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The Greatest Emergence: How to Fish a Green Drake Hatch

By
Kubie Brown
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Screenshot

There are many celebrated hatches in fly fishing. From the on-the-hour arrival of bugs that come nearly every day, to those semi-annual mass emergences that give anglers a frisson of anticipation like they’re waiting for Christmas morning. Yet, if I had to choose one out of the menagerie that is the pinnacle of everything a hatch should be, it would be the arrival of the green drakes. 

Emerging on the East Coast between early May and late June, the green drake is one of the largest species of mayfly, at nearly half an inch long. This makes it a significant meal which will draw even the largest, wiliest trout to the surface to feed. The bugs hatch in unbelievable numbers, causing fly anglers to flock to the shorelines of their favorite rivers in hopes of capitalizing on the chaotic dry fly action drakes provide. However, to truly take advantage of the green drake hatch, you must fish in at the right time, in the right place, and with the right flies. 

A Short Temperature Window

Green drakes begin to emerge and hatch once river water temperatures reach around 55 degrees. The bugs will continue to come to the surface and then fly, breed, and die en masse until temps hit the low 60s, after which they will almost completely disappear. This gives angles only a short window to experience the true pinnacle of the green drake action, as it usually takes a few days of hatching for trout to key in on the insects. 

Fishing a green drake hatch. Photo courtesy of Kubie Brown.

To make sure you’re on the water at the right time, take the temperature of the river frequently and be ready to fish once temps hit roughly 58 degrees. Generally, drakes prefer to hatch in medium-to-fast running riffles and pools (i.e., flowing at about a walking pace speed), but they will also emerge from slow-moving, deep pools with rocky or gravelly bottoms. 

Most of the time, the larger the run or pool, the more drakes will emerge once water temperatures are right. So, spend a bit of time wandering along the river to find a likely-looking spot. Then all you have to do is settle in on a comfortable place on the bank to wait for the drakes to appear and the trout to rise. 

Low Light is The Right Light

Green drakes are low-light insects that are usually most active in the late evening. This makes hitting the river in the morning or afternoon almost a complete waste of time unless you’re fishing on an extremely overcast or rainy day. On clear days, wait on the bank in a good spot until dusk approaches, and then step into the water once you begin to see fluttering bugs. 

Walk the river banks and find a likely hatching spot before waiting for the evening hatch.

Usually, trout won’t begin rising until drake spinners begin to fall into the water after they’re spent from breeding, which often won’t happen until well after dark. This makes getting into position early critical, as once drake spinners begin to fly, they will keep coming until they completely fill the night sky. This can create a target-rich environment so long as you’re in the right spot. 

Once you begin to see drakes fluttering on or above the water, start looking for risers. If you can, try to get to an area of the river where groups of trout are continuously feeding, and not only where the odd fish is coming up. This is vital as the hatch will usually begin in earnest once the light is completely gone, so you want to make sure you have enough active fish in front of you so you can hear them rising, giving you a direction to cast even when it gets dark.  

Sort of Matching the Hatch 

One of the best parts about green drakes is that the insects are so large and plentiful that trout won’t be too picky once the action starts. Any fly that’s roughly the right shape and size of a green drake will be inhaled by the fish with gusto, so you can get away with using flies that don’t precisely match the hatch. Indeed, when there are a lot of natural insects on the water, it can actually be hard for both you and the fish to pick your fly out of the bunch. Therefore, it’s a good idea to think outside the box a bit and fish with patterns that seem a little unconventional.

A variety of big, bushy flies will fool large trout when drakes are hatching.

So long as your fly imitates the basic shape of the insects on the water during a green drake hatch, you can use almost any large, thickly hackled flies that ride high on the surface. These can include traditional drake or even Hexagenia patterns, but often large attractor patterns, like the White Wulff and Yellow Humpy, that are one to two sizes larger than the hatching insects will do the job. Additionally, in low light, it can be hard for you to see smaller flies floating on the surface of the water, so don’t be afraid to try large, extended body patterns made of foam or deer hair, such as the Foam Hat Mayfly.

Finally, if you’re not having any luck on the surface, you can still catch a lot of trout during a green drake hatch by stripping a pair of large nymphs just under the surface. These can include Soft-Hackle Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails, and even stonefly nymphs in sizes 8 and 10, as they push a decent amount of water without being too obtrusive. Rig your nymphs about 8 inches apart and then retrieve them with long, slow strips or short pops, and it usually won’t be long before you get a hook-up.

Finally Unleashed 

Part of what makes the green drake hatch so special is that it’s a culmination of sweet anticipation. You wait months for the bugs to arrive and then hours for them to appear over the water. Sitting quietly on the bank in the falling light, your entire being strains to watch and listen, suspended in a state of barely restrained expectancy like a child listening for Santa’s sleigh bells on Christmas Eve. Then, just as you’ve begun to fade with the sunlight, you’ll see a drake fly and hear trout rise and know that you’re finally about to let it all go in a single cast. 

The Drift: Saving It For Next Year

By
Spencer Durrant
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There’s this river a couple hours from home that runs mostly on private land, is lousy with grizzly bears, and is the worst river to wade in the West. It’s like walking on bowling balls while someone greased up your boots, and you’ve got a serious amount of ice-cold water trying to take you for a swim. Going there is an all-day adventure, since you have to hike around one enormous ranch to access the public land.

But it’s the prettiest river I’ve ever fished. Being there feels like being in Middle-Earth. None of the landscape feels real, not the bears, the giant brown trout, or the wolves you sometimes hear howling at night on the long hike out. It’s a truly wild place, cows and horses in the pasture a few miles downstream notwithstanding.

This river is a freestone giant, draining a basin the size of some small states. The water usually stays clear and cold well into July, even in the hottest years. We’ll usually give it a break in August, when temps here tend to soar past 100. Come late September, just before elk season opens, though, it’s fantastic fishing. Even early in the spring, with snow on the ground, the fish are still willing enough to eat the odd skwala or blue-winged olive.

I have at least one trip on the books to fish it this year. Usually, I spend a half-dozen days there, because two hours isn’t a far drive, and it’s so much fun to fish. I try not to fish it too much, at risk of ruining a good thing. As I look out the window in my office, towards the mountains, though, I wonder if we really should fish it this year.

The river is two hours to my West; my office looks out at the mountains to my East, where there’s almost no snow at 9,000 feet. Only the highest peaks, above 12,000 feet, still have snow on them. The creek out back is off-color from snowmelt, but flowing at the same level it should in August. I worry about those trout, too.

But I really worry about the trout in this river that feels like you’re in Middle-Earth. The whole fishery has me concerned, because the winter of 2024-25 wasn’t spectacular, either. It was cold, and we had snow (a far cry from this year) but summer came hot, lasted long, and a good portion of the state burned. It was too warm to fish in September, like usual. It wasn’t until the fires closed down elk season that I finally made another trip to the river, where the fish seemed sluggish and at the end of their rope.

I have no idea what this year will bring for the river. It’s only at about 6,000 feet, not terribly high as far as the West goes. It’s definitely susceptible to the insane warm spells we’ve had to start the year.

Because of all this worry, I think I’m going to skip fishing it this year. Even now, when the caddis are going off and the water is cold and clear enough for the trout to be happy, I think they deserve a break. For what’s coming this summer, and what may come next summer, too, if we have another bad winter.

I fear we’ll have to make a lot of these decisions this year. It doesn’t feel fair; then again, life rarely is.

Nearly Half of the United States Experiencing ‘Severe Drought’

By
Will Poston
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Intense drought conditions are tightening their grip across the Rockies, the Southeast, and much of the Mid-Atlantic, with little meaningful relief in sight. It’s not the start to spring many hoped for, but given the below-average snowfall, the current drought pattern is far from surprising.

While the effects of an exceptionally strong El Niño weather pattern may offer relief for some parts of the country, other parts will see already severe drought conditions intensify through the warmer months ahead.

Regional Impacts:

Rockies

Historically poor snowfall and an untimely rapid melt off in March have pushed Colorado, Utah, and neighboring states deeper into severe to extreme drought. Water resources are already overstressed, and water managers are taking major actions. Read more, “US government planning dramatic Colorado River water cuts due to drought, overuse.”

The impacts extend far beyond water supply. Wildfire risk is increasing, stream ecosystems are becoming stressed, and fisheries are facing mounting pressure as river temperatures rise and flows decline.

“If this summer is anything like this past winter was, the chances are pretty good that there’s going to be fish kills in our streams,” said Kirk Klancke, president of the Colorado Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited. “It’s 100% given that, without some miracle monsoon season, we’re going to see (river) temperatures that threaten trout — and fishermen who care will be fishing in the mornings.”
Utah DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick echoed those concerns and encouraged anglers to be mindful of stressed fish and do their part to lessen impacts.

Southeast

The Southeast is also firmly entrenched in extreme drought conditions, with Florida and Georgia facing particularly serious consequences. Meteorologists are warning that parts of Florida could experience the region’s worst drought in 25 years.

The impacts are already emerging: elevated wildfire danger, declining aquifer levels, drying waterways, and increasing pressure on drinking water supplies. The drought also poses significant challenges for Everglades restoration efforts.

According to reporting from the Tampa Bay Times, water levels in parts of the Everglades have dropped more than a foot compared to last year. Reduced water availability is intensifying longstanding conflicts over how limited resources should be allocated between agriculture, urban users, and Everglades restoration.

“People in South Florida are subjected to cutbacks in water usage, while the Everglades Agricultural Area, and mainly two industrial sugarcane growers, get near-perfect irrigation,” said Eve Samples, the executive director of Friends of the Everglades.

Mid-Atlantic

In the Mid-Atlantic and throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the impacts of drought are more complex.

On one hand, lower river flows often mean reduced nutrient runoff entering the Chesapeake Bay, which can shrink the annual “dead zone” — areas where dissolved oxygen levels become too low to support marine life. Drier conditions can also improve water clarity and increase salinity, both of which can benefit oyster production and submerged aquatic vegetation, two critical components of Bay restoration.

However, those benefits come with serious tradeoffs.

After a frigid winter raised hopes for a strong striped bass spawn following years of poor recruitment, drought conditions have instead left many Chesapeake tributaries at historically low flow levels — a major concern for spawning success and juvenile survival.

Looking Ahead

As temperatures continue to rise heading into summer, drought conditions are expected to intensify across many regions unless substantial rainfall develops soon. Anglers and outdoor recreationists should stay informed about local conditions, monitor emergency fishing regulations, and practice responsible techniques to reduce stress on vulnerable fisheries.

While drought is a natural part of climate variability, scientists broadly agree that climate change is increasing the intensity, frequency, and duration of drought events across many parts of the United States.

Conserving water, supporting habitat restoration projects, and practicing sustainable outdoor recreation are small but meaningful ways individuals can help communities and ecosystems become more resilient in the face of worsening drought conditions.

Women on the Water: The Founders of Soča Are Redefining What Women’s Gear Looks Like on the River

By
Francesca Krempa
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For women who fish, the options for apparel have historically been… not great. As an angler myself, I can confirm this: My first fishing shirt was this ugly, baggy, blue thing that looked like an oversized men’s button-down despite being labeled for women. Other gear I’ve tested relies heavily on stereotypical “girly” designs, with tighter fabric and shorter hemlines in shades of pink and purple. Up until last year, I fished in a pair of men’s waders because I just couldn’t find a pair that fit me properly in the hips and waist. 

Tired of not having the proper gear on the water, the ladies behind Soča have set out to create women’s fishing apparel that’s actually fashionable and functional. Founded by four lifelong friends from Texas, Soča’s goal is to get more women to the river (or ocean, or lake!) in clothes that make them feel good, without sacrificing performance. With three core products (a sun hoodie, a button-down, and an insulated jacket) all sewn in the U.S., women don’t have to choose between style and substance—they can have both. 

I sat down with Ellie Pitney and Franny Ryburn, two of the four co-founders behind the brand, to get their story. 

Walk me through how the four of you came up with the idea for Sčca. 

Ellie: About 10 years ago, we wanted to get back together and do something. I guided for a hot minute after college, and I just continued to fish in beautiful places. And one of us in the group was like, “We should do a fishing trip since you’re going to all these beautiful places.”

Our first trip was to the Soča River in Slovenia (hence the brand’s name), and we had a blast. We kept these trips going and just quickly realized that there isn’t much clothing for women who fish on the market. I even remember packing for that first trip and Franny asking like, “What do I wear?” Not everyone wants to look like a sack of potatoes while they fish. So, after a few years, we just realized there was a niche in the market for better women’s apparel. 

Franny: We really wanted something elevated—something that I would wear on the river, but then also something I could wear to grab a beer in later. In the beginning, I felt so uncomfortable and so out of my element in the gear that I was wearing.. But why should my clothes prevent me from fly fishing? I quickly learned it didn’t have to be that way. 

How did you land on the three pieces you started with, opposed to, say, waders or bibs? 

Ellie: Well, brands like Orvis, Patagonia, Miss Mayfly all make size-inclusive waders that really fill the gap of “hard goods”, but we felt the biggest gap was in soft goods like apparel. The three pieces we’re starting with may look plain at first glance, but they’re really thoughtful. For example, the button-up shirt is designed off a blouse, with feminine details in the cut, trim, and the cuffs. There are tons of other button-downs up there, but ours is really tailored for women.

Franny: And it can be worn as a blouse. I’ve worn mine to the rodeo with blue jeans and cowboy boots down in Fort Worth and felt cute. But it’s technical too—it doesn’t show my sweat at all, which is a perk whether you’re fishing or out to dinner. 

Ellie: Yeah, it’s thoughtful and technical. And it’s versatile, which I think is important. As much as I’d love to be on the water 365 days a year, I’m not. You can garden in these pieces, pick the kids from school up in them, play pickleball in them—they’re multi-purpose. 

What happened after the four of you decided to run with this idea? Do any of you have a background in fashion or gear design? How did you go from concept to product?

Franny: None of us had a background in fashion. Fashion is something I’ve always been interested in, but I was an event planner for 20 years. 

Ellie: I’m an environmental engineer, and Taylor (our CFO) has a background in accounting while Hannah, who handles our shipping and operations, worked as a buyer for a store in Michigan. Our backgrounds translated naturally into these roles though. Hannah handles shipping and operations, Franny handles PR and marketing, while I act as CEO. 

Franny: Now, Hannah and I split the design element—she handles shipping while I handle fabric sourcing. But the learning curve has been hard. It takes far more time than we ever expected, especially navigating sourcing, production, and all the details that come with building a product from scratch. 

It sounds super complicated and demanding—what types of challenges have you faced?

Ellie: There’s the challenge of building a brand in a pretty male-dominated industry and finding the confidence to go up against established outdoor names. On a practical level, sizing has been a huge one—designing for a range of women’s bodies while operating as a small brand is complicated and expensive. We get a lot of feedback on the cost of our products, but we’re not marking them up—we’re honestly just covering costs. Our fabric is imported from Italy and Japan, and then everything is made in the United States. Our prices just reflect the quality. 

There’s been a ton of learning and mistakes, but learning is the best thing you can do. You have to make mistakes to fix them, right? It’s just data. 

And honestly, figuring out how to fund growth without taking on major debt has been part of the challenge, too. 

How do customers like Soča? 

Franny: The feedback has been so cool, from men and women—we’ve been so warmly received and supported, even by some of the bigger brands. We’ve heard from women who feel like they finally found fishing apparel that doesn’t force them to choose between function and style, which has been incredibly validating. And since it is pretty minimalist, even a lot of men love our stuff, especially the hats. 

Ellie: We’ve gotten a lot of encouraging feedback at festivals and events, especially from women who come up and say, “Thank you, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.” And a lot of the feedback we get is about what people want next—especially shorts and pants. We hear all the time, “When are you making bottoms?” which feels like a really exciting vote of confidence.”

Looking forward, what are you and your co-founders most excited for?

Ellie: A big part of this whole thing is making it more meaningful than just slinging gear, even if it’s in small ways. We plan on teaming up with some organizations like Trout Unlimited and Casting for a Cure at some events this summer, which we’re super excited for. 

Franny: There are so many great organizations out there doing the work, so just teaming up with them to give back is huge. 

Ellie: And then tapping into what women really want. We want to be that brand for people. We’re excited to create a space for women while making the sport less intimidating and more accessible for everyone.

BLM Rescinds Public Lands Rule

By
Spencer Durrant
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Two people hiking in the alpine

In a decision long seen coming, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rescinded the “public lands rule,” which formally recognized conservation as one of the many uses of land the BLM should manage its holdings for. That meant not using, or developing, land for energy or leasing it for grazing, was as justifiable a decision as putting up a parcel or oil and gas auctions.

With the rule being pulled, it means land managers no longer have to factor in some land’s conservation value when deciding new management strategies. This could potentially put more BLM-administered parcels up for lease to oil and gas companies. That follows on the heels of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which mandated that 100% of all land nominated for an oil and gas lease has to come available within 18 months.

Gutting The Rule

According to the Deseret News, the Interior Department secretary Doug Burgum said last fall that the public lands rule, as created by the Biden administration, had “the potential to block access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land — preventing energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West.”

Furthering the push to gut the rule was the fact that some legal groups didn’t think the BLM could place “non-use” of land on equal footing with uses like grazing or energy leasing.

Ivan London, a senior attorney with Mountain State Legal Foundation, told the Deseret News that he doesn’t think conservation could be considered one of the “multiple uses” the BLM manages land for, when conservation means that “nothing specifically was being done to the land.”

Bureau of Land Management

Pushback

The National Parks Conservation Association is among the many groups concerned by the loss of this rule. Their official release says that “This move upends a balanced land management approach away from accounting for wildlife conservation, cultural resource protection and recreational use in favor expanded oil and gas drilling, mining and industrial development on millions of acres of public lands as part of a broader push to sell off public lands to private interests.”

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has also spoken out, with their Legal Director saying “America’s wildest public lands face unprecedented threats from the Trump administration and its repeated decisions to prioritize fossil fuel development and extractive industry over clean water, wildlife habitat, and wild open spaces. This is especially the case in Utah, where Trump’s policies are having direct and irreversible impacts on the nation’s redrock wilderness.”

Challenges to the rule’s rescission are likely, and some groups may pursue lawsuits to that end.

Part Of A Trend?

The Trump Administration hasn’t been sly in its attempt to sell off public lands. As recently as last year, there was broad support for Utah Senator Mike Lee’s amendment that would have listed millions of acres of Forest Service land for sale. The state of Utah also recently filed for title to 18 million acres of BLM-managed land within its borders.

Some critics call the rescission of the public lands rule just another attempt to sell off land. However, it’s important to note that the public lands rule didn’t exist until 2024. Before then, BLM administered its lands without conservation as a recognized use. While far from perfect, hunting and fishing access were recognized uses.

The change that will likely have the most impact is the requirement in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that mandates all parcels of land nominated for oil and gas leasing have to hit the market within 18 months. Those lands are still public, but a lease allows companies to construct roads, build wells, and extract oil and gas from that land.

How to Tie: The Mickey Finn

By
Greg Stohrer
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In this week’s “How to Tie” feature, Tim Flagler with Tightlinevideo ties a classic streamer that will catch fish anywhere in the world, the Mickey Finn.

Learn How to Tie This Fly:

Difficulty: Easy

In the last several years, fly tying has seen incredible innovations. From new creative ways to work with material to new synthetics that create ultra realistic profiles, there seems to be something exciting hitting fly shops every week. Although that tyers have the ability to imitate insects and baitfish in exceptional ways, the classics should always have a place on both your vise and fly box. Classics come in all different shapes and sizes, but the Mickey Finn is a streamer that will catch trout and other baitfish hunting species all year long.

Whether you have been tying flies for years or just beginning, this is a pattern worth every second of patience. There aren’t any hidden tricks for this fly besides taking your time, as wrapping tinsel and using bucktail can be difficult at first. Depending on what your local trout are most attracted to, it’s highly recommended tie a few different size and color variations to cover your bases. The Mickey Finn’s simple design and profile create an undeniably effective pattern for trout and has led to countless anglers first trout tied on their own fly.

This streamer will catch fish on large rivers and small mountain streams alike. Regardless of season or weather, you’ll find a friend in this fly while fishing it and as a new tyer and angler, there could be no better place to start. Enjoy the process with this pattern as you’ll be able to make quick work out of a nighttime tying session and can go back to thinking about your next adventure. The Mickey Finn is a name that every angler in the fly fishing space should both know how to tie and fish and unfortunately this article won’t help you accomplish the latter, that’s on you!

Ingredients:

Now you know how to tie the Mickey Fun!

Video courtesy of Tightlinevideo.

Episode 6: Midwest Fly Shop Tour Now LIVE!

By
Max Inchausti
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In the final episode of Fly Shop Tour Season 4, we end our Midwestern road trip in the great state of Ohio, where we meet up with the one and only Brian Flechsig from Mad River Outfitters. During our visit, Max and Brian sit down to solve all the world’s problems behind a vise, and later, get into some of the best fishing we’ve ever experienced on the Fly Shop Tour. This isn’t one you’re going to want to miss! Check out the EPIC season finale HERE AND NOW!

Stripping Streames for Great Lakes Steelhead

By
Max Inchausti
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Call them what you want—steelhead, lake-run rainbows — but migratory Great Lakes trout offer incredible angling opportunities, widely available to Midwest anglers. Steelhead are found in all five of the Great Lakes, and every fall, they make their annual migration into the tributaries to spawn. As the temps drop, anglers head to the river in search of their own sliver of chrome, employing various methods to catch them. But one often overlooked method doesn’t get enough attention: stripping streamers. When done right, it can result in hard grabs from hot fish and ensuing battles no angler will pass up. After fishing with the Mad River Outfitters team on the Fly Shop Tour, here are a few tips we picked up to catch Great Lakes steelhead on streamers.

1. Strip, Strip, Strip

Stripping flies for steelhead is a lot different from traditional two-hand swinging. Rather than a slow swing through a pool, you want your fly moving, and depending on your fishery, how much it’s moving matters. In our case, fishing the Ohio tributaries, the fish wanted the fly moved fast and constantly—pauses in the retrieve turned the fish off. Regardless of where you fish, experiment with the retrieve until you find what they want.

2. Find Fresh Fish

Finding fresh fish is critical when stripping streamers. Fish that have just entered the system are much more active than stale fish that have been in the river for a while. These fresh fish are more likely to chase down and actively eat a streamer. Depending on the river, look for weather events like rainstorms and monitor gauge stations for a bump in flows. Oftentimes, the bump in flows can trigger a fresh push of willing and aggressive fish from the Great Lakes.

3. Fish the Slow Water

While it’s easy to overlook slow-moving frog water, this is your best bet for finding fish to chase and eat a streamer. The tricky part can be finding fish in long stretches of slow water. Since there are no features, like a pocket or soft edge, that will hold fish, they look for cover like an undercut bank or an overhanging tree. Even the smallest structure can hold fish in long stretches of slow-moving water.

4. Target Early Season Fish

Similar to finding fresh fish, fishing the early runs of Great Lakes steelhead will result in more streamer eats. This is especially true if you’re fishing one of the Great Lakes with salmon runs. As salmon enter the river, steelhead will shift their focus to eating eggs. Fishing for the first runs of fish makes your streamer offering a lot more tempting to a hungry steelhead than a fish that’s been gorging on eggs.

Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Light Pant

By
Harry Spampinato
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Oftentimes, the fly fishing world gets caught up with the latest and greatest gear from its core brands. These brands, like Orvis and Simms, to name a few, have made it their mission to deliver premium products designed specifically for anglers. While that leads to some excellent products, the marketing hype around fly fishing often overlooks other adjacent brands making exceptional gear. One such brand is Mountain Hardwear, a hiking and camping brand whose products fit seamlessly into the angling world.

Mountain Hardwear isn’t exactly known as a fishing outfitter, but believe me when I say the brand builds one of the best cold-weather layers in my winter fishing wardrobe. Engineered to be exceptionally warm, stretchy, and especially durable for a down garment, the Stretchdown Light Pant offers, in my opinion, unmatched performance, longevity, and versatility.

Mountain Hardwear

Stretchdown Light Pant

Key Features:
  • 700-fill RDS®-certified down insulation
  • Stretch-woven fabric provides durable stretch
  • Elastic binding on cuffs to seal in warmth
  • Price: $290
Pros:
  • Narrow baffle size supports low-profile, easy layering
  • Inherent durability, stretch, and insulation make this a super versatile pant
  • Aesthetically sharp
  • Available in both men’s and women’s sizing
Cons:
  • Price
  • Can be tedious to wash
  • Limited color selection

How We Tested

I unknowingly began testing for this review about four years ago when I first picked up a pair of Stretchdown Pants and instantly fell in love. While there was no specific protocol for testing this garment, the sheer amount of hours I’ve spent fishing and running around in my Stretchdown Pants has been notably more thorough than almost any testing criteria I’ve ever followed. In short, the proof is in the pudding—I’ve tested countless garments in this vein over the past four years, and nothing has yet to replace or outlive my Stretchdown Pants. 

Over the past four years, I’ve donned the Stretchdown Pant while camping, made it a travel staple for any trip I expect to combat the extreme cold, and above all else, have worn the hell out of it while winter fishing. My pair has, at this point, come along on countless fishing trips both near and far, and is performing just as strongly as it did off the rack. 

While I most frequently utilize these pants as an insulating layer beneath the protective shell of my bibs or waders, they’ve also seen plenty of mileage worn on their own. My Stretchdown Pants have been my first line of defense against many different unforgiving outdoor environments and weather forecasts, and they’re still in service. Let’s get into it.

The Good

Warmth

Equipped with 700-fill RDS®-certified down insulation, Mountain Hardwear has properly prepared the Stretchdown Pant to ward off truly frigid conditions. Combine the ample natural down insulation with the elastic binding at the ankle cuffs, and you’ve got yourself a pair of pants that traps your body heat while simultaneously eliminating the entry of chilly drafts.

Stretch

You might already own a nice pair of down pants, but can you do karate in them?? Arguably, the feature that sets this garment the farthest apart from the competition, Mountain Hardwear has engineered the Stretchdown Light Pant with a degree of stretch you’ll be surprised by.

While utilizing these pants for fly fishing applications will rarely demand you to test the limits of the ultra-engineered Stretchdown™ construction, remember that these pants are designed with rock climbing in mind, so they’re more than willing to be twisted, bent, and contorted in every direction possible. At the very least, you won’t have to worry about busting a seam or tearing any stitching when you bend to lace up your wading boots or clamber out of the river up onto the bank. More active winter anglers who log lots of miles hiking into their favorite honey holes will very much find a friend in the stretch fabric here.

Durability + Lifespan

My winter wardrobe has seen quite a few down garments come and go over the last half-decade, and my Stretchdown Pants remain a staple despite the duration of their service. Built with 20D Durable Stretch Doubleweave fabric, the shell of these pants is notably tougher than what you typically see in down garments.

That being said, this is still a down garment at the end of the day, so the outer material of the Stretchdown Pant is still quite susceptible to punctures and tears; so treat it as kindly as you can. 

Packability + Bulk & Layering Ability

Other endearing qualities of the Stretchdown Pant include its ability to pack compact and lightweight, as well as to layer nicely under a shell, or over a base layer (or both). 

Weighing in at just 13.1 ounces (size medium) and inherently compressible due to the fact that it’s a down garment, you can easily squeeze these pants into an already full pack, so there’s no excuse not to bring the Stretchdown Pant on virtually any chilly day-trip or international fish mission.

Mountain Hardwear’s Stretchdown™ construction weaves the baffles from a single stretch fabric, resulting in narrower baffles for low-profile, easy layering. It’s easy to tell the moment you put these pants on that they are designed for high-speed/low-drag, so they work very well when worn beneath waders or bibs, while still retaining just enough room for a base layer underneath. 

Aesthetics

Somehow, some way, Mountain Hardwear has engineered a down pant here that you can get away with wearing around town, to the fly shop, base lodge, and beyond. While I love the unparalleled warmth provided by down pants, the Stretchdown Pant is the only pair I feel confident enough to wear out in public without feeling like a total dweeb. 

I think the Strechdown Pants avoid the aesthetic awkwardness typical of most down pants for two reasons: the slim profile, and lack of glossy sheen/shine on the fabric. Not only do these pants wear slimmer and more reminiscent of regular pants, but they also don’t catch and reflect the light like the outer shell of most down garments. Elastic binding at the cuffs also adds to the Stretchdown’s look, almost creating a kind of tapered, jogger aesthetic, which I, for one, am a big fan of.

Pockets

Let’s not forget the benefit of a solid pocket schematic. While I dominantly wear my Stretchdown Pants underneath my bibs or waders, I also frequently don them over a base layer for regular cold-weather wear. Designed with two open-top soft-brushed hand pockets and two hook-and-loop-secured rear patch pockets, there’s a stash spot for all your typical on-hand essentials.

The Bad

Price

At almost 300 bucks, this is certainly an investment purchase. Truth be told, you could pivot those fishing funds towards a new pair of waders, a reel, or a complete merino base layer set, to name just a few ideas. If you’re planning to wear the Stretchdown Pant solely as an under-wader or under-bib pant, there are options that are both more affordable and better suited to the task. The same goes for those seeking an insulated pair of general-purpose outdoor pants—there are cheaper, more rugged options on the market.

The value of the Stretchdown Light Pant lies in its ability to adapt to many different cold-weather scenarios, so anglers who purchase this pant to check multiple chilly boxes will find it’s more than worth the price. In summary, even if you’re on a tight budget, these pants are totally worth it if you plan on utilizing them to their fullest potential. As solely an under-wader pant, I’d recommend directing your budget elsewhere.  

Washing

Like all down garments, the Strechdown Light Pant poses a bit of a hurdle when it comes to washing. I do my best to run mine through the wash as minimally as possible, but cleaning your outdoor garments is obviously inevitable. While we recommend using a laundry soap specifically designed for washing down garments, you may still have to go up against the Stretchdown Pant due to its construction. Because the pants use a continuous grid rather than individual pockets of down insulation, the fill tends to clump, so you may find yourself tediously redistributing it. Mountain Hardwear’s choice to stuff the Stretchdown Pant in this manner has a lot to do with the pant’s inherently awesome degree of stretch, so it’s a necessary evil that dramatically boosts mobility at the cost of added maintenance.

Lack of colors

Alright, a lack of color selection is hardly a reason to bash the Stretchdown Pant, but considering this garment is so versatile in its applications and suitable for around-town wear, it’s a shame there aren’t more aesthetics available to personalize your look. If you’re not a fan of camo or the stone green colorway, you’re out of luck.

Final Word

The key takeaway here is once again, versatility. While I recognize that the needs and preferences of no two anglers are the same, it was immediately obvious to me that the Stetchdown Light Pant was the superior option for my needs as both a fisherman and an outdoorsman in general. While I’ve added many base layers, under-wader pants, and cozy sweats to my winter wardrobe, I’ve yet to find a garment that offers this level of adaptability. A true cold-weather chameleon, Mountain Hardwear drives a hard bargain with the price point of the Stetchdown Light Pant, but we’re here to tell you that these pants have legs. 

The Spring Collection: The 5 Best Streamers for Spring Run Off and How to Fish Them

By
Kubie Brown
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As an admitted streamer junkie, I fish with big bugs all year long. I sink streamers into deep holes during the dog days of summer, cast and rip them through big water in the fall, and even slowly work them along the bottom during the winter. Yet, when someone asks me what my favorite time of year to fish streamers is, there’s no question that it’s spring. 

A lot of fly anglers dislike the gray, dirty water of the early season. Yet, when the water is high and colored up with run-off from snow melt and torrential rains, big trout are meat-hungry and hurl themselves on streamers with reckless abandon. It’s a time of year that provides both consistent action as well as some truly big fish. However, to capitalize on the spring streamer bounty, you need to fish in the right places with the right techniques and above all—use the right flies. Spring streamers need to be big and juicy-looking, while still providing the right action for the different water conditions you may encounter. So whenever and wherever I’m chasing trout in the spring, these five streamer patterns are always in my box. 

Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow

Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow

The smallest streamer on the list, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, still packs a big punch. It’s especially effective during the earliest part of the spring, when runoff has just begun, and the water hasn’t quite shaken off winter’s chill. Trout are sluggish during this time of year and will push into extremely shallow water to look for a meal that both stands out in the slightly cloudy water and that they won’t have to work hard to catch. The Sparkle Minnow just checks all these boxes. 

With a body made of Wing-n-Flash and a brightly colored marabou tail, the Sparkle Minnow is a perfect wounded/dying baitfish imitation. It has a large conehead, which makes it sink fast, and is ideal for casting into the shallow, sandy flats along bank edges where early spring trout first begin to show up. I prefer to fish it with a couple of quick strips and then long pauses that allow the fly to sink all the way to the bottom, where it can click and bounce along the rocks. This action calls in slow-moving trout and gives them plenty of time to both see the fly and decide to strike. 

Mike’s Meal Ticket

Mike’s Meal Ticket

Once run-off begins in earnest and the water gets high and discolored, trout push up into the soft water right against the bank and other structure to look for big meals that are within easy reach. Catching fish during this time requires a fly with a big profile that makes an impression, so it will get a quick reaction from the fish. Nothing is better for that sort of work than Mike’s Meal Ticket. 

Invented by infamous big bug tyer Mike Schmidt, this largish streamer comes with heavy dumbbell eyes, rubber legs, and a lot of flash. Yet the fly maintains a sleek and easy-to-see profile as soon as it hits the water. It’s the perfect pattern for smacking along the edges of undercut banks, pitching under bushes, and dropping into the center of big boulder gardens, log jams, and other cover where big trout hold during high water. The Meal Ticket is not a fly that you want to work and strip all the way back to the boat. Instead, splash it down and twitch it a few times, and if it doesn’t get absolutely smashed within a few seconds, move on and drop it into the next likely looking spot.

Double Deceiver

Double Deceiver

As run off begins to subside slightly so that the fish have a bit more room to move, big trout begin hunting along bank edges for baitfish and small trout that have been swept up by the current. Once this happens, start fishing streamers that can be drifted and twitched downstream to offer them an easy meal. My favorite pattern for that kind of presentation is the Double Deceiver. 

Essentially a beefed-up classic Deceiver fly, the Double Deceiver is a large baitfish pattern made up of two hooks and a bucktail body with long schlappen tail feathers. The pattern is neutrally buoyant, so that it only sinks a few feet below the surface while creating a long and very realistic-looking profile and a lifelike swimming action. My favorite way to fish DD’s during the spring is to cast them a few inches off the bank and then make one or two strips so that the fly is right on the edge of the main current. Then, I’ll make a slight downstream mend and allow the fly to dead drift downstream while making the occasional twitch or jerk with my rod tip to imitate a wounded baitfish and an easy target. 

CJ’s Sluggo

CJ’s Sluggo

When run-off has begun to die down and flows close to normal, the water usually remains extremely stained. In these conditions, big trout will often begin to chase and roll on streamers without actually striking them. It was the kind of thing that used to drive me crazy and almost caused me to put my streamers away and start nymphing (yuck). Yet, as luck would have it, I finally found a streamer pattern that changed these chases into hard grabs—CJ’s Sluggo. 

In stained, post-heavy run-off water, big trout will chase almost anything, but really need a target they can line up on before they’ll eat, making the Sluggo the perfect weapon. Invented by Chad Johnson, who guides the fabled waters of the White River in Cotter, Arkansas, the Sluggo has an articulated body similar to a Double Deceiver, which presents an appealing and meaty profile for big hungry trout. However, the real magic of the pattern is in the fly’s head, which is made of stacked and contoured deer hair. Designed for sharp turns when it’s stripped hard and then paused, the thick head of the Sluggo causes the fly to turn sharply sideways, offering any pursuing trout the perfect broadside shot. Once I start having a lot of follows without a lot of grabs, I’ll send in the Sluggo by stripping it hard and fast off the bank and then suddenly pausing it mid-river, where it almost always gets the trout to commit.  

Dolly Llama 

Dolly Llama

All these streamer patterns have their place and are incredibly effective during specific conditions. However, if I had to pick a Swiss-Army style streamer pattern that will work fairly well during the spring in almost any water condition, it would be the Dolly Llama. Designed in Alaska during the late 90s to target big hungry rainbows, char, and even salmon, the Dolly Llama just screams “eat me” at big spring trout.

Tied with a heavy cone head, a shaggy rabbit zonker body, and a long strip of gaudy flash, the Dolly is a great fly for both banging against overflowing banks and for stripping through heavy run-off where trout hold in deeper pockets of slower-moving water. The rabbit strips also give the fly a very lifelike, undulating motion beneath the surface, making it ideal for swinging through the pillows of slower-moving currents that are surrounded by faster flows. While the Dolly isn’t always the most consistently effective spring streamer, I’ve found it to be dependable, as it will usually get a tug or two when nothing else seems to be working. 

Spring Fever

After a long winter of slow and sluggish fishing (or hiding on your couch watching fishing videos), fishing streamers during the spring is a fantastic way to cut loose and shake off the cobwebs. The trout are usually hungry, and casting a big fly for a long length of time is the perfect way to get the blood flowing and to start your fishing season off with a bang. Plus, when you fish with the right streamers, the action can be hot enough to make you forget those beautiful, clearwater days of summer and make fishing in the dark, dirty water of spring your favorite time of year.  

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