Untangled: Fly Fishing For Everyone | Ventures Fly Co.

If you travel to fish - whether that's to the river an hour from your house that you've just never visited yet, or you leave the country - you probably wonder what flies you need to pack along. Are the fish all eating the same stuff, or do you need an entirely new fly box for every river?

Honestly, this is a question that gets over-thought. And that's because trout all over the world eat a similar diet. Here at VFC, for example, we've caught fish in Iceland and Canada on the EXACT flies we use here in the Rockies. So today on Untangled, you'll learn why fish eat such a similar diet all across the world, and how to put together a fly box that you can have faith in no matter where you're fishing.

You'll also learn about:

• How long fly line should last, and care tips for your line
• The streamer setup the VFC crew recommends
• Why you shouldn't leave fish to find fish
• Tips for finding places to fly fish this winter

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You can catch just about anything on a fly rod — pike, bass, carp, bluegill, escaped aquarium fish in Florida, and even gar! Everyone talks about how fun these fish are to catch, but for most anglers, trips for permit, tarpon, salmon, dorado, and the like, are out of reach. The travel and cost makes them tough for an average angler to do more than dream about. But there's one fish that checks a lot of the same boxes those exotic fish do. This fish grows to ENORMOUS sizes. It fights like an angry toddler pulling you back to the candy aisle at the grocery store. And this fish isn't always easy to catch. And here's the best part — for a lot of us, they're just a short drive and hike away, swimming in thousands of lakes across the country. Today on Untangled, I'll tell you what this fish is, why I've fallen in love with chasing them, and how you can catch one all on your own.

You'll also learn about:

• The differences between wet flies and soft hackles
• When and why to fish a wet fly or soft hackle fly
• Tips for finding water that's less pressured, but still has trout in it
• Spencer's thoughts on tight-line nymphing

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Everyone says that if you're gonna catch big fish, you gotta fish big flies. And big flies usually means tossing streamers! So you grab a woolly bugger, or maybe a meat whistle, or if you're feeling like living on the edge, a slumpbuster. You head off to the river, start tossing these flies in spots that look promising, and BAM — something freight trains your fly like it owes it money. This is when things fall apart. You're so excited to hook something on a streamer, and your immediate instinct is to fall back on how you were taught to set the hook — hold the line tight and raise the rod tip! The only problem is, that's exactly the WRONG WAY to set the hook when fishing with streamers. So today on Untangled, we'll go over the correct technique for setting the hook, and some other tips for getting the most out of fishing with streamers.

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Sometimes, the biggest fish in the river are caught on the tiniest of flies. And we're not talking size 18 or 20 flies, either - think stuff as small as 26, 28, and even 30!

Today on Untangled, Spencer is joined by his longtime friend and dry fly expert Ryan McCullough, for another installment of the Everyday Angler series, which features conversations with anglers across the fly fishing world who don't always get a voice in the industry. Ryan is one of Spencer's fly fishing mentors, and the person Spencer credits with getting him addicted to fishing dry flies.

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My daughter is almost a year and a half old. And don't worry — she's not some sort of prodigy who's already casting a fly rod. She's as stubborn as her dad, but thankfully as adorable as her mom, and just as sweet. I know she's way too young to really remember some time on the water, and she's certainly nowhere near being let loose with a fly rod. But if there's one thing I've learned since becoming a dad, it's how much fun it is to share things you love with your kid. So earlier this summer, I loaded my daughter into the truck and we set off for my old stomping grounds — the same creek where I spent all my growing-up years. My daughter might not remember this day, but I know I'll never forget it.

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After 200 episodes of Untangled, we decided it was time -- for a LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE! We opened the doors to 20 fans of VFC and spent the night telling stories, answering questions, and sharing those Live Reel Life moments that keep us coming back to the water. Everyone in attendance had the chance to ask their fly fishing questions to Alex and Spencer live, getting real-time feedback for the problems they're currently facing.

Some of those include:

• What to do when no bugs are hatching
• How to plan trips around catching a specific kind of trout
• Whether fly choice or presentation is more important
• How to mend fly line

This is an episode you can't afford to miss!

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Nothing makes a great day go immediately down the toilet the way that wind can. If the wind's at your back, it's not a HUGE problem — you probably get a bit more distance on your cast! But if the wind's blowing right in your face, you suddenly feel like the most incompetent fly caster to ever pick up a rod. Or at least, I usually do. And that's because I so often forget some of the key fundamentals for making good fly casts in the wind. So today on Untangled, we'll go through those important skills to keep in mind when the wind starts blowing. That way, you're not sitting on the bank, frustrated that you can't cast, when your buddy ties into a near 30-inch trout. Not that I'm speaking from experience…

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What's scarier - telling your mother-in-law that her pot roast is actually dry, or picking up a new fly rod with NO help at all? Because let's be honest - it's not like fly shops or websites have a ton of clear information about what all these different rods are for. And why do some of them cost $1,000 or more?

Today on Untangled, we're going to simplify the world of fly rods and give you the information you need to make the best choice for your own fishing situation. You'll also learn about:

• Whether AI can be a useful tool in planning fly fishing trips
• How to start catching fish on nymphs
• How to transition from hooking a big fish to putting that trout on the reel during the fight

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My first trip chasing bull trout didn't exaclty go as planned. Instead of holding a giant trout in a crystal-clear stream, I found myself lying in a bed in a stranger's house, feeling like I'd gone to the wrong Taco Bell and had one too many beefy five-layer burritos.

So how'd I end up there? What dark forces conspired to keep me from catching a bucket-list fish? Well, it all starts with my buddy Blair.

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You show up to the river for a day of fishing, you're stuffed FULL of optimism and happiness, you get all rigged up — and then your mood just CRASHES. There aren't any fish rising. No bugs hatching. No trout sunning themselves in the shallows. Just a river that feels as lifeless as those lovely political ads we're forced to watch during football season. What's the play here? How do you start from what feels like nothing, and end up catching fish, when the river is holding all its cards close to the vest? It boils down to knowing where the fish are probably hanging out, what they're probably eating, and how to get a good presentation. And today on Untangled, that's exactly what you're gonna learn.

You'll also learn about:

• Tips for rigging up with hoppers and other large flies
• How to measure the river temperature so you know when to stop fishing
• Should you opt for larger or smaller flies when fish reject your first few drifts?
• How to teach others - including family - how to fly fish
• Tips for sight fishing to rising trout
• Why the loop knot is the undisputed best knot for fishing on lakes

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Guided trips are fantastic! They're a great opportunity to learn from people who live and breathe fly fishing. But there's always one awkward part of the day, especially if you've never been on one before - the tip. How much do you tip? Are they expecting it? Is there ever an instance where you'd WITHOLD a tip? Today on Untangled, you'll learn all about tipping culture in fly fishing, and whether it's something you should consider on your next guided trip.

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If you've ever heard other anglers talk about how great it feels to catch fish on flies they tied themselves, you've probably thought they were overselling it. They make the experience out to be something on par with your first kiss, or getting your driver's license.

So if catching fish on a fly you tied is that good, then it stands to reason that catching fish on a fly you INVENTED is even better — right up there with getting married, or watching a tax write off actually SAVE you money.

This is all well and good, but there's one question we need to ask — how exactly do you start coming up with your own fly patterns? What makes it YOURS and not a copy of someone else's?

It's honestly pretty simple — it all comes down to tying your flies to fill a specific need, rather than just sitting at the vise and hoping inspiration strikes.

You'll also learn about:

• The different fly rod actions, and what they mean in plain English
• How to pick between realistic and attractor-style nymph patterns
• Tips for becoming a fly fishing guide

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We almost lost one of the most iconic trout species in the world. From the 1970s to 2005, roughly 3.5 million of these fish were eaten by a predator illegally introduced into their ecosystem. It was only through hard work - and a bit of luck - that the fish managed to survive at all. But how did this happen? Why does it matter if some fish go extinct? And where did this all take place? Well, that's what we'll explain in today's episode of Untangled.

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There's one mayfly that, when it hatches, brings EVERY fish up to the surface - including the big ones. These bugs, once they start, come off like clockwork. The fish dutifully follow.

So, what's the catch? Because if there's one true thing about fly fishing, it's that nothing is THIS simple.

Well, these mayflies are tiny. Microscopic. And the fish get EXTREMELY picky about which ones they're eating. Some times, they want the male mayflies. Other times, they're only eating the females. Throw the wrong one, and your chances of catching fish are as good as Spencer's at quitting Diet Coke.

This week on Untangled, you'll learn everything you need to know to take advantage of this tiny mayfly.

You'll also learn about:

• How to fight fish more effectively
• The techniques used for fishing with barbless hooks
• How much time you should expect to struggle when you start fly fishing
• How to handle days when rivers are blown out from rain

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The best thing you could do right now is to turn off this podcast, get your gear together, and go fishing.

If you can't just drop everything and head to the river right now - maybe you're at work, or any good fishing is a long drive away - then I suppose you could keep listening to today's show. But the message at the end will be the same as it is now: get up and go fishing.

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The second installment in our Everyday Angler series features Hyrum Weaver, a longtime friend of Spencer's, and one of the fishiest guys he knows. Hyrum is a truly great fisherman who claims he hasn't been skunked in the 21st century. He's also one of the best people you could ever hope to learn from - whether it's figuring out lakes, learning to tie better flies, or simply the key things to look at on rivers to find more fish, Hyrum is a wealth of information, and he's sure to help you level up your game as an angler.

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As the weather finally starts to cool off, that means small mayflies are back on the menu! But they're not the only thing to think about as you hit the water in September. Terrestrial fishing can be excellent this month as well, and will continue to be great until the first hard freeze fo the year. Today on Untangled, you'll get a refresher course on all things fall mayflies, as well as some tips and tricks for troubleshooting those moments when the fish refuse your flies.

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Brookies are the favorite of tons of anglers. They're gorgeous, and the big ones can be extremely frustrating AND rewarding to catch. But they're also one of the biggest threats to the long-term survival of native fish like cutthroat trout. Brookies are more aggressive than cutties, so in places where the two fish live side-by-side, brookies outcompete cutthroat for food. Eventually, the cutthroat just can't persist on the landscape, and they disappear. So, to help cutthroat and other native fish like gila and apache trout, sometimes fisheries managers ASK for you to kill brook trout. Does killing a few brookies REALLY help cutthroat? And is this a sound practice, or do fish biologists in the West just have it out for brookies? Today on Untangled, we'll dive into all of this and explain what really goes into conserving and protecting our native fish.

You'll also learn about:

• What stomach pumps are, and why Spencer thinks they're unethical
• Camp traditions and recipes for fishing trips
• How to get the most out of backpacking trips to go fly fishing
• How to tell if you've spooked fish from a given fun

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Why are so many of the flies we tie, use, and sell, all brightly colored, when most of the real-life bugs trout eat are drab and dull? Why do our fly boxes look like they'd be more at home at a middle-school craft fair, or a tea party, than on the river? Well, it all boils down to how trout perceive color. Understanding this key detail of trout biology can help you better understand how and why trout react so well to certain fly patterns.

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ALEX STULCE RETURNS! And as he joins Spencer on today's episode, the two talk about the hopper fishing strategies that too often get ignored. Things like adding drag on purpose to make the hopper look like it's alive, to fishing them in shallow, nervous water. These are the little things that WILL make a difference in your fishing this summer, but that most folks don't ever discuss.

You'll also hear about:

• Everything going on behind-the-scenes at VFC, including updates on products, live events, and new releases
• Tips for fishing etiquette when you're brand-new
• How to guesstimate the depth of a river when setting up a nymph rig
• How to tell if you're getting a bite, or just ticking the bottom
• The great knot debate between the Clinch and Loop knots

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