Editorials about Fly Fishing Issues

In Defense of "Latin" Names by Troutnut

There is a rising chorus of curmudgeons who decry the use of Latin names for bugs, ridiculing the vocabulary contests we hold around the fireplace of their imaginations. In reality we use scientific names because they're the less confusing way to swap practical advice about the details of each hatch. Read more...

Remembering a great scientist and friend, Nicholas Hughes by Troutnut

temp description Read more...

Identification gives Information for Imitation by Troutnut

Many anglers aren't too keen on entomology, and they pride themselves on catching trout without identifying any insect beyond the level of "little brown bug." That works surprisingly well, but different little brown bugs behave in different ways, and the trout adjust their feeding habits accordingly. Identifying an insect lets you find information about how it behaves in all its stages. This can be surprisingly helpful. Read more...

Are trout stupid for eating food with a hook in it? by Troutnut

I often hear on forums, "Hey, how smart can they be? They're eating something with a big hook in it." But consider their situation: odds are, you'd let a hook or two in, too. Read more...

Enough with Fly "Patterns" by Troutnut

Write about how people shouldn’t be so concerned with patterns, especially for imitating hatches. Instead, they should focus on learning styles of flies (Catskill, Compara-dun, etc) and learn the strengths and weaknesses of each for imitating different types of behavior under different conditions, and then create the right fly for their insect without needing to see it in a recipe somewhere. Read more...

Hatch Charts, Schmatch Charts by Troutnut

Article about how hatch charts are the wrong way to look at hatching, because (a) most minor fishable hatches encountered are species too obscure to show up on hatch charts, (b) regional generalization is always silly, because there are so incredibly many differences from stream to stream, (c) there are big differences in timing of superhatches from stream to stream. They are, at best, only a rough approximation to the general timing of the biggest hatches. Read more...

Overzealous C&R Types by Troutnut

Write an article about ways extreme conservation-minded C&R anglers tend to waste their energy, and how people should choose their fights to focus on the real threats to trout fishing. That means to stop nitpicking about the method of responsible C&R practiced by others (taking quick pictures, stomach pumping, etc) or about people mentioning the name of a major river, etc. This should include something about how it’s the water temperature, not the air temperature, that matters, to debunk the popular idea that summer fishing is bad. Read more...

Showing Stream Names Online by Troutnut

The hot-button topic of naming places frequently faces anyone who runs a fishing website or even posts on a fishing forum. Here I give my take on the issue, as well as Troutnut.com's policy. Read more...