Tip of the Week // Tired of "Almost Catching Fish"?

By Jason Harwood, Director of Education at Red’s Fly Shop

If you’ve ever watched a trout eat your fly and somehow not hook up, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common frustrations we hear from anglers—especially during dry fly or nymph presentations. The culprit? Often, it’s a poorly timed or poorly directed hookset.

Let’s break this down and give you a simple tip that will immediately increase your hook-up rate:

Set the Hook Downstream

Whether you’re fishing dries, tightline nymphing, or swinging soft hackles, the majority of trout you target are facing upstream into the current. That means when they eat your fly, they are situated as such.  If your instinct is to raise the rod straight up or—even worse—pull upstream, you’re yanking the fly out the front of their mouth.

Instead, try this:

• Drive the hook downstream and across.

• Use a firm, sweeping motion to the side—ideally at a downstream angle.

• This buries the hook in the corner of the trout’s mouth where it holds better and reduces stress on your tippet.

This is especially helpful on larger fish or in faster water where you only get one good shot.

Casting Upstream Makes It Easier

To pull this off, it helps to position yourself below the fish and cast upstream or slightly upstream at an angle. This setup:

• Gives you a more natural drift.

• Puts you in the perfect position to set downstream.

• Keeps you out of the fish’s direct line of sight.

When the fly disappears or your line stops unexpectedly—set downstream. You’ll find more of those takes turn into hookups.

This Is Something We Teach Constantly

This technique is a core part of our instruction at Red’s Fly Shop. We go over it in:

• Fishalongs (on both the Yakima and tributaries),

• Introductory courses (especially dry fly and Euro nymphing),

• And one-on-one coaching during guided trips.

Want to dial in your hooksets or your overall approach? Book a course or stop by the shop—we’ll get you sorted.

Want to learn more about fishing these techniques this season? Join us for a course this season and let our team help you sharpen these essential skills. 

Stay tuned for more summer fly fishing insights, and get ready for some exciting days ahead! We teach these techniques and more through our various courses in our University of Fly Fishing.

UPCOMING COURSES TO HIGHLIGHT 

There are a ton of offerings currently and our stillwaters both warm and cold are on fire!   All of these offerings can be accessed in the course calendar. 

• Saturday, August 23rd , Fly Fishing 101, 9am
• Saturday, August 23rd , Women's Divide and Conquer 10am
• Sunday, August 24th, Fly Fishing 201, 12pm
• Sunday, August 24th, Women's Intro Course 10am
• Monday, August 25th, Rowing Course
• Tuesday, August 26th, Euro Nymphing Fishalong, 9am
• Wednesday, August 27th, Trout Spey Fishalong, 9am
• Wednesday, August 27th, Tributary Fishalong, 1pm
• Thursday, August 28th, Trout Taxi 11am

ENTIRE COURSE CALENDAR HERE 

Our University of Fly Fishing is the most unique, comprehensive fly fishing education available.