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Loops are awesome. Durable and super buggy. Like you, I almost always prefer a dubbing loop to chenille. Much less bulk, and if you use ice dub, you get the bonus of not needing to incorporate flash materials (unless you want to, of course). Dubbing loops also enable the use of rabbit...

Lots of good stuff in that last post. I second that dubbing small flies is tough to master. Always use less dubbing than you think you need. If it doesn't dub onto the thread easily and without bulking up, you have too much. Don't "rush the head" is also huge. That's the mistake most newbies...

Check out his X-Caddis pattern. That thing works better for me than any caddis I've ever tied or bought. One thing to watch out for with starter kits is quality. Sometimes, they're pretty good, but they can be inconsistent. Nothing makes tying flies you're proud of harder than starting with...

I think it's because they make their spawning runs in the fall ("harvest season"). Think I read that somewhere....

Yup. Not looking good for my annual hatchery steelhead roundup on the OP if the forecast holds. Next weekend should be a window for at least smaller rivers/creeks, but it looks like another torrent in the days leading up to my planned trip. It seems like we usually get a period of cold, dry...

Not really. Like I said, all techniques have their drawbacks. It does help to use the heaviest tippet you think you can get away with. Unweighted flies also tangle less. I try to keep my droppers between 4 and 6 inches or so. Not sure if that's "correct" or not....

Depends on the situation. These days, I use droppers seated at the tippet knot in most of my double nymph setups, and I tie off the hook eye of the top fly in most other situations. I feel like I've had more issues with losing bottom flies to fish and unknowns tying off the hook bend, but all...

Thanks, all! Lots of great suggestions. Looks like I need to ask the daughter some questions about what length/width she wants. She'll need an inflatable, because her car is far from ideal for roof transport. I think the vast majority of her use will be on lakes, so there shouldn't be much...

Hi, All! Christmas is coming, and my oldest daughter asked me for a standup paddleboard. I see that they vary tremendously in price (like most things), and I'm trying to figure out what I should get her. This would be her first paddleboard, and she's probably not going to be using it very...

That's good stuff. Nice write-up!

I think this is generally dead on, but my recent experience has been that no matter how experienced you are or how many fish are present, pressured fish bite like shit (by what I used to consider SRC standards). I used to think SRCs were the dumbest (and therefore among the most awesome!) fish...

I think waders took a giant (kind of important) leap forward in terms of comfort when most brands went away from bootfoot "tents" in favor of stockingfoots, but they took a bigger step backwards in terms of longevity. I'm not at all sure I want to walk 4 miles in heavy, clunky bootfoots these...

That looks really cool. Nice report!

Catch reporting is the real benefit to electronic licensing. I'm all for it.

Boots. Ugh... there's another thread. I've been paying close attention to what's happening in my boots lately, and it has taught me that it's important to rinse your boots after each use, to keep as much of that stuff out as possible. Even small amounts of sediment can be an issue, and I suspect...

And there you have it. That's a solid endorsement, given your experience. I really wish I could say the same. I generally end up feeling ripped off every time I spend over $300. Less than that, and I figure I am getting what I deserve for being "cheap." As with the O.P., it's never the wader...

My experience has been largely like yours; I've yet to have waders go more than about a year without a significant (irreparable) leak, generally through the neoprene booties. I have recently decided on taking the opposite approach to seeking "better" waders: buying low to mid-priced waders with...

Hmmm.... I'm sure not everyone agrees, but I'd much prefer seeing a few more steelhead fisheries funded than an opportunity to sit on a lake in freezing rain to catch zombie trout on Black Friday. Some folks will enjoy that opportunity (and more power to 'em!), but I suspect the majority of the...

But not much. I've never had one actually try to bite me, but I have accidentally had chum teeth rake me while trying to remove a hook. The bigger concern is infection. Try to keep the "wounds" clean, then wash those little cuts with soap and water when you get home, and you should be good to...

I started seeing them in August this year, but not in great numbers. As long as it's a relatively warm fall, November hatches are very normal.