Leading vs. Following Your Flies on a Tight Line
Drift control on a tight line: when to lead the rig and meter the pace, when to follow the current, and how to stay in light contact without towing the flies off the bottom.
The journal · Page 3 of 13
Blog.
River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte. Written from the water, not a desk.
Page 3
151 posts · page 3 / 13
How to Cast 20 Feet: Why the Short Game Catches More Trout
Most of the trout I catch come inside 30 feet, not on a hero cast. Here's how to be deadly up close — accuracy, drag-beating presentation casts, and tight-quarters tactics.
Sight-Fishing: How I Actually Spot Trout in Clear Water
Half of sight-fishing is just seeing the fish. Here's how I read light, pick lenses, and spot trout on gin-clear South Platte tailwater.
Fly Lines Explained: Weights, Tapers, and the Thing That Actually Casts
Fly line weights, the AFFTA grain system, WF vs DT tapers, and the 'lines run heavy' reality — why the line you choose matters as much as the rod, explained simply.
Leaders and Tippet for Tailwater Trout: The Skinny End of the System
Leader anatomy, the X-rating system, fluoro vs nylon, and the long, light rigs that fool wary trout on Colorado tailwaters like the Dream Stream.
Fly Fishing in Movies & TV: What Hollywood Gets Right (and Hilariously Wrong)
A fly fisher's honest, affectionate roast of fly fishing on screen — from A River Runs Through It to Mending the Line to Yellowstone, and the tropes that make every angler wince.
Reading the Bottom: Where Your Flies Should Be on a Tight Line
Reading water tells you where trout hold; reading the bottom tells you where your flies will tick. Spotting buckets and shelves, then setting weight and tippet to ride the slot.
Are Expensive Fly Rods Worth It? The $300 vs $1,000 Question
An honest breakdown of what separates a $300 fly rod from a $1,000 one — modulus, swing weight, recovery, warranty — and where the money is real versus marketing.
Your Sighter Is an Instrument, Not an Indicator
On a tight line, the sighter isn't a bobber — it's a gauge. Here are the five things my euro sighter reports on the South Platte: contact, angle, depth, speed, and the take.
The Elk Hair Caddis: My High-Floating Searching Dry for South Platte Summers
How I fish the Elk Hair Caddis on the South Platte — why it floats so high, when to skitter it, and the tan, olive, and peacock sizes I actually trust.
The Best Click-and-Pawl Reels of 2026
Click-and-pawl fly reels still rule trout water — here are the best of 2026, from the $110 Redington Zero to the made-in-Montrose Ross Colorado.
Terrestrial Season — Ants, Beetles, and Hoppers on the South Platte
When summer terrestrials hit the water — ants, beetles, and hoppers — South Platte trout eat them hard. Standard fly sizes, where to fish them, and how to work the banks.