Wet Fly Swing

We’re putting together the Ultimate Leech Guide with Landon Mayer and Phil Rowley. We break down when to use leeches, how to fish them, and why they work so consistently across different lakes. This one goes deep into tactics, from leader setup to retrieve styles, along with a better understanding...

Henry's Lake fly fishing has a reputation that stretches across North America. Big trout, shallow water, legendary hatches, and a history filled with anglers chasing trophy fish. In this episode, Phil Rowley sits down with Idaho native Darren Huntsman, a lifelong angler who has spent decades learning the nuances of...

Stillwater fly fishing rewards anglers who focus on presentation, depth, and efficiency rather than constantly changing flies. In this episode, Phil Rowley sits down with England’s Howard Croston — former world champion, longtime England team member, Hardy product developer, and Fulling Mill fly designer — to unpack the tactical decisions that consistently put trout in the net. From reading unfamiliar lakes and understanding stocked fish behavior to leader diameter, drift control, and eliminating “myths” about fly color, Howard explains how competition fishing sharpens efficiency and forces anglers to focus only on what truly matters. The result is a practical, systems-based approach any stillwater angler can apply immediately.

Stillwater trout don’t always eat because they’re hungry — and that’s where many anglers get stuck. In this solo episode of the Littoral Zone Podcast, Phil Rowley breaks down the power of attraction and explains why trout often strike flies for reasons that have nothing to do with feeding. When matching the hatch fails, attractor patterns can trigger responses rooted in curiosity, aggression, and territorial instinct. Drawing from decades of stillwater experience, Phil explores when and why attractor flies work, how to fish them responsibly, and which patterns consistently provoke strikes from otherwise inactive trout. From blobs and boobies to FABs, worms, and exaggerated chironomids, this episode reframes how anglers should think about fly choice, presentation, and trout behavior in lakes.

Episode Show Notes Phil Rowley breaks down the world of sinking lines—why and when to use them, how to pick the right one, and the tricks that make them effective. From understanding sink rates and densities to choosing leaders and rigging setups, Phil shares practical tactics that can help you...

If you’ve listened to Phil’s two-part series on making sense of Stillwater fly lines, you probably get why this topic is so important. For anyone new to stillwater fly fishing, understanding fly lines, leaders, and tippets can be confusing. But when you’re fishing lakes, knowing your gear options, especially...

In this follow-up episode, Phil Rowley is back with Jerry McBride, one of the key people who helped create the Balanced Flies. He's here to break down exactly how he fishes these flies on Stillwater lakes. If you’ve ever tied on a balanced leech and wondered, “Now what?”, this...

In this episode, Phil sits down with the guy who helped create Balanced Flies—Jerry McBride. You’ll hear how the balanced fly came to life, the gear that made it work, and why this style of fly has become a Stillwater staple. If you’ve ever fished a balanced fly under an...

In this episode of The Littoral Zone with Phil Rowley, Tom Jarman, a top competitive fly angler and winner of the 2024 Australian Fly Fishing Championships, breaks down his best strategies, tactics, and flies for fishing Australian lakes and beyond. Show Notes with Tom Jarman on Fly Fishing Australian...

In part one of How Lakes Work, Brian and Phil explained lake classification and the key zones we should focus on. In part two, we’ll explore the seasons of a lake and how lakes change throughout the seasons. Brian will break down what happens each season, how it impacts...