By Kirk Deeter

Are you an "instinctive" angler? By that, I mean, when you see trout rising in the pool in front of you, are you locked into "predator" mode? Are your actions dictated by force of will? Or is your mind flooded with thoughts like making your rod tip stop as you cast at "10" and "2" on some imaginary clock face? Are you preoccupied with worries about drifting and mending? And when the fish eats your fly, does the fight come naturally?

One of the great dilemmas for those of us who write "how-to" stories on fly fishing is that, while we want to offer good tips that help our readers get better and realize more success, we also know that information overload can be counter productive, especially on a trout river. The real truth is, there is no substitute for personal experience.

By Kirk Deeter

Last year, I said that 2012 would be "The Year of the Carp."  That was meant to be more of a personal New Year's resolution than a fishy twist on the Chinese New Year tradition.

Indeed, this was a carp-filled year for me. I visited a number of destination hotspots with the unique bent of chasing trash fish. For example, I went to Idaho's Snake River to fish for carp instead of trout. I went to San Diego to hang out with my buddy Conway Bowman, but we didn't chase mako sharks. We went carp fishing. I went to Michigan and caught carp... but I also caught pike, panfish and trout because you can always fish for just about anything in Michigan.

By Kirk Deeter

If you're an obsessed fly fisherman (and your family knows it), you're bound to get some fly-fishing-themed gifts this season. Granted, whether or not you get that sweet five-weight you've been asking for depends on whether you've landed on the naughty or nice list.

As my family was putting out some decorations the other day, I noticed that there's definitely a holiday angling theme going on in our house. That starts with the Christmas tree. My favorite ornament might be this pair of miniature rubber waders. I always hang that in a spot where we can see it.

By Kirk Deeter

The one thing I can't stand about winter fly fishing is ice forming in the guides of my rod. But there's a cheap, simple fix for that.