How to Fish Delayed Harvest Trout Streams, with Award-Winning Guide Dustin Coffey

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

What is a delayed harvest stream and how do the regulations work? Do you use different flies and methods for hatchery fish? How far do hatchery fish move and in which direction? You'll learn the answers to these questions and many more with Dustin Coffey [46:39], the winner of the 2024 Orvis Endorsed Guide of the Year award. In the podcast this week, as usual we have some interesting and thought-provoking questions, including:

• Does fly line color matter?
• Why don't my subtle baitfish patterns work in Patagonia?
• Can I use my big brown trout streamers for Atlantic salmon since they are related to brown trout?
• How deep do you insert studs when adding them to felt-soled waders?
• How do I get my streamers deeper when fishing for sea-run brook trout in rivers where weighted flies and sinking lines are not allowed?
• Is it acceptable if I troll from a kayak for striped bass, and what rod should I use?
• A listener writes in to tell us that the orange goo found in some rivers is a natural phenomenon
• What do I use for a practice streamer when casting on my lawn?
• Does the noise from my wading shoes and wading staff scare trout?
• Do trout live in streams with mucky bottoms?
• Any other casting methods besides the roll cast I can use on smaller streams?
• I fished over some rising trout with my nymph rig and didn't catch them. Should I have switched to a dry fly?
• How should I rig for pike?
• What are the pros and cons of using an 8 ½ foot rod vs. a 9-foot rod in Colorado tailwaters?
• When do you put down your rod and take photos?
• How can I get the cement off my hooks when I want to re-use the hooks from beat-up Clouser Minnows?