Being a camera gear geek, I was delighted to interview Chris Niccolls  (interview starts at 47:16) of DP Review TV. (If you are also a camera geek, you probably read DP Review regularly.) Chis is a photography teacher as well as a video star, has worked in camera shops, and currently works in a fly shop in Calgary. In the interview, he gives some fantastic tips on how to take better fish and fishing pictures in both the video and still formats. He also suggests some brands and models of phones, cameras, and drones that he feels are best suited for fishing photography.  I know I learned a whole mess of new tricks for taking better fishing pictures, and I am sure you will, too.

In the Fly Box, we cover plenty of topics that may help answer questions you have had about fly fishing:

• Should I get a 6½-foot or 7½-foot rod for small streams?  What weight line is best, and should I get a Double Taper or Weight Forward line?
• Do you carry a small seine with you when trout fishing?
• How many wind knots should I expect in a day of fishing?
• I fish for salmon and stripers.  Should I get a full-sinking or sinking-tip line in addition to my floating line?
• How do you travel with fly rods?  Do you carry them on or check them?
• Would a 12-foot, 6-inch two-handed rod be OK for both stripers and smallmouths?
• What do you think offly clips?
• Should I use nylon or Fluorocarbon tippets for dries and nymphs?
• I have lost my passion for fly fishing.  Does this ever happen to you?
• A suggestion from a listener on targeting white bass in Texas on their spawning runs
• If I only had one type of line for stripers, bass, and pike because of expense, what line should I buy?
• Do you have any suggestions for catching stocked trout when the spin guys are catching tons of them using corn as bait?
• Is there a big difference between the Battenkill IV Spey and Battenkill IV disc?
• Is there an advantage to using a rotary vise?
• How long does it take trout eggs to hatch?

I get frequent requests for suggestions on what fly-fishing literature to read during these long winter nights when you want to enjoy fly fishing but don’t want to snuggle up to something lighter.  I invited David Van Wie (interview starts at 45:10), author of the recently published book Storied Waters—subtitled “35 Fabled Fly Fishing Destinations and the Writers and Artists Who Made The Famous”—to share with me his favorite writers and books.  It is pretty much an eastern-oriented tour of these books, but don’t worry.  I have an idea for someone to do a similar podcast on western North America writers on a future podcast so stay tuned. 

In the Fly Box this week, we have some great questions and suggestions from listeners—and one who slapped my hands:

• A listener who took me to task for encouraging another listener to try to introduce mayflies from one watershed into another.  Shame on me.  I didn’t think about also transferring other unwanted critters and I should have known better
• Can I use the same nymphs under an indicator that I use when Euro nymphing and vice versa?
• A suggestion from a listener about the great classes available at Orvis stores
• What are the pros and cons of indicator vs. non-indicator nymphing?
• What is your opinion on click-and-pawl fly reels?
• Does anyone rent waders?  I don’t want to pack them into my luggage.
• What gear do you carry when saltwater fly fishing that you would not carry on a trout stream?
• Can I attach droppers to a tippet ring?
• Why can’t I catch stocked trout when conventional anglers are yanking them in on Power Bait?
• I had a trout take my plastic strike indicator.  Does this ever happen to you?
• Does perfection matter when tying flies?  I have trouble tying a size 20 Purple Prince.
• Do midges migrate to Indiana during the winter?
• Why can’t I catch stocked trout on surface flies?

Tired of crowded trout streams?  Looking for a new fish to catch on a fly rod that will give you a tussle and challenge your skills?  Look no further than the white bass, which is a common fish in many parts of the US, from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi drainage and has even been introduced into some western lakes.  My friend Jim Weatherwax is a white bass fanatic (he also fishes for wipers in the same waters, which are a freshwater sterile hybrid of a white bass and a striped bass) and offers solid advice on where to find these great fish, what tackle to use, and best techniques to catch them.  Warmwater fish like this are great ways to spread out the fishing pressure that we all experience from time to time.

We have a long fly box this week, with lots of interesting questions and tips from listeners, including:

• What does it mean when a fly rod is rated for more than one line size, like 5/6?
• Should I use a full fluorocarbon leader when fishing with indicators?
• A suggestion on looking for blue cheeks and clean halos when trying to tell if a brown trout is wild.
• What is the difference between the new Recon 2 and the Helios 3 rods? 
• Should I buy a wading shoe one size larger than my shoe size when buying wading bots online?
• What do you think of using 2X short hooks for small nymphs?
• I am not able to catch fish on streamers during the winter in a tailwater.  What am I doing wrong?
• Are fluorescent hot spots on nymphs effective?
• Is it ethical to trim small tree branches in trout streams?
• Why do trout only take big attractor dry flies right after they land on the water?
• Are UV resins really effective?
• Why am I losing so many trout when fishing small nymphs?  Am I setting the hook wrong?
• Do you have some suggestions for catching American shad?
• Is it worth it to tie your own leaders?  And if I do, how can I attach them to my fly line without a loop-to-loop connection?
• Why do small brown trout attack huge streamers?
• Should I get a Helios 3 D or F version for fishing UK chalk streams?
• A suggestion for wearing nitrile gloves for winter fishing.