Here are a couple of great small-stream tips from Elliot Barnes at Bow River Troutfitters ib Calgary, Alberta. The first video explains why you shouldn’t walk past long flat-water stretches of a creek because they look featureless. Bankside structure might actually feature plenty of good trout lies, and these fish might not get fished to as much as those trout in riffles and pools.

The second tip is great for small stream, but it will also work wherever the current is pulling on your fly line and causing your dry fly to drag. Bu high-sticking the fly and keeping as much line off the water as possible, you can achieve a drag-free drift. Just make sure you approach with stealth and use the broken water to conceal your silhouette.

See All Orvis Learning Center Fly Fishing Video Lessons

Here’s a killer how-to video from the Orvis Fly Fishing Learning Center, in which Tom Rosenbauer introduces you to a style of fishing that’s not as popular as it once was, yet it’s no less effective.

Although not as sure-fire a way to catch trout as fishing under a bobber with weight, swinging wet flies and nymphs is an elegant way to fish them. It’s sometimes surprisingly effective when swimming mayfly or caddisfly pupae are active. It’s also possible that fish sometime mistake swinging wet flies for tiny dace and sculpin fry. Regardless, the electric thrill of a fish taking a fly on a tight line is always welcome, whether it’s an 8-inch trout or a steelhead.