Share Buttons ☝️ 

Hey Guys!

Welcome to the 66th Issue of Guys Fishing Weekly!

Thanks for spending even just a little of your week with us. We are grateful for you!

Stay Legendary,

- The GFW Boys

Most fly fisherman would agree…nothing beats the sight and feel of a trout crushing a perfectly drifted fat dry fly.

But the winter months are long, and the fat flies flew south with the geese.

If you want to maximize your time on the water and put fish in the net, you need to use nymphs…and small ones at that. If you are like my co-host, Ed, then this is bad news for you.

Here is what I told him last time on the water:

1. Fish two nymphs. This drastically ups your chances. I like to use a weighted bead head on top (i.e. size 16-18 pheasant tail) followed by smaller midge on bottom (i.e. size 18-22 zebra midge).

2. Real men use a strike indicator. The type may matter. If you’re fishing super clear water, use one that won’t hit hard. If you’re fishing deeper holes, it won’t matter as much.

3. Pay attention to Depth. Add weight to the top fly or bottom fly if you need to. Fish slow down and hold in deeper pools. This helps them save energy.

4. Set lightly. Pay attention to the slightest of “bumps.” The takes during winter are much more subtle. It’s easier to rip the fly out of the trout’s mouth.

5. Cast slowly. Everything slows down in winter. Slow down, you’ll spook fewer fish. Especially with your cast. A simple roll cast may be your best friend.

Fly fishing always takes patience. But in winter, it takes the most.

Be willing to do what you need to in order to see more success. In winter, that usually means nymphing.

But keep a few small Parachute Adams handy, just in case you find a riser.

^Sponsor

It is cold, and you aren’t fishing.

Now is the perfect time to start planning!

GFW is using TroutRoutes PRO to create all of our dream DIY trips this year.

When it gets warmer, don’t be the buddy without a plan!

Get 20% off your first year with the code “weekend2025” at maps.troutroutes.com

The Little Guys

Most anglers have a hard time not thinking of the Big Fish. Doesn’t matter what kind of fisherman you are; in the world of fishing the stories you hear always seem to be about a particular “hog” or incredible “pig.”

Thus, the mind tends to wonder about how to keep up. How do I find my own new “Slab Story”?

It’s inevitable.

With the introduction of social media and fish porn to contend with, YouTube is a blessing and a curse.

An angler can find an instructional video on how to tie any fly they want. Total game changer!

But an angler can also burn an afternoon watching some really cool videos of fisherman hooking “monsters,” playing them until their arms hurt. All in some incredibly exotic places!!

Naturally, the mind wanders.

Social media platforms are abound with still shots of people getting their “PB,” the smiles on their faces seemingly as long as the fish they are holding. Look at them long enough and you start to see yourself holding that fish.

It’s the influence of the “Big Dawg.” Every fisherman has a secret desire to walk into their man cave and lock eyes on the giant stuffed fish hanging on the wall, evidence of a Hall of Fame worthy epic day.

We humans have an unexplained need to highlight our greatness.

Fisherman may be the worst.

But what’s wrong with the little guys? Does it make me any less of a fisherman if I take to the high country, in search of remote creeks that hold the smaller fish? To be fair, every one of those “donkeys” were once small fish, weren’t they?

And while there are certainly some beautiful big fish, the prettiest fish I’ve caught tend to be the ones from the smaller creeks where no one goes. That’s where most brookies and the other worldly green back cutthroats are found.

And for my money, you won’t find a more beautiful trout than those.

It’s easy to get stuck in the world of “what ifs.” I can imagine myself in a lot of beautifully cool places fishing for “torpedoes.” But the reality is that my backyard is full of remote fishing, where I can hike a trout stream and not see another fisherman.

I don’t have a whole lot of “Big Fish” stories, but I have a ton of incredible memories of the remote beauty that a good walk with a fly rod can provide.

And while sitting around the table, sipping beers with some guys swapping stories about the time they caught the “Big One” are worth a laugh, moments when I can share the remote beauty of hiking a good trout stream with a friend are priceless.

One Piece of Content

The boys at Wild Fly have made some of our favorite content. So many of their films have brought us to extraordinary fisheries. Here, they take a different approach. While Google might say South Dakota is boring, this film proves otherwise for those of us who love adventure. This is a fantastic journey of what it looks like when you reach out to your community to visit a place where the people are down to earth and the fishing is awesome. This is the kind of trip GFW loves!

Quote For The Curious

Nuggets For Nibblin’

The Man Who Resurrected this Classic Route 66 Town

What a Heart Surgeon Avoids

The 9 Sexiest Things Men Wear According to Women

The 10 Happiest Countries in the World

#River Thoughts

• There are animals out there right now, communicating to each other about humans, telling stories and legends that will be passed down in their families for generations. (Source: Reddit)

• Cars seen in movies from before 2000 are almost entirely off the road now. (Source: Reddit)

• Due to how often they’re read in media, most people already know their Miranda Rights. (Source: Reddit)

• Older parents often think they know everything because for so long with their kids, they either did know everything or they made something up and weren't challenged on it. (Source: Reddit)