Random Thoughts of the Day - March 5th, 2026

I'm thinking about making posts like these a regular occurrence. I think it'd be good to have a place to keep track of the thought process as I'm trying to get better at...well everything.

1. Should I adopt a "multi-use" hook for some of my fly tying? I've had my eye on the Firehole Sticks 718 hook for a while now as a default hook for anything subsurface that doesn't require a short shank. They run a bit large, but have a full range of sizes. On the other hand, the business closed last year and reopened this year under new leadership. Still to be determined is whether some of the quality issues mentioned on numerous fly fishing forums have been addressed (mainly some bending hooks during fights and spotty finish issues).

1. I'm getting ready to hit a nearby national park to attempt a trout species slam on Saturday. This is going to involve moving around the park to target rainbows, browns, and brookies, which occupy different streams. However, there is rarely cell service in this park. So I dug out my maps and Garmin, and realized I have not put together a Google map of places to scout in the park. I'll need to be able to move around the park without getting lost and without cell reception. This should help.

   
   

2. Also, I'm figuring out my route for this weekend. I'm torn between exploring a new watershed and fishing one that I've fished before. On the one hand, it'd be nice to see how a place I'm familiar with changes with the hatch. On the other hand, I do like exploring. Decisions, decisions.

   
   

3. I'm following along with Troutbitten's skill series on dry dropper techniques. In the intro podcast episode, they're talking about how your dry fly selection shouldn't just be a big dry that the fish won't eat, but something that has a good chance of being eaten. Otherwise, why not just throw an indicator nymphing rig? Ehh...I don't know. I've caught ONE fish on a pure indy rig, and it was by accident. But I've caught a bunch of fish on a dry dropper rig where I can't help but feel like the fish came up to look at something more buggy than a yarn indicator, never really intended to eat it, and then snapped up the nymph floating behind/below it.