The early-season hatches you find during spring are some of the BIGGEST challenges you'll face in fly fishing.

And after a winter where you've been cooped up and dreaming of fishing, the last thing you want is to get frustrated because these hatches are SO TOUGH to fish.

This spring, you won't be the angler who can't figure out the fish.

This week's episode of Untangled takes a deep dive into 8 of the essentially fly fishing skills that will COMPLETELY change how successful you are this spring.

These skills are GAME-CHANGERS that will help you read the water better, make smarter fly choices, and present your flies more naturally.

In this episode, you'll also learn about:

• The importance of backing on a fly reel, and why every fly reel needs it
• How to keep your nymphs from constantly snagging the bottom of the river
• How to set the hook on dry flies

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the Year-Round Hatch Chart for FREE! - CHECK IT OUT

Get the Right Fly eBook for FREE! - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Spring fly fishing is here! But how confident are you that you have the right flies for the job? If you don't have the right flies, you could be missing out on what I think is the BEST fly fishing you'll have all year.

In this episode of Untangled, I'll walk you through the 14 must-have fly patterns I use every spring. You'll learn their names, the sizes and colors I recommend, and the real-life bugs these flies imitate.

You'll also learn about:

• The major differences between cheap and expensive reels, and why your best bet is a middle-of-the-road option
• When and if you should use flies that are larger than the naturals you see on the water
• Spencer's top three dream fly fishing trips

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the Right Fly eBook for FREE! - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Brown trout have a reputation for being the smartest - and PICKIEST - fish in the river. If you've ever had one reject your fly, you know it feels like a personal rejection!

But here's the good news: once you understand brown trout behavior, their favorite foods, and where they live, catching them is MUCH easier!

In this episode of Untangled, we'll break down everything you need to know about brown trout. You'll leave with the tactics you need to know to catch a trophy!

You'll also learn about:

• How and why the same flies work in so many different rivers in America
• A leader setup for dry-dropper rigs
• Tips for catching and cooking trout
• Where the fish in small creeks spend their winter

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the FREE Rigs & Knots Guide - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

eBook - Find Fish ANYWHERE - CHECK IT OUT

VIDEO - Fly Selection Master Class - CHECK IT OUT

GEAR - VFC Fly Collections - CHECK THEM OUT

Have you ever heard of "trash" or "junk" flies, and wondered what the heck they are? If a fly is considered "trash," should you even be using it?

Well, here's the thing: these so-called trash flies FLAT-OUT CATCH FISH!

Seriously, these trash flies are some of the most effective patterns out there! And in this episode of Untangled, Spencer walks you through what trash flies imitation, why they're controversial, how to fish them, and why they deserve a spot in your fly box.

You'll also learn about:

• Tippet rings (FINALLY!)
• The importance of fishing multiple types of water to improve your skills
• Spencer's process of selecting flies for a dry-dropper rig
• The reason we add tippet to leaders
• Suggestions for a guide looking to outfit his boat for his first guide season

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Catching trout is often the focus of most fly fishing media. But not all of us live near great trout fishing! You might live next to a farm pond full of panfish, or on the coast near striped bass. So, all the trout-centric fly fishing content can get kinda old. Here's what most folks don't immediately understand, though -- the skills you need for trout fishing overlap with the skills you need for almost every other fish!

Bonefish, bass, tarpon, roosterfish, taimen, musky, pike -- these are all vastly different from trout, but they still require a good knowledge of fly presentation, fly selection, casting, and reading water. Those are foundational skills you need no matter what you're fishing for!

On this episode of Untangled, Spencer walks you through how trout fishing can overlap with all sorts of other species, and gives you concrete examples of what that looks like. You'll also learn about:

• Building your own leaders
• The most versatile fly rod OTHER than a 9' 5-weight
• How to cast after making a LONG drift through a good run

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the Right Fly eBook - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

VIDEO - Fly Fishing Knots - WATCH HERE

VIDEO - Wildfly Smallmouth Film - WATCH HERE

Have you ever wanted to go fly fishing in some incredible place, but you're unsure if you'll ever be able to afford it? I mean, with how expensive eggs are, traveling to fish is just out of the question - right?

Not necessarily. If you're willing to make a few compromises, you can have an AMAZING fly fishing trip for relatively cheap. In this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant will walk you through the process he uses to plan fishing trips, including a half-dozen trips to Alaska while he was still either in college, or teaching high schoolo English.

You'll also learn about:

• Tying on a dry fly to act as an "indicator" in a two-dry rig
• Some tips for mending more effectively
• Spencer's process for applying floatant to dry flies
• Whether your dry-dropper rig needs to be two flies of the same species (a caddis dry and nymph, for example)
• How to match your leader/tippet size to your flies

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

VIDEO - Fly Fishing in Alaska! - WATCH HERE

GEAR - VFC Fly Collections - CHECK THEM OUT

VIDEO - How to Mend Fly Line - WATCH HERE

We all dream of catching a fish that we'll never forget. You know the kind - a big one, or one that required a crazy cast, or maybe just one that surprised you. Often, these unforgettable fish are what keep us coming back to the river. But what exactly makes some fish stand out more than others?

In this episode of Untangled, you'll hear five stories about fish that Spencer hasn't forgotten. From those five fish, Spencer put together a step-by-step guide to help you make your own unforgettable fishing memories.

You'll also learn about:

• Wader and boot recommendations
• How often you should change your flies
• The differences between 5 and 6wt rods

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the Right Fly eBook For FREE! - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Have you ever wondered WHY a fish rejects your fly? Well, we know that presentation matters, but is there something about the fly itself that makes a trout decide to eat - or reject it entirely?

Well, you can find some answers to those questions when you look at exactly how trout see your flies. Their vision is great, but not without its faults. Understanding how trout view the world will give you more tools with which you can better fool fish. In this episode of Untangled, Spencer Durrant walks you through the science behind how fish see your flies, what actually triggers them to eat, AND how this information can directly put more fish in your net.

You'll also learn about:

• How cold is too cold for fly fishing
• Do trout flies work everywhere, or are some patterns specific to certain regions?
• What a nymph is, and what it imitates

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

Get the FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart - CHECK IT OUT

Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE

#LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

GEAR - VFC Fly Collections - CHECK THEM OUT

ARTICLE - How Trout See - CHECK IT OUT

ARTICLE - How Trout See Pt. 2 - CHECK IT OUT

ARTICLE - Does Fly Color Matter? - CHECK IT OUT

ARTICLE - Unmatching the Hatch - CHECK IT OUT

ARTICLE - About That Hook: What Do Trout See? - CHECK IT OUT