Tips for fishing mayfly spinners, with Jim McLennan

This week, my guest is longtime guide, fly shop owner, journalist, musician, and all-around great guy Jim McLennan [40:26]. Jim is a thoughtful fly fisher who always has solid tips on fly-fishing techniques, and this week we talk about mayfly spinners—their mysteries, how to identify when they are active, and how to target trout feeding on them. Mayfly spinner falls are some of the best opportunities to catch large trout on a dry fly because trout gorge on them and sometimes get stupid, so it pays to have some intelligence on taking advantage of these opportunities. And this is a timely podcast because in most parts of the country, we are about to get into the prime season for the tiny Trico spinners.

In the Fly Box this week, we have some intriguing questions and tips from listeners, including:

Why can I do to prevent my mono eyes from breaking on my tarpon flies?

How do I clean my saltwater flies after a trip so they aren’t all mangled?

Can I use more than one subsurface fly with a dry-dropper rig?

How can I fish a deep plunge pool with a dry-dropper?

I have broken a bunch of rods in the past couple years. Is it due to my bad casting?

Some great tips from a relatively new angler on where to get the best help and advice.

What is a good way to enjoy a fly-fishing trip with a young family?

How can I break into writing stories and poems about fly fishing?

Is using a stomach (throat) pump unethical, and is it looked down upon by other fly fishers?

A tip for using neoprene socks when wet wading

In the short and long term, what do you expect the results of the Yellowstone flood will be?