A few weeks ago, I got a call that hit me right in the feels.
A gentleman reached out to say his father — an avid angler from Ireland — was coming to visit. Now in his late 80s, his dad hadn’t been able to fish in nearly a decade. He asked if I could help give his dad one last day on the water. That simple, powerful request stuck with me. Of course, I said yes.
We spent two weeks planning, looking at spots, checking access, and ultimately decided on Wilson’s Flats. When the day came, the river seemed to know — we were greeted by a few rising fish as we arrived.
His dad fished for a bit, rested for a bit, and fished some more. He missed a few, smiled a lot, and soaked in every second. Between casts, the stories came — memories from a lifetime of fishing that brought the biggest smile to his face. After a couple of hours, he turned to me and said, “That’s about all my arm can take… but the lifetime of memories it has recounted made it a truly special trip.”
At the car, before parting ways, he handed me two fly boxes and said, “This is the kind of stuff we use at home. No one back there will appreciate them — here you go.” I was floored.
That day will stay with me forever. I can only hope that when I’m in my late 80s, I’ll be standing in a river with my sons and maybe a new friend — casting flies, swapping stories, and feeling the same joy he felt that day.
With bass season wide open, baitfish patterns are where it’s at. The EP D-Streamer is a killer pattern for smallmouth, largemouth, and more—it fishes well in rivers, lakes, and even urban ponds.
What makes this fly special is its versatility. You can tie it in any colour you like. The EP Fibres take Sharpie marker beautifully, so adding bars, eyes, or hot spots is easy and effective. A little red under the gills? Sure. Olive back with a flash belly? Go for it.
Pro tip: Fish it on a sinking-tip fly line or use a poly leader. Add in some short rod-tip jerks while retrieving, and you’ll bring the fly to life with irresistible darting action.
Want to see more flies in action? Check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram for pattern ideas, tutorials, and gear breakdowns.
It’s never too early to start getting ready for the fall migratory runs. On the vise this month is one of my absolute go-to flies for early-run steelhead and salmon: the Bead Head Egg-Sucking Leech. It’s essentially a beefed-up woolly bugger with a large pink or orange bead at the head.
It’s fast to tie, requires few materials, and absolutely crushes in high, cool water during those first pushes of fish in the fall. Tie them in black or olive with a splash of flash—get ready to hang on.
I’ve never been shy about my thoughts on scent in fishing. I don’t fully buy into the whole “fish smell the scent trail and track it down” idea. With all the water movement and how scent gets diluted—not to mention the way predatory fish actually use their senses—it’s just a hard sell for me. I’m not a scientist, just a guy who talks to a lot of anglers and pays attention to what works. But I always use scent on anything I’m not burning through the water. Even with faster-moving baits like jerkbaits, I usually still throw some scent on. Why? Because I don’t think it’s just about attracting fish—I think they can taste it. And when they taste something they like, they hold on longer. That gives us more time to react and actually hook them…and believe me, we need the time to react!
We really saw that in action on a trip to a big river system, let’s just say somewhere below some falls. We were drop-shotting with Angler’s Choice Kill Shots with Baitfuel and catching two or three bass each drift between the two of us. The current there was fast, so every 10–15 minutes we’d fire up the big motor and run back to the top. Time was tight when you lost a bait, so sometimes we’d throw on a new Kill Shot without reapplying scent and start drifting again. It didn’t take long to realize that if the bait didn’t have Bait Fuel on it, we stopped getting bites. Or so we thought. Bass started jumping upriver of the boat when we hooked them, and we figured out they were hitting the bait—we just weren’t feeling it because of slack in our line caused by the current. Without the scent, they’d spit it before we had a clue. Once we made sure to “fuel” up every Kill Shot before each drop, our hookup ratio smoothed right back out.
North Georgia might not scream “trout mecca”—but don’t overlook it! At Georgia’s northern boarder it butts up agains the Appalachian Mountains…and the Blue Ridge Mountain range does come down through Tennessee into North Georgia! I spent a week here last year on a family vacation and simply fell in love with it. I didn’t have a ton of time to fish…but still managed a bunch of great fish in surprisingly chilly water for July! This brown trout was easily the prettiest brown trout I caught all year and the little baitfish…well that was a War Painted Shiner…a species I had never heard of but very happy to cross off the list! It is a funky baitfish with a head as big as its attitude. Sometimes the unexpected trips are the most rewarding.
The new Daiwa Ballistic 3000 BAMQ took home “Best of Show” at this year’s ICAST, and for good reason. It’s lighter, stronger, and better balanced than ever. I didn’t think the previous generation could be improved—but here we are.
Expect smoother drag, refined weight distribution, and better overall feel. If you fish light setups, this is a reel to keep your eyes on.
These little markers from Scientific Anglers are surprisingly handy. Use them to mark depth on your leader when nymphing, to create visible sighters on long leaders, or to track loop connections when fishing clear lines.
We’ve used them in everything from tightline rigs to small dry fly setups, and they’ve saved us a ton of guesswork on the water.
Our guide Cam has been dialed in this month. His client Colin landed a stunning 20-inch class brown trout on a recent morning walk-and-wade, using a Chase Fly Fishing Sexy Waltz nymph. The water’s still cool enough in some spots for good trout bites early and late in the day—but book soon before the temps shift.
Warm summer days = gar in the shallows. These prehistoric fish are a blast to target on the fly—especially when you can sight-fish for them in wadeable water.
We’re offering guided walk-and-wade gar trips all summer long. Rods, reels, and lines are all provided—just bring your sunshirt and shades.
Fly tip: Tie a 2-inch colourful baitfish pattern on a tube, then use braided line to rig a size 8 or 10 treble hook hanging off the back. Cast up and across to intercept cruising fish—watch them rise, roll, and crush your fly. Read more about it here!
Here’s a slick tip from Peter Yeung on how to trigger bites when fish seem hesitant. Especially helpful for pressured fish or when the bite gets finicky.
Toronto Sportsmen’s Show – Live 2 Fish River and Fly Fishing Area is back! March 19 – 22 2026 at the International Centre in Mississauga!
Just Fishing Summer 2025 article is out – Fly Fishing Myth’s Busted
Grand Event – August 23rd at The Grand River Outfitting and Fly Shop!
