Grab your coffee (or tea) and pull up a chair for what we have for you this week: three articles as well as two patterns to check out. Enjoy!

Learn the Nymph (Troutbitten)

We always like to tell clients that if you want to have a better chance of catching fish, you need to learn to nymph. Domenick Swentosky hits on that point in this post about the importance of taking time and learning how to nymph well. Nymphing is the way that I first learned how to fish, and caught a good-sized sucker doing it – ever since then it’s become my preferred method (along with throwing various-sized streamers).

Vision Quest: World Class Carp Fishing on Beaver Island (My North, David Karczynski)

Beaver Island is becoming known as one of the hot-spot destinations for carp fishing in the United States, with people likening it to flats fishing in the Bahamas, only with freshwater and no bonefish or permit. Instead there are carp and smallmouth, and it looks like a great place to check out.

Understanding Different Kinds of Hackle (Orvis Fly Fishing)

Tim Flagler explains the differences between rooster cape, rooster saddle, and hen cape hackle feathers in this short video from the “One Minute Fly Tying Tips and Techniques” series.

Steelie Bros Fly Company – Crease Fly Step by Step (The Fiberglass Manifesto)

This is a good step-by-step of how to tie a crease fly for bass or saltwater fish. It could be a fun pattern to tie up!

Composite Loop Zonker (Frankenfly)

Here’s another Tim Flagler video that’s a combo of pattern tutorial as well as technique to learn. The composite loop makes a great body on the fly, and might be fun to experiment with.