Venturesflyco

5 Fly Fishing Skills to Master in 2025 If you want to catch more fish in 2025, what should you focus on? Do you need to take up Euro nymphing, or finally figure out the double-haul and reach cast? And how do you know if those things will REALLY make a difference? In this episode of Untangled, Spencer shares 5 skills that EVERY angler should focus on if they want to put more fish in the net this year. Watch the full video at the "Podcast" link in our bio! 5 Fly Fishing Skills to Master in 2025 | Ep. 108 #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Learning to set up your fly rod can be tough. 🥵 Let’s walk through how to set up this beginner friendly nymph rig. First, we’ll attach a 9 ft, 4x leader to our fly line using a handshake knot. Next, we’ll attach our first bigger heavier fly to the end of our leader using a clinch knot. Now we’ll take about 12 to 18 inches of tippet and attach it to the bend of our first fly’s hook using the same clinch knot. Then tie on our second lighter fly to the end of the tippet, again using a clinch knot. Last, we’ll attach our strike indicator. Setting your nymph rig up this way will help eliminate tangles, reduce the amount of knots you need to learn, and you won’t have to mess around with any split shot. If you need to get your flies deeper, you can lengthen the distance between your first fly and the indicator, or add on heavier flies. Hopefully this helps simplify things the next time you’re nymphing. #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

What bugs are actually active during the winter? And is it even worth it to go out fly fishing in the cold? Well, fish do slow down in the winter, but they still eat! And there are a few bugs that are active, even when there's snow on the ground! On this episode of Untangled, you'll learn about the 12 flies that Spencer recommends for winter fly fishing, and a few tips for effectively fishing these flies! To watch the full episode and see the entire list of flies, check out the podcast link in our bio! The 12 Best Flies for Winter Fly Fishing | Ep. 107 #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

What do you do when the fish won't eat your fly? Let's say you're out on the water, and the fish are eating! They're smacking dries, or you see other anglers hooking up on nymph rigs. It looks like the fishing is great, except for one thing: you're not catching anything! How do you troubleshoot your way out of that situation and avoid the skunk? On this episode of Untangled, Spencer will walk you through his 5-step process to work your way through tough days on the water. If you're ready to leave those frustrating days behind you and put more fish in the net, you need to catch this podcast! Check out the link in our bio to watch the entire podcast episode! Fly Fishing Troubleshooting: What to Do When Nothing Works | Ep. 106 (Untangled: Fly Fishing For Everyone) #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Is there a fly that will work 100% of the time, no matter where or when you're fishing? Magic flies like that don't exist, BUT we do have some flies that we carry with us no matter what. Parachute Adams—a do-it-all fly that can imitate a wide variety of adult bugs, especially mayflies. I like these in a size 12, all the way to 20 Zebra Midge—midges are one of the most abundant food sources in any river, and fish love ‘em! Zebra midges imitate the nymph form of these bugs, and I like them in all colors from size 14-20. Elk Hair Caddis—caddis are another insect that are found in almost every trout stream. Fish LOVE to eat caddis, and I like these in brown and gray in sizes 14-18. Frenchie—almost 80% of a fish’s diet is nymphs, and the Frenchie is one of the best! It can imitate caddis or mayfly nymphs, which are present in almost every river. I like these in a size 14-18. Pat’s Rubberlegs—this is the best stonefly nymph out there! Stoneflies aren’t as common as other insects, but they’re a big ticket meal item, so fish will move to eat them. I have these in sizes 8-12. Chubby chernobyl—this fly can pass as a hopper or an adult stonefly, and floats forever! It’s great to use as the top fly in a dry-dropper rig, too. I like these in tan, yellow, and gray in sizes 8-12. Woolly Bugger—one of the best flies out there! This thing just flat-out catches fish. It can imitate all sorts of other fish, leeches, or even crawdads. I like these in sizes 4-8. Go to the link in our bio for a FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart! #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Fly rods are kind of important for fly fishing...after all, if we didn't have fly rods, we couldn't fly fish! But fly rods are also confusing. What does the line weight rating mean? Why does it matter? What is a fly rod's action, and should that change what rod you buy? And why are some of them SO EXPENSIVE? On this episode of Untangled, you're going to learn EVERYTHING about fly rods. This is the definitive guide to understanding fly rods so you can pick the best one for any fishing situation. Check out the link in our bio to watch the entire podcast episode! Choosing the Perfect Fly Fishing Rod: The Ultimate Guide | Ep. 105 (Untangled: Fly Fishing For Everyone) #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

How often should you change your flies? 🤔 We had one of our online community members ask... “I have heard if nothing bites in 10 minutes change your flies… should I be more patient? Change the size? Different pattern? Change tippet? Arg!! Too many variables.” - Stephanie C. When I’m on the river and don’t start catching fish right off the bat (and this happens a lot!), here is the process follow: First, I focus on presentation. Even if you have the perfect fly tied on, the fish are not gonna eat it if it has drag or it’s not in the strike zone. So if I am fishing dry flies, I will usually size down my tippet to help combat micro drag. And if I am fishing nymphs, I will try to get deeper by increasing the distance between my indicator and fly, or adding a small split shot. If I am sure my flies are drifting drag free and close to the bottom in the strike zone, that is when I will consider changing my fly. If I have already picked a fly out of my box to match the bugs I’ve seen that day, and feel confident that is what the fish are eating, I will keep the same pattern but go down in size. If I see multiple bugs flying around or under the rocks, I might switch to a different pattern and try and imitate another bug type. And after all that, if I’m still having trouble I will tie on some attractor patterns which can elicit a strike from stubborn fish. #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

A TON of anglers just skip over pocket water, assuming there aren't any fish. But pocket water can hold some of a river's BIGGEST trout. Pockets are formed when water flows around an obstruction; typically, a rock. This creates a pocket of calm water directly behind the rock, as well as seams on either side (A seam is where fast and slow water meet, and fish LOVE to hang out in them). Focusing on the side seams, as well as the soft pocket of water ahead of the rock, is a great way to effectively fish pocket water. You'll also want to focus on the area slightly downstream of the pocket, where the two side seams join back together, sort of like the bottom of a Y. Fish will hold there, too. PS - If you want to see how we rig up for and fish pocket water, check out the "Finding Fish eBook" link in our bio. #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Why do fish reject your flies? 🤔 We know presentation matters, but there's gotta be more to it than that, right? Fly selection has to play a role. And what about the color of the fly? Does that matter? Well, a lot of these questions can be answered by looking at the world through a trout's point of view. Virtual reality doesn't have us there quite yet, but this week's episode of Untangled is the closest you'll come to seeing flies through a trout's eye. You'll learn all about what colors trout see, whether color matters, how well they see your flies, and most importantly, how to use this information to put more fish in the net. 🐟 Check out the link in our bio to watch the entire podcast episode! How Trout See Your Flies & What To Do About It | Ep. 111 (Untangled: Fly Fishing For Everyone) #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Our job as fly anglers is to figure out what fish are eating, and then choose a fly out of our box to match. But here’s the problem… There are like 480,000 different fly patterns, and that might be an underestimate!🤪 So to simplify things, let’s walk through the 4 major bug types that trout eat, and some good flies to match them. First, we’ve got mayflies. Adults have tall upright wings, long slender bodies, and 2 or more tails. Nymphs (or baby mayflies) have 6 legs, segmented bodies, and 2 or more tails. Some of my favorite dry flies to imitate adults include parachute adams, last chance cripples, and sparkle duns. My favorite nymphs are frenchies, hare’s ears, and barr’s emergers. Second, we’ve got caddis. Adults have tent-like wings, long antennae, and no tails. Larva (or baby caddis) are worm shaped, segmented, and can be cased or free living. Some of my favorite dry flies to imitate adults include elk hair caddis, foam caddis, and CDC caddis. My favorite nymphs are hare’s ears, walt’s worms, and peeping caddis. Third, we’ve got stoneflies. Adults have flat wings that lay on top and are big in size. Nymphs (or baby stoneflies) have 6 legs, segmented bodies, and 2 forked tails. My favorite dry fly to imitate adults is the Chubby Chernobyl in a variety of sizes and colors. My favorite nymphs are pat’s rubber legs, golden stones, and prince nymphs. Next, we’ve got midges. Adults have slim side-by-side wings, a long skinny body and legs, and fuzzy antennae. Larvae & Pupa (or baby midges) are worm shaped, segmented, and are very small. Some of my favorite dry flies to imitate adults include the Griffith’s Gnat, Matt’s Midge, and No-see-um. My favorite nymphs are the classic zebra midge, demon midge, and WD40. PS - If you'd like to learn how to choose the right fly out of your box, check out the "FREE Year-round Hatch Chart" link in our bio! #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

You've probably heard of dry flies, nymphs, and streamers, but did know there's another type of fly out there? Some experts even think this fly is the EASIEST one to use! Wet flies -- or soft hackles, as you might have heard them called (they're the same thing) -- are a type of fly that's designed to sink and swing through the water. They're meant to mimic the nymphs of caddis and mayflies, but can often simply trigger a predatory response in trout, the same way streamers do. Fishing wet flies is a piece of cake. You don't even need to worry about a drag-free drift! To learn more about wet flies, how to fish them, and why you'd want to use them, head to the link in our bio to watch the full podcast! #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

With the thousands of fly patterns that exist, choosing the right fly can be overwhelming! So to simplify things, let’s group them into 3 categories: First, you’ve got your Realistic patterns. These are flies that very closely match a specific insect. Examples are a parachute blue wing olive to imitate an adult blue winged olive or a Zebra midge to imitate midge larvae or pupa. Each has a similar size, shape, and color to the real insect. Next, you have Suggestive patterns. These are flies that could match a few different insects. Examples are a Chubby Chernobyl. This could imitate adult stoneflies as well as grasshoppers. Or a Hare’s Ear nymph which could imitate a mayfly nymph, caddis larvae, or small stonefly nymph. They are very similar in size and shape, but not an exact match. And last, you have Attractor patterns. These don’t imitate any specific insects. Instead, they are designed to trigger a reaction from a fish using flashy, colorful, or attention-grabbing features. A good example of this is a Hippie Stomper which is purple in color, the size of a beetle or grasshopper, uses hackle like other common dry flies, and rubber legs that wiggle and can elicit a strike. PS - If you'd like to learn how to choose the right fly out of your box, check out the "Fly Selection Masterclass" link in our bio! #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Have you ever been told that you HAVE to fly fish a certain way? That every dry fly needs a drag-free drift, or that you ALWAYS have to keep your rod tip high in the air when fighting fish? These might sound like rules, but they're not! In fact, there are NO RULES in fly fishing. Just some guidelines, and very few at that. In this episode of Untangled, you'll learn all about the "rules" in fly fishing, when you should break them, and how it can help you catch more fish. To watch the full episode, head to the "Podcast" link in our bio! #flyfishing #flyfishingnation #flyfishingtiktok #flyfishinglife #flyfishingtrout #flyfishingaddict #flyfishingcheck #flyfishingtips #flyfishingbass #venturesflyco #TeamVFC #livereellife #beginnerflyfishing #howtoflyfish #flytying #flytyingjunkie #flytyingaddict #flytyingtutorial #flytyingvideo #flytyingnation #flytyingphotography #flytyingtiktok #flyfishinggear

Are expensive fly rods worth all that money? Well, they're a TON of fun to fish with! And I LOVE the expensive rods I have. But after reviewing rods for over a decade, here's the truth I've learned: Expensive rods absolutely aren't necessary, and they won't make you a better angler. If you have problems casting now, a great rod won't fix those issues. Some fly rods can be really expensive because of the materials they're made from, or where the rods are built. Often, these high-end rods are some of the best fishing tools you'll ever use (it's rare to find a dud). If you'd like to learn more about fly rods in general, check out our Fly Fishing FAQ link in our bio!