Fishing stillwaters from shore, with Thomas Larsen

This week, my guest is Thomas Larson [45:47] from the Orvis Outfitters team. Thomas is a stillwater expert and gives us some great tips on how to find trout, and how to target them, when you don’t have the benefit of a watercraft. Maybe you don’t have a boat, can’t afford a raft, or backpack to high mountain lakes—this podcast is for you.

In the Fly Box this week, lots of good comments and questions as I have been gone for a couple weeks so the mailbox is filling up.

Thanks from a listener to turning him onto the Griffith’s Gnat dry fly

Euro nymphing seems just too efficient for me.

Am I being irrational by fishing less effective indicator rig?

A customer relates a great trip he had with Orvis-endorsed Brown Trout Flyfishing

What are the five or six “must have” items (after getting a fly rod outfit) you suggest for someone new to fly fishing?

Please give me five or six recommended flies for starting out.

I had a snapping turtle eat a trout as I was landing it.

What effect do catch and release fishing efforts have on fish populations?

For fishing the beach and canals and creeks in Florida or the Carolinas, what is the best all-around fly line?

I want to tie my own leaders. What sizes of tippet do I need? And can I tie my entire leader with surgeon’s knots?

Is a wire shock leader too much for lake trout? And what flies should I use?

How long does it take trout to recover after a spell of warm water?

If I can only catch trout on Rapalas and crankbaits but not on flies, what other types of flies should I try?

Great advice from a beginner on how much he learned about fish behavior by fishing dry flies

If fish can always see tippet, why is there a difference in effectiveness between tippet sizes?

What should I do if my fly line is cracked?

What is the difference between a standard clinch knot and improved clinch knot?

Why, when I catch multiple fish out of the same run, is the third or fourth fish often bigger than the first ones?

A guide attached my leader to my fly line loop with a clinch knot and the coating on the loop cracked. Should I cut off the loop and put my leader on with a nail knot?