Skip to content

Rivers

All riversHatch chartWhite River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River

Insects

Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout

Techniques

Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

About

AboutContactPrivacyTerms
RiffleRiver ledger
English 中文
Techniques
White River, ArkansasDavidson RiverPenns CreekLetort Spring RunFarmington RiverPere Marquette RiverNorth Umpqua RiverDeschutes RiverSan Juan RiverFryingpan RiverYellowstone RiverBighorn RiverTraun RiverBeaverkill RiverRío GrandeGreen River below Flaming GorgeRiver WharfeHenry's Fork of the SnakeSoča RiverAu Sable RiverTongariro RiverSouth Platte — Deckers and CheesmanRiver TestMadison River
Brown troutRainbow troutMountain whitefishBrook troutCutthroat troutSteelheadEuropean graylingMarble troutSea-run brown troutResident brown trout
Reading waterMatching a hatchNymphingDry-fly presentationStreamer fishingSwinging a flyCatch and release, done properlyTying flies you will actually fish

Technique · On every fish you are not keeping.

Catch and release, done properly

The difference between a fish that swims away and a fish that dies three hours later.

By The Fly Desk

Keep it wet, keep it short

A trout held out of water for thirty seconds takes hours to recover its equilibrium, and one held for a photograph on dry grass usually dies. Land fish with a knotless net, keep the net in the water, unhook with forceps without lifting the fish, and if you want a photograph take it with the fish still in the net, half-submerged.

Barbless, always

Barbless hooks penetrate as well as barbed ones and come out in a fraction of the time, which is why they are mandatory on most of the rivers in this ledger. Pinch the barb down on every fly before you fish it, including the ones you bought pre-barbed — it takes five seconds and it is the single largest welfare gain available to an angler.

Warm water is the real killer

At water temperatures above about 20°C, a trout's recovery from even a short fight is poor and release mortality climbs sharply. The correct response is to stop fishing, not to fish faster. Carry a thermometer, and treat 20°C as a hard stop — many of the rivers in this ledger have local rules built on exactly that number.

Rivers in the ledger where this applies