The Frugal Fly Rodder
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Overcomplicating Things
If you’re not catching fish, you may be overcomplicating something that is supposed to be fun. There is more fishing information available today than ever before. Videos, podcasts, books, articles, social-media groups, guides, influencers—and, yes, people like me. Some of it is excellent. Some of it comes from somebody who caught a fish, possibly the…
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All Eyes On The Fly
What Fish Actually See Fish Usually React Before They Analyze Important Points: A fish may recognize: “Movement usually gets noticed before detail gets inspected”Long before it notices tiny details. Why Many Old-School Streamers Never Had Eyes Simplicity Has Been Catching Fish for Decades Points: “Fish don’t grade flies like judges at a fly-tying show.” The…
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Navigating Water
When Water Is Public but Access Is Not A principled look at navigable creeks, property rights, and stewardship On July 7, 2017 at approximately 1:00 p.m., a ruptured sewage discharge pipe was discovered emptying that raw sewage into a small creek in Ohio. Photos were taken. The county was notified. An email response was later…
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Knotted Leaders
(The Modular Energy System) What a Knotted Leader Is A knotted leader is built from individual sections of monofilament or fluorocarbon, tied together in decreasing diameters. Each section performs a job: Unlike extruded leaders, nothing is permanent.Unlike furled leaders, nothing is braided. It is modular. Why Euro Nymphers Love Them This is important. Euro nymphing…
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Questions Answered Here
Questions Answered Here If you’ve got a question about fly fishing, gear I build, or something you saw on the channel — you’re in the right place. Below are the questions I hear most often. General Fly Fishing Questions Q: Do you only fish for trout?No. I primarily chase smallmouth bass. There aren’t many trout…
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When and how it started
Do you remeber when you got started fly fishing? Mike is a lifelong hands-on builder and fly fisherman who refuses to accept “good enough.” As The Frugal Fly Rodder, he develops high-performance tapered furled leaders, designs specialized tools, and shares practical knowledge built on decades of real-world experience. His philosophy is simple: understand the fundamentals,…