Troutbitten

ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Critical Wader Care - Advice From the Companies Themselves
VIDEO: Troutbitten | Waders On, Waders Off - Stop Wasting Fishing Time
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Gear Fixes S15, Ep7
PODCAST: Tech Talk About Boots, Waders and More - In Deep With Kevin Sloan - S19, Ep7

Nov 1, 2026 1 hr 12 min

Wader Care and Wader Repair

Season 21, Episode 3

Show notes

This podcast is all about about your waders — wader care and wader repair. You might think that if you take care of your waders, they’ll last forever, but that's surely not true.

My son Aiden asked to loan a pair of my old waders to a friend the other day for a fishing trip. And I said, "sure, but they all leak." Every pair of waders I’ve ever had has ended with leaks.

Waders are like anything else. Nothing lasts forever, but you can absolutely lengthen a wader's lifespan by taking care of them. Things like washing your waders, turning them inside out when it matters, and just being careful about what you’re walking through extends the life of waders significantly.

All of us in this conversation have been fishing long enough to have gone through many, many waders. We’ve also been in the game long enough to know how to patch waders. I’m constantly surprised by how many anglers tell me they got a pinhole in their waders, so they sent them back. That’s not how it used to be. Every die hard angler that I knew used to have a good supply of Aquaseal and they knew how to use it.

So here are our thoughts and experiences about taking care of your breathable waders and patching them effectively when the inevitable happens.

My friends Austin Dando, Bill Dell and Josh Darling join me for a good conversation about landing nets and carrying methods.

RESOURCES

ENTER YOUR EMAIL AT THE LINK BELOW TO GET $10 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER WITH PONCHO
http://ponchooutdoors.com/troutbitten

Visit

Oct 25, 2026 1 hr 7 min

Everything About The Landing Net

Season 21, Episode 2

Show notes

This one is all about fishing nets. We cover net types and sizes, handle length, bag depth and hoop width. We also discuss how each of us carries the net and how we access it quickly. Because if all of this is not well thought out, problems are sure to follow.

The truth is, the net is one of the heaviest and most cumbersome pieces of gear we have out there. So for the frequent angler, these decisions about where to carry that weight and how to have the net ready for a quick draw and an easy return are fundamental to a smooth system.

The net choice and how you carry it should not be an afterthought. In fact, you just might base other gear decisions around your net requirements.

My friends Austin Dando, Bill Dell and Josh Darling join me for a good conversation about landing nets and carrying methods.

ENTER YOUR EMAIL AT THE LINK BELOW TO GET $10 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER WITH PONCHO
http://ponchooutdoors.com/troutbitten

Visit

Oct 18, 2026 1 hr 9 min

Doing the Opposite

Season 21, Episode 1

Show notes

My friends are here with me to begin season twenty-one with a conversation about doing the opposite. Because if you’re struggling out there on the water, if the net hasn’t been wet in a while and the trout seem to disagree with everything you suggest, then maybe you should do the opposite.

To quote Jerry Seinfeld’s advice to George . . . “If every instinct you have is wrong, the opposite would have to be right.”

My friends Austin Dando, Bill Dell, Josh Darling and Trevor Smith join me for a fun look at making decisions that can really change things.

ENTER YOUR EMAIL AT THE LINK BELOW TO GET $10 OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER WITH PONCHO
http://ponchooutdoors.com/troutbitten

Visit

Oct 11, 2026 1 hr 2 min

Fighting Big Fish #7 -- Everything All At Once

Season 20, Episode 7

Show notes

For this season finale of our skills series on fighting fish we take questions and comments from the podcast audience. We cover the following:

-- Fighting and landing big trout in small streams.
-- Fighting trout in shallow water, and keeping them down.
-- Drag settings.
-- Strip sets.
-- Landing two fish at the same time.
-- How location and water type affects decisions.
-- Cranking the reel vs pumping the rod.
-- More on rod choice.

My friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell to wrap up this season.

Here's the Episode List for Season 20

1. The Hook Set and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up

Resources

Visit

Sep 6, 2026 46 min

Fighting Big Fish #6 - The Last Ten Feet, and In the Net

Season 20, Episode 6

Show notes

This podcast is all about the the end of the fight. Everything we’ve walked through in the previous episodes gets you to the point where the fish is within range and just about ready for the scoop. A lot can go wrong at the end of a fight, so there’s a lot that needs to be done right. We cover body, fish, net and rod positioning, all in relation to the river currents. We talk about when we get the net ready and what to do with it. We cover trapping the line with your trigger finger and what to do with the reel's drag. We also talk about when to scoop, what to scoop and where to scoop -- as in, the landing zone. And we go over net preferences too.

Perhaps most importantly, we talk about the concept of spreading your wings at the end -- where the rod hand goes back and the net had reaches out, so the fish’s head comes to the top of the water, and the trout glides into your waiting net.

Perfect, right? Yeah, we also talk about less than idea situations and address some mishaps -- how to deal with things when it all starts to fall apart.

My friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for a thorough breakdown of the last ten feet.

Here's the Episode List for Season 20

1. The Hook Set and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

Resources

Visit

Aug 30, 2026 51 min

Fighting Big Fish #5 - Side Pressure!

Season 20, Episode 5

Show notes

Side pressure puts real leverage on a fish. It's where control begins and power originates. All the other skills before this one set us up to maximize side pressure, with the right angles and a great plan for landing the trout of a lifetime.

I think the opposite of side pressure is upward pressure, or pulling up with the rod tip, and we don't want to fight the fish at the surface. So while side pressure can keep the fish lower in the water column, upward pressure brings a trout to the top, often way too soon.

So with a low rod angle, pulling to the side as much as possible, we force the trout to fight not just the current pushing downstream in its face, but also our constant pressure to the side. A trout wants to hold the current that it’s in, and by pulling sideways, the trout has to work against that pressure to stay in its current. And nothing wears a trout down quicker.

My friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for a deep dive into real side pressure.

Here's the Episode List for Season 20

1. The Hook Set and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

Resources

Visit

Aug 23, 2026 58 min

Fighting Big Fish #4 -- Planning, Positioning and The Fighting Stance

Season 20, Episode 4

Show notes

Landing a good trout is more about planning, quick thinking and good technique than luck. And in this episode, we talk about being ready for a big fish. With a little forethought and preparation, with even slight adjustments to body positioning, we put ourselves in the best position to show a picture of a lifetime rather than tell the story of another trout that got away.

A few months ago I published a video to the Troutbitten YouTube channel with the title: The Casting, Drifting and Fighting Position — It’s all the Same. What we talk about in this episode, very much mirrors that last part of that video.

We Cover These Key Concepts

-- The Fighting stance (a Galloup idea)
— It’s an athletic position, centered, balanced and strong
— Uses large muscle groups. compact and not extended
— Ready to move and adjust
— We’re also ready for the hook set from here
— The “Orvis” pose
-- Arm slot
-- Position in the river
— Where we put our body determines the kind of pressure we can put on the trout
— Our job is to guide the trout into the places we want it to be.
— Don’t be along for the ride. Be in control

Here's the Episode List for Season 20

1. The Hookset and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

My good friends, Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for this season.

Resources

Visit

Thanks to TroutRoutes:

Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com

Thanks to Skwala

Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Aug 16, 2026 39 min

Fighting Big Fish #3 -- Fighting Them Fast, The Tug-of-War and Knowing the Strength of Your Tools

Season 20, Episode 3

Show notes

This third part of our Troutbitten Skills Series is all about the guiding principle of fighting fish fast. We talk about how this mindset guides our decisions and our movements for all the other skills. Because we want to fight trout fast we use side pressure and we position ourselves for maximum leverage. We thing about current direction and fighting zones, all in an effort to fight a trout fast. Because the longer a trout is on the line, the more chance it has to get off.

We also cover these key concepts:

-- The tug-of-war. Either they pull or you pull.
-- How the stalemate becomes a mistake.
-- Knowing the strength of your tools.
-- Understand the power in the rod and the line.
-- How fast is too fast, and when to ease up on the pressure.
-- Utilizing drag settings

Here's the Episode List for Season 20

1. The Hookset and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

My good friends, Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for this season.

Resources

Visit

Thanks to TroutRoutes:

Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com

Thanks to Skwala

Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Aug 9, 2026 51 min

Fighting Big Fish #2 - Where to Fight Them

Season 20, Episode 2

Show notes

Fighting trout in a river, creek or stream is all about the currents. So for this episode of our seven part skills series on fighting big fish, we talk about fighting fish upstream, downstream or across. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each angle? And what about current depth? Should we aim to fight the fish in the lower, middle or top part of the water column? And finally, we talk about the fighting zones in a river, meaning, what types of water are a safe choice for fighting the biggest trout of your life?

We also go through a little more on the hooksets from last week, and we briefly discuss how much of this applies to the stillwater game and to other species.

Here's the Episode List for Season 20

1. The Hookset and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

My good friends, Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for this season.

Resources

Visit

Category: Troutbitten | Catch and Release Safely
PODCAST: Troutbitten | How to Handle a Trout
PODCAST: Troutbitten Set the Hook! All About Different Hooksets
ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Are We Taking the Safety of Trout Too Far?
VIDEO: Troutbitten | HOW You Set the Hook Matters Most! - Hook Sets for Dry Flies, Nymphs, Streamers and Wets
ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Don't Guess - Set the Hook and Set Hard
ARTICLE: Troutbitten | Hookset Direction - Downstream

Thanks to TroutRoutes:

Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com

Thanks to Skwala

Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Aug 2, 2026 50 min

Fighting Big Fish #1 - The Hooks Set and What Comes First

Season 20, Episode 1

Show notes

For Season 20 of the Troutbitten Podcast, we have seven episodes lined up for a Skills Series that's all about how to land the biggest fish of your life.

Because, when you do hook the big one — that one you’ve been waiting for — a Whiskey, a Namer or the best fish of your life, you want the skills for fighting big fish with confidence. You want these habits to be engrained into your muscle memory, because you don't have time to think about this stuff when the biggest fish of your life shows up.

Here's the Episode List for S20

1. The Hookset and What Comes First
2. Where to Fight Them (Water Column and More)
3. Fight Them Fast (You Pull or They Pull - Work With a Trout)
4. The Fighting Position
5. Side Pressure
6. The Last Ten Feet (The Finishing Moves)
7. Wrap Up (With Stories)

My good friends, Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me for this season.

Resources

Visit

Thanks to TroutRoutes:

Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com

Thanks to Skwala

Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Jul 26, 2026 57 min

Freewheelin' - Out of Town Guides, Wet Flies, Stocking Over Wilds . . . and More

Season 19, Episode 10

Show notes

In this Season 19 finale of the Troutbitten Podcast, we tackle a grab bag of topics. We call these episodes the Freewheelin' Troutbitten. This one was unintentional. We had plans to cover a topic of fishing with friends vs fishing solo, but once we opened up some of the leftover topics surrounding the Grievances episode from last week, we just kinda got things rolling and let it go.

The last half hour is dedicated to our most important conservation message -- stop stocking over wild trout.

My friends Bill Dell, Dr. Trevor Smith, Matt Grobe and Austin Dando join me for a fun conversation.

Visit

PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Airing of Grievances -- One
PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Airing of Grievances -- Two
PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Airing of Grievances -- Three
PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Airing of Grievances -- Four

Thanks to TroutRoutes:

Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com

Thanks to Skwala

Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Jun 28, 2026 1 hr 14 min

The Airing of Grievances -- Five

Season 19, Episode 9

Show notes

We’re here for our fifth annual Airing of Grievances episode. We do this every June, at the end of the spring seasons of the podcast. We do it to have some fun, and we do it because it’s helpful to call out the bad things and try to make them better.

We also do this because Frank Costanza from Seinfeld once said . . . “I gotta lotta problems with you people, and now . . . you’re gonna here about it.”

So we’re here to complain about things, to clear the air and to get things off our chests about the fly fishing industry. And that means just about everyone involved, from the big fly fishing companies and brands, to the start ups. From the fly shops to the guides that work for them. From the independent, part-time guide, to the die-hard angler, to the weekend warrior and to the fisherman who has become fly-fishing-curious in the last few months. Everyone. No exceptions. And that starts with our own self-grievances.

After a few years of doing this and getting so many replies from other anglers with their own gripes, we decided to open up the grievances episode to YOU, the listeners. We did that for the first time last year, and this year we have more submissions than ever. So we’ve compiled a list of the most common grievances with the fly fishing industry. And no one is safe.

Joining me are Austin Dando, Bill Dell, Trevor Smith and Matt Grobe.

Resources

Visit

PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Versatile Angler - S3, Ep15
VIDEO: Troutbitten | Fish and Film - One Morning for Versatility

Thanks to TroutRoutes:

Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership at
https://maps.troutroutes.com

Thanks to Skwala

Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order at
https://skwalafishing.com/

Jun 21, 2026 1 hr 12 min

Learning From Other Species and Other Styles

Season 19, Episode 8

Show notes

Here's a good talk about other styles and other species, and how using a spinning rod or baitcaster can open up your fishing world to a more complete set of skills and a better understanding of . . . fishing.

Most fly anglers can pick up and cast a spinning rod or baitcaster, but if you spend some real time to develop an intimate understanding of the strengths and the possibilities, you gain another base of knowledge.

The same can be said for chasing other species: bass, carp, musky, redfish, permit, snook, striper. They’re all different, all with unique challenges and solutions that transfer over to the trout world, given the right circumstance.

The question is, can you learn everything -- that same, full skillset of presentations, of reading a river and more, by only fishing a fly rod? That’s part of what we talk about in this podcast.

My good friends Austin Dando and Bill Dell join me for this one.

Resources

Visit

READ: Troutbitten | All the Things
READ: Troutbitten | 100 Day Gear Review - Skwala RS Wading Boots
READ: Troutbitten | Critical Wader Care - Advice from the Companies Themselves - How to Wash and Dry Your Waders

Jun 14, 2026 1 hr 9 min

Tech Talk About Boots, Waders and More - In Deep with Kevin Sloan of Skwala

Season 19, Episode 7

Show notes

Over the last few decades, fishing apparel has undergone a dramatic evolution. Today, we expect more than ever from our boots, waders, jackets, and shirts because we've grown accustomed to the advantages of purpose-built gear that's ready to deliver.

Comfort, support and durability are the hallmarks of great fishing gear. So I sat down with Kevin Sloan, the founder of Skwala fishing, for a look at where the industry stands now, a look back at where we were and a forward look at where we're going.

It was a fun conversation full of in-depth technical specifics on why and how good designs last. Kevin also has a lifetime of fishing stories to share.

Resources

Visit

READ: Troutbitten | The Downstream Fisher Yields to the Upstream Fisher
VIDEO: Troutbitten | Riverside: Fishing Direction - Should You Work Upstream or Downstream?
READ: Troutbitten | Face Upstream, Fish Upstream
READ: Troutbitten | The Advantages of Working Upstream

Jun 7, 2026 1 hr 16 min

Fishing Angles - Upstream or Downstream?

Season 19, Episode 6

Show notes

We’re here to talk about fishing angles. Are you wading upstream or down? And are you casting upstream or down? What’s your preference? Why do you make that decision? When, if ever does it change? And does your casting direction always follow your wading direction?

Sometimes, these preferences seem regional, while other times it’s specifically about the tactic -- meaning that swinging wet flies, for example, suits a downstream approach best. But sometimes, angle choice seems more like tradition, and many anglers simply fish a certain way because their Dad did.

Most of us at Troutbitten look at things objectively. We all went through a period of time where we tore everything down that we thought we knew and rebuilt the database from the ground up. We want to know what really works best.

My good friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell join me to answer these questions.

Resources

Visit

READ: Troutbitten | Are Light Nymphs More Effective? Is Less Weight More Natural?

May 31, 2026 1 hr 9 min

RIVERSIDE: Are Light Nymphs More Effective? Is Less Weight More Natural?

Show notes

What’s the nymph really doing under there? How is it affected by the currents? And is the attached tippet dragging the fly unnaturally across, over, up or out of the natural, one-seam drift that our picky trout are waiting for?

The challenge of nymphing is mercifully balanced by the frequency at which trout feed on these bottom dwelling food forms. So even if we get one in ten drifts just right, the rate at which we might fool fish makes this maddening quest for perfection more than worth it. Simply put, nymphing is fun because it works — and because there’s always a way to make it work even better.

Our nymphs require weight to get under the surface and down to the trout. And “how much weight” is a fundamental consideration — perhaps the primary factor — toward the goal of drifting nymphs naturally.

If you’re into anything long enough, you’ll notice the trends. And you can watch dogged convictions shift, en masse. In an industry as niche as fly fishing for trout, the opinions of just a few influential anglers often shape the next metamorphosis. So it is with the nymphing game, as the current trend for lighter flies and lighter tackle has taken a strong foothold. But just a few years ago, the concept of anchor flies was driving weighty considerations in the opposite direction. (Just as many trout found the net, by the way.)

As with most things, real success with nymphs lies somewhere toward the middle of these extremes, and persistent success comes from a combination of both.

Resources

Here's the full article:

Here are supporting articles:

READ: Troutbitten Drifting Light Nymphs
READ: Troutbitten | Over or Under -- Your Best Bet On Weight
READ: Troutbitten | Leading vs Tracking vs Guiding the Flies

Visit

VIDEOS: Troutbitten | Fish and Film | Category
SHOP: Troutbitten | Category | Leaders

May 26, 2026 17 min

Season 19 Intermission - Catching Up, Leader Sales, Book, Beer, Film Fest and More

Season 19

Show notes

For our Season 19 Intermission, my wife, Becky, joins me to check in on what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (May 24th), the Troutbitten Film Festival, guide season, changes to the Troutbitten Beer with New Trail Brewing Company and the Mono Rig book status. Then my son, Aiden, joins me for a short conversation about spring fishing.

Resources

Visit

READ: Troutbitten | Pattern vs Presentation - Trout Eat Anything, But Sometimes They Eat Another Thing Better
READ: Troutbitten | It's Not Luck
READ: Troutbitten | Asking the Best Questions to Catch More Trout

May 24, 2026 41 min

Is There Really Anything to Figure Out?

Season 19, Episode 5

Show notes

There’s something about fishing that leads us to believe that we can figure out what the fish want to eat that day — at that moment. Really, we want to believe that. And maybe it’s true often enough that trying to figure ‘em out . . . is a smart strategy.

But I’m sure you’ve also had the experience of getting back to camp and every one of your friends all caught fish — but they all caught them on different flies and different water types. And you’ve definitely met the guy in the parking lot who’s positive that he has the answer for catching fish that evening. And maybe he’s so sure of it that he’ll make it work, just because he’ll fish it so hard.
Is there really anything to figure out?

That’s our topic for this episode. We work around the ins and outs of when, why, where and how chasing that goal of figuring things out makes any sense.

My good friends Matt Grobe, Josh Darling and Bill Dell join me for this one.

Resources

Visit

READ: Troutbitten | Rivers and Friends
READ: Troutbitten | How to Stay in the Game for a Lifetime
PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Stages of an Angler - S11, Ep1

May 18, 2026 1 hr 1 min

Taking the Next Step

Season 19, Episode 4

Show notes

How do you get deeper into the game? Is it a choice or just good fortune? We live a life on the water, and a couple of episodes ago we talked about burnout — how a lot of anglers dig in, fish hard, go all out for a few years, and then just fade away. That’s the end point for some people, but tonight we’re here to talk about the beginning. We want to consider the start of a fishing life, or more accurately, the start of a dedicated fishing life. Most people who become serious anglers have some fishing experiences for a while, and then for whatever reason, the whole thing just becomes . . . more.

All of the Troutbitten crew that you already has made fishing our lives for a very long time. And we can give you our opinions and experiences on this whole thing. But for a newer, fresher perspective, we invited some friends who are a little younger in the game. Both of these guys fished off and on since they were kids, but something triggered them to go deeper. That’s process is more recent for them than it is for us, so we wanted to hear from them.

Meet our good friends Anthony Marrazo and Andy McDonald, who join me with Austin Dando and Bill Dell.

Resources

Visit