We’ve been doing tackle shootouts for years. They are among the most visited pages on our website and we take pride in having helped thousands of anglers find the right tackle for their needs. As our business has grown, we asked ourselves: Which area of fly fishing had the least amount of information? The answer amongst our team was travel. Have you ever booked a lodge and wondered if it was the best lodge? Who has the best food? Most comfortable? Best guides? It’s almost impossible to find anyone who’s visited multiple lodges in a given area, let alone any sort of comparison amongst them. With this shootout, we aim to change that.
The most talked about and least understood part of fly fishing equipment is fly lines. To better understand the variety of tropical 8wt fly line options the industry provides, we set out on a data crunching, line cutting, sore arm casting mission to better understand every warm water 8wt fly line we could get our hands on. We reviewed each one, compared them, measured them, and inspected tapers to demystify one of the most essential pieces of equipment in fly fishing. Tropical anglers take note, our 2020 tropical fly line shootout is here.
The Grannom Caddis are one of the early caddis hatches here in the East. It's simple to tie and a lot of fun to fish during the hatch. This is the female version. If you wish to tie the male version just omit the green tag which represents the egg sack.
This fly was created by a fellow named Jim Bonnett from Montana I believe during the 1980’s. It’s a great general caddis dry fly pattern. It fishes really well and it's easy and quick to tie. It’s typically tied in sizes 12 -18.
This nymph pattern is meant to imitate a cased caddis. The colors used should be matched to the cased caddis you see in your home waters but brown, olive, or green are common. Their segmented abdomen is usually protected by a portable house they build from debris found along the stream bed allowing just their head and 3 pairs of legs exposed. These are a major fish food source and are always on the menu.
The original Madam X was designed and popularized by Doug Swisher in the early 1980's in Montana's Bitterroot Valley. A fantastic attracter dry fly that floats high and is easy to see. A perfect fly to use with a dropper fly. This is a parachute adaptation of his original fly often called the PMX and typically tied in sizes 6 - 12.
There are a number of different ways to tie a fly representing this big Hexagenia Mayfly. This one by Kelly Gallop is my favorite. It's big, easy to see and floats high in the water. During the month of July there are always a few of these in my dry fly box. It's pretty much a nocturnal hatch but I've fooled fish with this in the middle of the day. These are big bugs and can be tied on a size 4 - 10.
When it comes to fly fishing, having the right gear is important if you want to be successful. One of the most important pieces of gear is your fly rod. Choosing the right fly rod can be tricky, but it's important to choose one that is well-suited for the type of fish you're trying to catch. In this blog post, we'll give you some tips on how to choose the right fly rod for every species.
Many associate Georgia with the Masters, World of Coke, peaches, college football, the Atlanta Metro Area's traffic, and the World's Busiest Airport. Some great fly fishing opportunities lie beneath the backdrop of skyscrapers, suburban sprawl, and industrial farming. Most of the fly fishing the Peach State offers is within a short striking distance of a major metro area with over six million people.
I'm not sure about the history of this fly. I do know the Pheasant Tail Nymph came out of England about 100 years ago and the parachute style hackle showed up in the 1930's and has been in and out of favor since then. Today the parachute style flies are hot.
