2 Guys and a River

Some of you fish alone all or most of the time. We don’t. We probably fish five or six days with someone (often together) for every one day we fish alone. And yet both of us enjoy the days alone on the river. In this episode, we reflect on what makes fishing alone so different … Continue reading "S3:E46 Why We Like to Fish Alone" The post S3:E46 Why We Like to Fish Alone appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fishing guides are the hardest working folks in the fishing industry. Each year, we budget one guided day on the river, most often float trips, though last year we did a wade trip on the Madison. We’ve accumulated a modicum of experience with fly fishing guides. And we’ve learned a ton about how to fish. … Continue reading "S3:E45 What Fishing Guides Have Taught Us about Ourselves" The post S3:E45 What Fishing Guides Have Taught Us about Ourselves appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Spring fly fishing is in full swing, though the weather still feels like winter in many parts of the United States, certainly in the northern states. Weather is certainly one variable in spring fly fishing, but there are others that affect the kind of day you’ll have on the water. In this episode, we identify … Continue reading "S3:E44 The Variables of Spring Fly Fishing" The post S3:E44 The Variables of Spring Fly Fishing appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Hebgen and Quake Lakes in southwestern Montana bookend a short ribbon of the Madison River that is well known for its big rainbows in late March to mid April. In this episode, we recall one fine day on this stretch of the Madison, our first fly fishing trip together after college. Steve tells the story … Continue reading "S3:E43 One Fine Day between Hebgen and Quake Lakes" The post S3:E43 One Fine Day between Hebgen and Quake Lakes appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Frustration almost always sets in when the same tactics yield the same results. If you fish only once or twice a year with a guide or outfitter, improving your fly fishing game doesn’t really matter much. But if you take fly fishing with even a modicum of seriousness, you know the importance of making small … Continue reading "S3:E42 Adjustments to Improve Your Fly Fishing Game" The post S3:E42 Adjustments to Improve Your Fly Fishing Game appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

The fly fishing industry today is a mature industry with a thousand niches, such as salt water fishing, Tenkara, even fly fishing for carp. Before fly fishing’s emergence into the conscience of popular culture came the trailblazers, such as Lee Wulff, Joan Wulff, Lefty Kreh (who passed away recently), and, among many others, Bud Lilly. … Continue reading "S3:E41 Legends of Fly Fishing: Bud Lilly" The post S3:E41 Legends of Fly Fishing: Bud Lilly appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fly fishing gear can last a long time, if well cared for. Steve just retired a pair of 20-year-old waders. Of course, he isn’t fishing 50 days a year, but just a modicum of care can prolong the end of fly rods, reels, waders, nets, and boots. In this episode, we offer up some simple … Continue reading "S3:E40 Extending the Life of Your Fly Fishing Gear" The post S3:E40 Extending the Life of Your Fly Fishing Gear appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Harrison Flats is not listed on the trail head as you walk into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in Colorado. The trail ends about a mile below the lake, so finding it is cause for celebration. In this episode, Steve interviews Dave about finding and fishing this pristine high mountain lake that sits above the timberline. … Continue reading "S3:E39 One Fine Day in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness" The post S3:E39 One Fine Day in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fly fishing for brookies is one of the great joys of life. In this episode, we regale each other with stories of fly fishing for brookies and also discuss a study from the Minnesota DNR about whether brown trout are crowding out the native brook trout population in the Driftless. We wrap up our conversation … Continue reading "S3:E38 Fly Fishing for Brookies" The post S3:E38 Fly Fishing for Brookies appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Life gets in the way of fishing more than we’d like. We’ve had stretches during which we’ve fished little, and stretches that were full of days on the river. Life often gets in the way of doing what we love most. In this episode, we identify the big life obstacles to fishing and some ways … Continue reading "S3:E37 When Life Gets in the Way of Fishing" The post S3:E37 When Life Gets in the Way of Fishing appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fly fishing off color water is pretty much standard fare in the spring. We all fish different kinds of waters – freestone rivers, spring creeks, or tail waters – but when the water muddies up, it’s time to tweak our approach. In this episode, we discuss some practical adjustments to increase the odds of catching … Continue reading "S3:E36 Fly Fishing Off Color Water" The post S3:E36 Fly Fishing Off Color Water appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Big brown trout are in reality river sharks, as biologists have noted. Brown trout in general also tend take over rivers and streams. Biologists surmise they feast on other trout like cutthroat and small fish. In this episode, we discuss a report in Hatch Magazine about what biologists discovered in the stomachs of brown trout. … Continue reading "S3:E35 What the Big Brown Trout Had for Lunch" The post S3:E35 What the Big Brown Trout Had for Lunch appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Mayflies are an important food source of trout. The short happy life of a mayfly is about a year – and all but roughly a day or so of its life are spent rolling around the bottom of the river. Their few hours as adults are mostly spent in a mating frenzy, after which the … Continue reading "S3:E34 The Short Happy Life of a Mayfly" The post S3:E34 The Short Happy Life of a Mayfly appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Learning to fly fish is the worthy pursuit of a lifetime. But the first couple years, depending on how often you fish, can be frustrating. You think it’s about casting, but that’s not even a fraction of what you need to learn to catch fish consistently. In this episode, we interview Steve’s two sons about … Continue reading "S3:E33 The Roller Coaster of Learning to Fly Fish" The post S3:E33 The Roller Coaster of Learning to Fly Fish appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Making small adjustments on the river is the secret sauce to better days on the river. No one ever tells a new fly fisher that the three attractor patterns in his or her fly box won’t work every time out. Sooner or later, we all learn that fly fishing is all about a thousand adjustments. … Continue reading "S3:E32 The Art of Making Small Adjustments on the River" The post S3:E32 The Art of Making Small Adjustments on the River appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.