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Fly rods are really important -- they're what we use to put flies in front of fish, and they help us make those flies look real, after all. But how much do you REALLY know about fly rods? Can you explain what the core features are that separate good ones from not-so-great ones? Today on Untangled, Spencer Durrant walks you through the key features he's found most anglers either don't know about, or misunderstand, and why they influence how your fly rod performs.  You'll also learn about:  How to learn about the different aquatic insects that trout eat How to build confidence in your skills out on the water Tips for casting more effectively when throwing an indicator and nymphs or streamers on your fly rod LINKS FROM THE SHOW Watch the Fly Selection Master Class - CHECK IT OUT How to Roll Cast and Water Load - CHECK IT OUT Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

It's February! That means things are changing a bit on the fly fishing front, and we've got you covered. With this month's Untangled Fly Fishing Report, you'll learn about what bugs are most active in February, the best flies to match those hatches, and some tips and tricks for the different conditions you'll run into this time of year.  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT Get the FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart - CHECK IT OUT Browse VFC's February Flies - CHECK THEM OUT

Have you ever wondered just how effective fly fishing from a drift boat is? Are float trips worth the money? Do you ACTUALLY catch more fish from a boat, or do you only catch them in front of wading anglers who rarely, if ever, get to float the river?  All those questions - and more - will be answered on this episode of Untangled. Alex Stulce joins Spencer Durrant to talk about the pros and cons of wade fishing vs fishing from a boat, and a bunch of stories are shared just for good measure. You'll end the show with a firm idea of what style of fishing best matches your goals out on the water.  You'll also learn about:  How light and temperature impact fish How Spencer and Alex would rig up for and fish a small pond with off-color water How to fly fish rivers with restrictions on your tackle  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE VIDEO - How We Fish: Nymphing - CHECK IT OUT

Do you need to tie picture-perfect flies in order to catch fish? Or should you focus on tying them to be a bit "buggy" (which is fly-fisher for "messy)?  Today on Untangled, Spencer Durrant walks you through why most fly tiers are too hard on themselves - especially beginners - and the few things fish actually care about when deciding to eat your fly.  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT

Is fly tying worth the cost and the hassle? Sure, you can tie up specific, custom flies, but wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy flies instead? Well, maybe, but we shouldn't really worry about economics here, because if fly fishing were based on good financial decisions, none of us would be doing it.  Instead, you shoudl think about the on-the-water benefits you'll get from tying your own flies. You WILL become a better angler by tying. The question utlimately comes down to how much you want to improve. This week on Untangled, you'll learn how and why fly tying can improve your skills.  You'll also learn about:  How to tell if a new fly rod is the right one for you The different characertistics to look for when buying fly rods The value of swinging flies at the end of your drift, and the role soft hackles have in fly fishing Why Spencer never uses split shot on dry-dropper rigs, and avoids it as much as possible anywhere else LINKS FROM THE SHOW Browse the VFC Tying Packs - CHECK THEM OUT VIDEO - Beginner Fly Tying Masterclass - WATCH IT NOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

There's one thing that brings anglers of every stripe together - a good fish story. This is the first in a new series of podcasts from Untangled that'll tell stories every angler, from the saltwater fanatic to the panfish lover, will relate with and appreciate.  This week's story is about a little cutthroat creek, tucked high in the mountains, that suddenly vanished. Along the way, you'll learn about the area's storied history with fish stocking, hear about a cutthroat eating a mouse fly, and why it's worth it to explore and look for new-to-you fisheries. 

Midges are a go-to fly in the winter, but how do you know which of the 8 billion midge patterns to pick? There's so many to choose from, and it feels like they're always dropping new ones, too!  Well, I took the time to simplify my own midge selection down to just a handful of patterns. Doing that helped me fish what I rig up with more confidently, but it also made choosing a fly A LOT eaiser. I spend less time worrying about my fly choice, and more time fishing. So, this week on Untangled, you'll learn what those 7 midges patterns are, and why they're the ones I so highly recommend.  You'll also learn about:  How to control your hookset so you don't end up tangled in trees and bushes How to set the hook properly so you lose fewer fish The basic skills a fly angler needs to learn in order to progress quickly The one skill every fly angler needs to posses How to tell if small rivers and streams have fish in them LINKS FROM THE SHOW Browse Our Fly Collections - CHECK THEM OUT Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE VIDEO - How to Cast A Fly Rod - WATCH IT NOW VIDEO - How to Make A Roll Cast - WATCH IT NOW

If you want to make 2026 the year you take some giant leaps in your fly fishing abilities, then you should seriously consider keeping a fly fishing journal. Writing down what happens on the water, what flies you used, the weather, the water conditions -- it will all help you understand the interplay between various factors on the water, and it'll help you learn from both your successes and your failures. Today on Untangled, Spencer will walk you through the key details to write down, and how you can use this simple tool to help improve your experience on the water.  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join our FREE Fly Fishing Group - CHECK IT OUT  

There's more to trout fishing than rainbows, browns, cutthroats, and brookies. There's all sorts of interesting trout out there, just waiting for you! But when you get the chance to fish for these lesser-known trout, you'll probably get hung up on one thing: what flies do you need? Are there top-secret patterns that only work for these fish, but locals won't tell you about unless you buy 'em the right 12-pack? This week on Untangled, you'll learn about some of the rare trout species on the planet, and the flies we use to catch them.  You'll also learn about:  Pros and cons of having multiple reels and spools with different line options on them Why your fly line sometimes gets stuck in your rod guides, and how to fix that with the nail knot Does hook gap size matter when fishing with streamers? Why you should let your streamers "die" when they initially get tagged by a trout What a short-strike is  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Get the FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart - CHECK IT OUT Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

This is the first-ever bonus episode of Untangled! Starting in 2026, we're dropping two episodes of your favorite fly fishing podcast every week! And this first episode is a new format we'd love some feedback on. At the start of each month, we're going to do a monthly fly fishing report. You'll learn what bugs are active, how to fish that month, tips and tricks for dealing with water conditions, and the fly patterns we recommend.  Not every episode of our extra show will follow this format. Some weeks will be interviews, others will be deep-dives into one topic, and others will be story-driven. But we'd like the first episode each month to be full of actionable information that'll help y'all out on the water. So if you like this format, and want to hear more of it, please let us know!  Finally -- this bonus episode of Untangled is ONLY available in audio format. You won't find this content on YouTube, Instagram, or any other social media.  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Get the FREE Year-Round Hatch Chart - CHECK IT OUT Browse our 3-Pack Fly Collections - CHECK THEM OUT 

Every angler loves a good fishing story, even if we tend to stretch the truth sometimes. But those stories are good for more than just reliving old times. You can learn A TON from your best catches, including exactly where and how you can improve. So, this week on Untangled, Spencer shares some stories (from VFC team and Skool members) about the best fish of 2025, and the lessons learned along the way.  You'll also hear about: How to tell if you're setting the hook too early or too late How to improve your hook set to lose fewer fish Why super-cheap fly rod combos generally aren't worth the money How to think about sneaking up on fish How much casting angles matter to your success LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

Have you ever had one of those days on the water where nothing seems to go right? You can't tie a decent knot, you lose all your flies, and you end up not catching fish? When it gets rough like that, what do you blame? Nature? Yourself?  Your answer to that quesiton likely exposes the kind of angler you are, and can help you learn how to become an even better one. This week on Untangled, Spencer shares stories and tips about the times his ego has gotten in the way of catching fish, and how you can avoid that same problem.  You'll also learn about:  Why certain fly lines perform better on some rods than others The reality of being a fly fishing guide How to fish narrow, deep pools in tight canyons  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE

There are a whole lot of reasons a fish won't eat your fly. Maybe you picked the wrong one, or you wore the wrong socks today. Or you forgot your semi-annual offering of used zebra midges for the river gods.  In all seriousness, there's often a much simpler reason fish aren't eating your fly: you've spooked them. This week on Untangled, you'll learn about how you end up spooking fish, even if you don't mean to, and a few tips for avoiding that.  You'll also learn about:  How certain fly rods are designed for use in certain situations, and what you can expect when buying a 10' 4-weight to replace a 9' 5-weight How to tie flies that are more durable The pros and cons of using barbless hooks, and using them to make multi-fly rigs  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE EBOOK - How to Find Fish in Rivers - CHECK IT OUT

There's no NEED to stock your fly box full of hundreds of patterns, all in dozens of different sizes. Sometimes, though, a slightly different fly from what everyone else is using is just the trick to put more -- or larger -- fish in the net. This week on Untangled, you'll learn about 7 underrated fly patterns that we turn to when we need to change things up.  You'll also learn about: How to handle long stretches of getting skunked continuously, and how to grow from that How to match a fly line to your fly rod, based on what type of fishing you're doing Whether you should still fish with flies that don't look "perfect"  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE VIDEO - Winter Fly Fishing Master Class - CHECK IT OUT GEAR - Fly 3-Packs - CHECK IT OUT

80% of a fish's diet is underwater, which means nymphing is a crazy effective way to put fish in the net. So, this week on Untangled, Spencer and Alex share everything they learned while filming their Nymphing Master Class. From insight on why fly pattern doesn't matter, to tips on picking the right strike indicator, you'll leave this episode ready to put all these tips into practice out on the water.  LINKS FROM THE SHOW Join the VFC Online Community - CHECK IT OUT QUESTIONS FOR THE SHOW - SUBMIT HERE #LIVEREELLIFE MOMENT - SUBMIT HERE VIDEO - Nymphing Master Class - CHECK IT OUT