Littoral Zone #12 with Phil Rowley | What Trout See and Why it Matters with Jason Randall
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Release Date: 09/23/2024
872 | Fly Fishing Patagonia with Nicolas Rivero of Guides Patagonia
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#872 Show Notes: Presented by: In this episode, I sat down with Nicolas Rivero to dig into fly fishing Patagonia. We covered the two-basin setup in Patagonia, the famous Limay River, giant brook trout in mountain lakes, and what a full April trip with Moccasin Fly Club looks like on the water. If you’re curious about swinging flies for migratory trout, fishing both lakes and rivers in one week, or planning your first Patagonia trip, this one’s packed. Show Notes:
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871 | Fly Fishing Tactics for the Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Stillwater Rivers with Alex Hepworth from Montana Fly Fishing Lodge
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#871 Show Notes: Presented By: Big Montana rivers can feel overwhelming, even for experienced anglers. In this episode, Alex from Montana Fly Fishing Lodge breaks down how he approaches iconic waters like the Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Stillwater Rivers—and why many anglers struggle to find consistency on large freestone systems. It’s a practical conversation focused on simplifying decisions, reading water effectively, and understanding what really matters on big rivers. We dig into fly fishing tactics like dry-dropper setups, nymphing adjustments, and streamer opportunities, along with...
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870 | Fly Fishing the Eleven Point River with Justin Spencer
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
870 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Somewhere deep in the Ozarks, Missouri splits in two. One side is farmland and highways. The other is the Eleven Point River, where everything goes quiet. No houses. No roads. Just cold, spring-fed water sliding through Mark Twain National Forest and miles of wild trout water where you can float for hours without seeing anyone. In this episode, we dig into fly fishing the Eleven Point River and the surrounding Ozark streams with Justin Spencer. We talk about his indicator jig system, why movement matters more than anything, when the fishing is...
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869 | Beyond the Giveaway: Missouri River Dry Fly Fishing with Eric Johnson
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/869 Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Blooming olives were popping. Trout were rising everywhere. And Eric Johnson was sitting in a drift boat on the Missouri River, staring at one of those dry fly days you don’t forget. What makes this episode different is that Eric isn’t a guide, brand rep, or longtime lodge regular. He’s the actual winner of our On DeMark Dry Fly Giveaway, and this conversation is a full behind-the-scenes look at what happens when someone really does win one of these trips. From the prize pack to the lodge vibe to the reach...
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868 | Davie McPhail - Fly Tying Lessons from a True Master
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#868 Show Notes: Sponsors: Fly tying doesn’t start at the vise. It starts standing midstream, watching bugs drift past your boots and paying attention to what trout actually eat. That idea runs through everything in this conversation. In this episode, I sit down with Davie McPhail, one of the most influential fly tyers of our time. Davie grew up fishing Scottish rivers and lochs, learning fly tying the hard way. By watching insects, experimenting with materials, and tying flies that had to work. We dig into traditional spiders, modern...
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Emergers, Wet Flies, and Trout Behavior with Scott Sanchez (Traveled #39)
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#867 Show Notes: Presented By: This Traveled episode connects with conversations sparked by the East Idaho Fly Tying Expo, where anglers gather to share patterns, techniques, and ideas that shape how we fish. Scott Sanchez joins us to break down one of the most important — and often misunderstood — feeding windows in fly fishing: the emerger stage. We dig into how trout feed in the surface film, how to read rise forms correctly, and why classic wet flies and soft hackles remain so effective when fish aren’t fully committing to dries. It’s a thoughtful, observation-driven...
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866 | Swinging for Alaska Chinook and Great Lakes Browns with Bailey Adamavich
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
863 Show Notes: Presented by: Today’s story bridges two very different worlds: the tight banks and icy tributaries of the Great Lakes, and the raw, tidal power of Western Alaska. Bailey Adamavich learned to fish where forty-foot casts matter and low water forces precision, then carried that foundation straight into blown-out rivers, chrome-bright kings, and some of the most intense Chinook grabs you can imagine. Bailey was our guide on the Togiak River, and we talked through one of my best days ever swinging for king salmon. We also dig into how Great Lakes tactics translate to...
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A Fly Fisher’s Guide to Jackson Hole with Fish the Fly Guide Service
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#865b Show Notes: Presented by: Jason Balogh is back from Fish the Fly Guide Service to recap his season around Jackson Hole and break down how he introduces new anglers to fly fishing. We cover beginner-friendly gear, dry dropper setups, casting basics, and how to read water on big Western rivers like the Snake. Show Notes:
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865 | Trout Spey Set Up and Casting Fundamentals with Nick Conklin
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/865 Sponsors: , , and Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Last month on the Madison, I watched a perfect example of why Trout Spey exists. Wind ripping. Skinny water. A high bank behind us. Indicator rigs are getting ripped out of the drift the second they touch down. One angler finally stepped out of the rut, grabbed an 11-foot two-hander, and swung flies through water that had shut everyone else down. He wasn’t being heroic. He was listening to what the river was asking for. That moment frames this episode with Nick Conklin. We dig into...
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Using Attractor Patterns to Trigger Stillwater Trout with Phil Rowley (Littoral Zone #21)
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#864 Show Notes: Presented By: , , , Sponsors: Stillwater trout don’t always eat because they’re hungry — and that’s where many anglers get stuck. In this solo episode of the Littoral Zone Podcast, Phil Rowley breaks down the power of attraction and explains why trout often strike flies for reasons that have nothing to do with feeding. When matching the hatch fails, attractor patterns can trigger responses rooted in curiosity, aggression, and territorial instinct. Drawing from decades of stillwater experience, Phil explores when and why attractor flies work, how to fish them...
info_outlineShow Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/662
Presented By: Stonefly Nets, TroutRoutes, Smitty's Fly Box
In today’s Littoral Zone episode, Phil chats with Jason Randall about what trout see and why it matters.
Jason has written four books, including his famous trout trilogy, which dives deep into how trout behave in their environment. While Jason's passion lies in rivers and streams, the research and knowledge he's amassed is equally beneficial to stillwater fly fishers.
]His understanding of how trout see is crucial information for all fly fishers, guiding both our pattern selection and presentation techniques, information that helps us consistently make the correct pattern and presentation choice.
Show Notes with Jason Randall on What Trout See and Why it Matters.
2:20 - Jason Randall graduated as a veterinarian and did postgraduate work in fish health and medicine. Although he considered a career in fisheries, he ultimately chose private practice.
4:16 - Jason started fly fishing around 40 years ago but got frustrated early on due to a lack of guidance. He took a break, then later tried again this time with the help of great mentors.
Jason says his passion really started during a trip to Colorado. A guide introduced him to a caddis hatch that transformed the river into a feeding frenzy of trout. Watching the stream come alive with caddis and rising fish was a game-changer for Jason.
08:21 - Jason says he was lucky to have some amazing mentors like George Kustin who guided him in fly fishing and taught him about wet flies and soft tackles. Lefty Kreh took Jason under his wing.
09:31 - Jason also works with Temple Fork Outfitters on rod design and prototype testing. This year, they introduced a new European Nymphing Rod called the Elevare, which won Best New Rod at ICAST 2024.
Books by Jason Randall
13:00 - Jason’s trout fishing trilogy started in 2012 with Jay Nichols from Stackpole Books. The trilogy covers:
Feeding Time: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to What, When and Where Trout Eat
Trout Sense: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to What Trout See, Hear, and Smell
Moving Water: A Fly Fisher’s Guide to Currents
Jason also wrote Nymph Masters, a collaborative effort featuring tips from top nymph anglers like Gary Borger and Lefty Kreh.
Trout Sense
17:00 - Trout begins life as prey, eating small organisms like plankton. As they grow, they become predators, feeding on insects, crustaceans, and even small fish or mammals.
They retain the wide-set eyes of prey for spotting threats and the sharp focus of predators for hunting. This makes them tricky to catch.
21:10 - Jason explains how light works differently underwater, which affects how trout see. Refraction, or the bending of light when it moves from air to water, can also trick us into thinking we're casting right over a fish, but we could be a few feet off.
26:08 - Jason dives into how color fades underwater, starting with red, and how different colors are absorbed at various depths. Fluorescent colors like chartreuse stand out the most and create a strong contrast, which trout notice.
29:18 - Unlike humans, a trout's pupils don’t adjust to light, and their eyes have a football-like shape that lets them see clearly both in front and to the side.
Search Image and How Trout Decide to Eat
42:11 - Trout uses a "search image" to figure out what’s food and what’s not. They focus on four things: size, shape (profile), movement, and color.
If a fish keeps ignoring your fly from far away, it’s probably the size or shape that’s off. But if they come close, and then turn away, Jason says that it may be a color-based refusal.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/662