly ended up. Fish Barlas, so the release was clean and easy. The fly slid right out and the fish swam away.

The Vortex Diver has been one of my confidence patterns for years. The way it pops, pushes water, and dives is just different. Fish don’t expect it, they devour it.

Vortex divers are available on Etsy. Link in the comments.

05/13/2026

Someone’s heading to the Amazon targeting Peacock Bass, and these two patterns are going with them. A batch of Clouser Half & Half Streamers and Lefty’s Deceivers, both tied Ghost Fire - my Fire Tiger without the stripes. Three bright fluorescent colors – chartreuse, yellow, and orange – tied on super strong, wicked sharp Gamakatsu USA, Inc. hooks.

The color is hard to miss and dark Tanic water, and that is exactly the point.

These flies will be ready for the hunt. This color also works for northern Pike, redfish, smallmouth, bass, and snook when they’re in dark tannic water. Customer orders available – Etsy link comments.

05/12/2026

You’re in the jungle baby! What fly are you fishing?

Bright colors for dark waters. There’s nothing like the confidence of the right fly and the right tools to get the job done.

The bucktail has been dripped, the profile is set, and the Renomed scissors are back in their wallet.

This Fire Tiger Hollow Fleye is officially ready for the jungle.