Summertime is here! The water is clear, the air is thick with potential, and if you're like me, you're just itching to tie on a dry fly and get after it. It doesn’t matter if I’m targeting brown trout in Central Pennsylvania, Iceland, or Montana, this is a favorite season to throw dry flies! But which ones outperform others?
Read moreThree tips for having a better day on the water
by Mike Komara
This angler’s clearly having a great day—but even the best days on the water can get a little better (yes, really).
The fly fishing world is packed with articles, books, and videos on how to improve your skills to catch more or bigger fish. Obviously, we all want more success with one, if not both, of those things. That being said, the pursuit of fish isn’t what keeps us coming back to the water day after day. Getting outside and enjoying our time while pursuing those trophy fish is really what matters.
Instead of talking about what you need to do to catch more fish, I want to talk about a few ways to make your time out there more enjoyable. Over the years of working with beginner and intermediate anglers, I’ve noticed there are a handful of easily correctable issues that cause an undue amount of frustration. Taking care of these small problems and bad habits is sure to make your time out there much more pleasant, and may even help you get a few extra fish to hand.
An experienced angler tying a quick knot. Switching flies took him only a few seconds, which means more time fishing.
Practice Tying your Knots
I won’t try and convince you what knots to use or that one is better than another (though I do have my opinions!). In the end, it doesn’t really matter as long as whatever you tie, you can tie it well, and tie it quickly. I have watched countless anglers spend upwards of ten or even fifteen minutes retying a rig after a break off, some to lose it again after just a few casts. Sound familiar?
Spending this much time tying knots adds up to being a big waste of time over a day, and isn’t anywhere near as fun as the fishing itself. Taking a few minutes a day while you’re watching TV or on the phone to practice tying your knots is one of the biggest things you can do to get more out of your day.
Leave the kitchen sink at home
An overloaded chest pack for a day of fishing. This used to be what my pack looked like, but I decided to lighten it up when my shoulders started hurting after half a day on the water
Fly fishing is the sport for people who love gear and trinkets. There’s always some new piece of equipment to try out that might help you land another fish or two. The truth is, almost none of this is necessary to have success on the water. In fact, having an excess of stuff hurts your chances of catching fish more than it helps them.
There’s a concept called the choice paradox, which states that the more options someone has, the less confident and satisfied they are with whatever they choose. Having two rods, five leaders, three tippet sizes, two types of indicators, and ten flies is enough combinations to make your head spin. Aside from that, it’s just heavy and uncomfortable to lug all that gear around for a full day. It’s better to become confident in a fine tuned, condensed system than have the “perfect” setup for every scenario. There is a reason most World Champion fly anglers have less gear on them than anyone else around them. Less is more!
Think before you fish
Mistakes happen when we rush. We all want to get to the river as fast as possible, but that’s when things get forgotten or overlooked. You’re certainly not getting the most out of your day if you show up to the river to find you’ve forgotten your wading boots, or that the wind is gusting forty miles an hour. I have a short checklist that I’ve made a habit to look at before I turn the key in my ignition. Check the wind, rain or snow, temperatures, water levels, and double check that I have all the essential equipment to fish those conditions if I still decide to go out. It may seem like a small thing, but I had to learn the lesson the hard way too many times; a quick double check can save a day. To get a copy of Tim Cammisa’s fishing checklist, shoot him an email: tcammisa@gmail.com
These three things are small changes that have big results. They are easy to start or implement, and though they may take a bit of time to start working, they will, without a doubt, make your time on the water better in one way or another. Tight lines!
Mike Komara is guide based in Central Pennsylvania, plus competes for Fly Fishing Team USA>
Mike Komara is guide based in Central Pennsylvania, under his own service, Innovative Angling. He has been fly fishing for over fifteen years, competing with Fly Fishing Team USA for ten, and guiding since 2019. Michael currently represents the United States yearly at the World Fly Fishing Championships, where he has earned two youth and one senior team medal.
Ready to level up your time on the water? Book a day with Mike Komara at Innovative Angling:
Why Use a Guide?
When beginning to wonder “Should I book a guide?” or even “WHY should I book a guide?” there is so much to consider! Unfortunately, I feel there are so many misconceptions around this. Many anglers fall into the unintentional trap of considering a guide to either learn a new spot or with an expectation of having the greatest fishing day (i.e. catching day!) they’ve had yet. There’s nothing wrong with having those aforementioned hopes, but there is so much more that guides can offer anglers beyond just that! Here are some reasons why you should use a fly fishing guide.
Read moreFly Fishing the “Mother’s Day Caddisfly Hatch” in Minnesota
“There are corners of this green footstool which men look upon with more than mere gratefulness - places that they feel deeply at home. Let all of them choose their own inviolate acres. Along the banks of the raging Rogue, or in the pineclad hills of Alabama. All of the close-to-earth hunting and fishing men know their chosen places.” -Gordon MacQuarrie
My “chosen place” is right here in The Driftless. To put a finer point on it, the southeast corner of Minnesota. Within a 60 mile radius of my house are over 700 miles of trout streams! My biggest decision each day is which stream to fish. Oftentimes, the only traffic I encounter is an Amish carriage or a farmer in a slow tractor.
Read more5 Things You Don’t Need in Fly Fishing
Fly fishing is an incredible sport, full of nuances and personal preferences. But let’s be honest—there are a lot of things we’re told we “need” that we really don’t. If you’re looking to simplify your setup and focus on what truly matters, here are five things you can ditch today.
Read moreFloat & Fly-Fish Remote Alaska: What To Expect
Remote Alaska has a certain allure to fishermen worldwide that’s hard to put into words. It’s more than simply a place to catch trophy fish, avoid the crowds, and bring home some salmon for friends and family. Thousands of fly-fishermen, sightseers, and guides (like me!) return to this magical place year after year for the feeling of belonging, of connectedness with nature in untouched landscapes; an emotion that’s increasingly difficult to experience in the busy world we inhabit. Fly-out, overnight raft trips in Bristol Bay are the best way many have found to combine this feeling with the joy of fly-fishing.
Read moreAtlantic Salmon: A historic season on the Mýrarkvísl
As I reflect on the 2024 fishing season, one word comes to mind: exceptional. This year, we landed an incredible 406 salmon on the Mýrarkvísl, making it one of the most successful seasons in the river's history. For those of us who have fished and guided here for years, this was not just a season—it was a celebration of what makes this river so special.
Read morePrepare Like a Pro: 5 Essential Tips for Your Guided Fly Fishing Trip
As a full time guide for multiple species in multiple states throughout the year and a world traveling angler, I find it to the utmost importance that when you’re booking your fishing trip of a lifetime that you want to be prepared. Lack of preparation or unrealistic expectations can lead to dissatisfaction. The last thing you want to spend your time and hard-earned money on is the wrong experience, so I’m here with offer tips to help you find the one that fits your needs and gives you the experience you’re looking for.
Read moreThe BEST Fly Fishing Podcasts!
Podcasts are special, especially those about fly fishing. Is it because we yearn for knowledge, and so many give us tips, insights, and expert advice to help us catch more fish? Maybe it’s because fly fishing podcasts are the perfect companion when driving to the river, or even a roadtrip to a new destination. Some provide incredible stories that resonate deep within us, whereas others appeal because they closely resemble a group of friends sitting around and talking shop, making us feel like we’re part of the group. There are lots of options for fly fishing podcasts today, and each one brings its own flair to the party.
Read moreEssential Fly Tying Tools: Top 5 Picks for Better Flies
Fly tying can be an intricate and rewarding craft that allows anglers to create their own flies, mimicking the natural food sources of fish. While the art of fly tying can be as simple or complex as you wish, having the right tools is essential for creating effective and quality flies. After years of experience at the vise, I’ve narrowed down my top five fly tying tools that every fly tier should have in their arsenal. I have listed them in no particular order. It is worth noting at this point that tying your own flies will not save you money, no! It will take you down the rabbit hole one which is as deep as that of fly fishing itself.
Read moreTop 5 Steelhead Flies for Lake Erie Tributaries: Must-Have Patterns for Success
Steelhead are an amazing species to target, especially if you’re in the Great Lakes region! This stunning fish was caught during an incredible outing with my friend Josh Miller from Trout Yeah Guide Service.
As many of you know, I live in Pennsylvania…so how are there steelhead? In my neck of the woods, huge rainbow trout are stocked in the tributaries of Lake Erie and spend most of their life in the lake. This time of year, they run upstream in tributaries, and are an amazing species to target with a fly rod. Are they steelhead? They are a migratory fish, though don’t spend any of their life in saltwater. Are they fun? Absolutely! More importantly, many of the flies and techniques we use are effective not only for these steelhead, but also for trout.
Read moreThe Best Fly Fishing Luggage
During my journeys around the world fly fishing, I am constantly tweaking my travel bags. No matter in the airport, at the lodge, or on the water, these packs are an important part of the experience. The wrong ones can drive me crazy, as they’re difficult to lug around the airport and don’t always hold the right gear for the trip. Yet some rise to the top, disappearing into the background and making the experience not only easier, but more enjoyable. Those are the travel bags I discuss in-depth.
Read moreThe Best Euro Nymph Flies
Perdigon flies are effective because they sink ultra-fast. Because of that, you can use smaller patterns that will get into a trout’s window faster than other types of patterns. This Peridgon features a flashy body and hot spot thorax to grab the trout’s attention.
What type of fly fisher are you? Maybe your motto is “Dry Fly or Die” and the Parachute Adams is a go-to during a hatch. Perhaps Kelly Galloup is your idol, and there’s always a streamer fly on the end of your line. Love fly fishing emergers? There’s no question it’s a favorite of mine, as it’s my most popular presentation for Trout Unlimited clubs and fishing groups. For those trout fly fishers that love to catch fish on a consistent basis, though, look no further than nymphing.
Anglers agree that trout eat most of their diet subsurface, concentrating on nymphs, bait fish, and other food sources that get delivered to them by moving water. Successful fly fishers maximize their catch rate by focusing on these food sources, especially when there is no hatch present. Nymphs are especially important, as they form a significant portion of their diet. Fly fishers have been imitating them for decades with patterns like the Hare’s Ear and Pheasant Tail. So where do Euro nymphs fit in, what exactly are they, and why are they so darn effective?
Read moreWhat is the Mop fly?
Can a pattern this easy truly disrupt fly fishing? Of course not, but the Mop fly sure created a bit of a speed bump that had fly fishers lining up either for or against this fish-catching pattern.
Fly fishing is known for its connection to nature. It’s known for being relaxing on one hand and equally challenging on the other. It brings us together; everyone loves a free coffee at the local fly shop! And fly fishing is especially steeped in tradition, heck Fly Fisherman magazine always called it “The Quiet Sport.” Then along came the Mop fly. Can one fly really disrupt the entire sport of fly fishing?
The short answer is “No,” but it can create a speed bump, which is exactly what the Mop fly did. Even personally, this fly had an impact. In 2015, just after the fly started gaining a following, I recorded a Mop fly tying video (found here). Yet I didn’t publish the video until the next year. Why? I knew that releasing a Mop fly video would alter my YouTube channel. And it did.
Read moreFly Fishing Gear for Dry Flies
The Sulphur (PMD) hatch is one that many anglers look forward to. Don’t just show up and fish, instead invest in your fly fishing time on the water with this gear to make for a more enjoyable experience.
Poetry in motion for fly fishers is watching a trout rise to a dry fly. This visual aspect of fly fishing is a style many prefer, especially apparent by the number of anglers that chase epic bug emergences like blanket caddisfly hatches on Montana’s Missouri River, the Hex mayfly in Michigan, and Penn Creek’s Green Drake hatch in central Pennsylvania. The simple approach is to show up and fish, yet the following pieces of gear will increase the number of fish you catch, plus make for a more enjoyable experience.
Read moreThe PERFECT Fly Rod for Fly Fishing!
Does the perfect fly rod exist? If you would have asked me 30 years ago, then I had an EASY answer for you: Yes, the perfect fly rod is a 9’ 5-weight. Yet I rarely fish that rod anymore, so what's changed? Let’s talk about using different fly line weight to chase different fish, plus I'm going to share with you some fly rods that are perfect (at least for me!).
Read moreCan Fly Fishing and Social Media Coexist?
What really helped me catch this brown trout: Social media, experience on the water, or doing my homework?
When looking at that gorgeous brown trout I caught while fly fishing, do you really think Instagram “helped” me catch it? That’s a good question, though many will argue that the wild trout was caught because of time spent on the water and doing my homework. Where do platforms like Instagram and TikTok come in? Continue reading as I make the argument that they did contribute to that trout.
Read more5 Fly Tying Tools You DON'T Need!
Look over your fly tying bench. What are some of the tools you can live without? In this blog, I feature some things in fly tying that are NOT needed.
Let’s be honest, there is a STEEP learning curve in fly tying. With all of the materials, techniques, tools, and nuances, it’s a hobby that takes time to learn. But have you ever looked around your bench and wondered how you accumulated so much STUFF?!? I just did so and realized there were 5 things I could live without.
Read moreDoes Fly Tying Save You Money?!?
So you’re thinking about getting into fly tying! You’ve done some research, checked out some YouTube channels (hopefully MINE), and even talked to a friend. But you have that one burning question: Is fly tying worth it?!? Trust me, you’re not alone, so let’s find out if tying flies is right for you.
Read moreThe Fly that KILLED Fly Fishing?!?
The Sucker Spawn was truly the first fly that nearly KILLED fly fishing for me. It’s a simple pattern that I originally tied for steelhead…but other species couldn’t resist. I talk about this fly specifically in this video: The Fly that KILLED Fly Fishing!
Let’s be honest, can a fly really KILL fly fishing? Of course not! Yet in fly fishing, many hold true to the belief that there is that perfect fly, the magic bullet, one that will catch EVERY fish in the water. Once finding that fly, will the experience be ruined for you…or enhanced? Let’s find out!
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