Troutbitten

Domenick Swentosky
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Life on the water. Troutbitten is a deep dive into fly fishing for wild trout in wild places. Author and guide, Domenick Swentosky, shares stories, tips, tactics and conversations with friends about fly fishing through the woods and water. Explore more. Fish hard. And discover fly fishing at Troutbitten.com — an extensive resource with 1500+ articles about trout, friends, family and the river.

  1. 7 HR AGO

    Dry Fly Platforms - Upright Hackles - The Troutbitten Fly Box

    Season 18 is a unique look at dry fly styles, through the concept of platforms. By taking a fly shape, a form or a set of materials, we can adapt the elements like color, wing style, tailing material or hackle length to meet the moment. Within the fly platform, we vary its properties to the river conditions or to a specific hatch. In this seven part Skills Series for season 18, we cover these six dry fly platforms: 1: Upright Hackles 2: Parachutes 3. Comparaduns 4. Down Wings 5. Hoppers and Stoneflies 6. Emergers This first episode looks at the platform of Upright Hackles. A classic Catskill style, like the Adams, is a perfect example of this platform. Both slimmer and beefier versions are common, each of which are adapted to prioritize the selectivity of the trout or the buoyancy of the fly against heavier currents. Upright Hackles are perhaps the most common dry fly style, and many popular patterns fit into this platform. In this episode, we look at the specifics for hook, tail, body, wing and hackle for our first platform in this Skills Series -- the Upright Hackle. This is a great breakdown and a fun conversation with my friend Austin Dando. Resources PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying - Essential Tools and More (S17 Ep9) READ: Troutbitten | Pattern vs Presentation PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fishing Dry Flies - Dry Fly Skills Series  (S12) Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 10m

  2. 21/12/2025

    Approaching the River

    We’re here to talk about approaching the river — approaching the trout — to put our boots in the best place, with a strategy for making the casts and catching fish. We focus so much on the drifting, on the presentation and the casting — on the technical aspects of getting all of those things just right — that it’s easy to overlook the skill that comes before all of that . . . And make no mistake, the approach is a skill. It’s about making a plan. It’s about choosing a piece of water and deciding at which angle we’ll make the cast. We consider all of it in this episode. We also look at some intangibles like bug life and light angles, like water levels and how we might mask our presence from the trout. Because scared trout don’t eat, and honestly, that has to be our first consideration. This is a great conversation with my friends Matt Grobe and Bill Dell.  Resources PODCAST: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout - What Scares Fish and How to Avoid Spooking Them READ: Troutbitten | The Spooky Trout - Find Their Blind Spot READ: Troutbitten | Are You Spooking Trout? PODCAST: Troutbitten | Pre-Trip Efficiencies  Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 10m

  3. 15/12/2025

    Fly Tying -- Essential Tools and More

    Fly tying is more popular than ever. With the prevalence of high quality materials and excellent videos showing how to build flies, more fly anglers choose to tie their own patterns than ever before. All of us at Troutbitten have been tying our own flies from the beginning, so we each have preferences for the tools we use. That's what this podcast episode is all about. We discuss the essentials, like vise, scissors and a bobbin, along with some other tools and gear that each of us considers invaluable for tying materials to a hook.  The tools come first. And the quality of those tools can either help or hinder the process. This conversation is a lot of fun. My friends, Bill Dell, Dr. Trevor Smith, Austin Dando, Josh Darling and Matt Grobe join me.  Resources PODCAST: Troutbitten | Fly Tying and the Complete Angler - S5,Ep2 READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Troutbitten Fly Box Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 23m

  4. 07/12/2025

    Fly Fishing Myths

    For this episode, we want to tackle a topic that’s been on our list for a long time — fly fishing myths and misunderstandings. We’re not here to argue about stuff or complain. We just want to acknowledge things that we hear repeated or we see in print or shown in videos — stuff that’s almost assumed as fact, when it’s often not true at all. We do think it’s important to try to clear the air about these myths and misunderstandings, because bad or incomplete information can really lead people down the wrong path. Or an angler might base many decisions about how they fish, where they fish, when they fish or what they fish for based, in part, upon these myths or these assumptions. Most of what we bring up is well engrained into the fly fishing field of knowledge. Basically, most of you out there listening will have heard nearly everything we bring up. Maybe too, you’ll have a different take on things, and some of these won’t be myths to you at all. That’s good. Because you really should trust yourself and your own time on the water more than anyone else.  My friends, Bill Dell and Josh Darling join me for a great conversation. Resources PODCAST: Troutbitten | What To Trust - S5, Ep11 READ: Troutbitten | What To Trust READ: Troutbitten | Who Knows Better Than You?  Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 17m

  5. 30/11/2025

    In Deep with Devin Olsen - Tight Line Tactics and Competition Influence

    Devin Olsen has had an immeasurable influence on the nymphing game. Having been embedded in the competition scene for two decades now, Devin knows competition nymphing form the inside. While reading Devin's book and watching his videos, it's obvious that he puts in the work. Instead of slavishly recycling the ideas of others, Devin is a unique thinker and a tireless tester on the water. I've always admired his work. I asked Devin to go in deep about competition nymphing styles, while specifically considering the rules and restrictions imposed on competitors. We consider whether those rules about flies and leader restrictions are helpful or hurtful for the common angler. This is a fantastic conversation. I'm pleased to present my interview with Devin Olsen . . . RESOURCES WEBSITE / FLY SHOP: Tactical Fly Fisher BOOK: Tactical Fly Fisher YOUTUBE: Tactical Fly Fisher READ: Troutbitten | Series | What You're Missing by Following FIPS Competition Rules Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 29m

  6. 27/11/2025

    Troutbitten State of the Union, Fall 2025 - Catching Up With the Shop, Book, Videos, Events and More

    For our State of the Union 2025, my wife, Becky, joins me for a lighthearted look at what's going on in the Troutbitten world. We talk about the upcoming leader sale in the Troutbitten Shop (December 1). We talk about the book, the In Deep series, podcast plans, shop changes, a live podcast event, a Troutbitten Film Festival and the the New Trail Troutbitten beer. Becky and I also read a few listener comments. Resources VIDEO: Troutbitten | In Deep With John Shaner and Dry Fly Leader Design VIDEO: Troutbitten | In Deep - Fishing Simply, With Craig Matthews VIDEO: Troutbitten | Beer and Friends -- Good Times and Good Stories with New Trail and Troutbitten SHOP: Troutbitten | Category | Leaders Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    44 min

  7. 23/11/2025

    Have Mono Rig and Euro Nymphing Styles Gone Too Far?

    All of us at Troutbitten, along with so many anglers across the country, use a Mono Rig for most underwater presentations. The tight line advantage and the drift control possible for both nymphs and streamers is fun and effective. But a lot has changed . . . Five or ten years ago, most tight line anglers were using a Mono Rig leader build with a butt section thick enough to mimic the functions of a fly line. This is what we call a Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig, and it's a hybrid system. So with good casting form, the leader can push even the lightest flies around -- the line carries the flies. These days, the most popular leader builds have gone to the end of the line, with the thinnest possible tippets and even butt sections that are 5X diameter. These leaders require water haul casts with light flies and major adaptations in form that open up the age old question again -- "Is that even fly fishing?" Has it all gone too far? None of us care much about what you call the tactic. But more importantly, have Mono Rig leaders and tactics gone so far and become so common that these tools and these styles are actually hindering some anglers' growth? And does that really matter? These are the questions we tackle in this podcast episode. My friends, Austin Dando, Dr. Trevor Smith, Bill Dell and Matt Grobe and Josh Darling join me for a great conversation. Resources READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig PODCAST SERIES: Troutbitten | Tight Line Skills Series READ: Troutbitten | The Mono Rig, and Why Fly Line Sucks READ: Troutbitten | Design and Function of the Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 21m

  8. 16/11/2025

    The Spawning Process of Trout

    The spawning process is arguably the most important event of a trout's life. The best trout in the system spawn every year. And as long term anglers, we should understand the process -- not only because we then know how to give trout their space, but because the process is a fascinating look at a fish that we spend so much time chasing. We do not advocate fishing for actively spawning trout. But in many watersheds, it's easy to stay away from the redds and give trout plenty of room by simply understanding the process. That's the focus of our conversation in this episode: where, when and how do trout spawn in a river? This podcast is a follow up to another that we published a few years ago, with Episode 2 of Season 9 -- Trout Fishing and the Spawn. My friends, Austin Dando, Bill Dell and Matt Grobe join me for a great conversation. Resources READ: Troutbitten | Redd Fish - Should we fish for trout through the spawn or stay home? PODCAST: Troutbitten | Trout Fishing and the Spawn.  S9, Ep2 Visit Troutbitten Website Troutbitten Instagram Troutbitten YouTube Troutbitten Facebook Thanks to TroutRoutes: Use the code TROUTBITTEN for 20% off your membership athttps://maps.troutroutes.com  Thanks to Skwala Use the code, TROUTBITTEN10 for 10% off your order athttps://skwalafishing.com/

    1h 2m
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Hosts & Guests

About

Life on the water. Troutbitten is a deep dive into fly fishing for wild trout in wild places. Author and guide, Domenick Swentosky, shares stories, tips, tactics and conversations with friends about fly fishing through the woods and water. Explore more. Fish hard. And discover fly fishing at Troutbitten.com — an extensive resource with 1500+ articles about trout, friends, family and the river.

Information

  • Creator
    Domenick Swentosky
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    184
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Troutbitten
  • Show Website
    Troutbitten

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