How to find great fly fishing close to home, with Greg DeMars

I've had a number of guests on the podcast teaching us about urban fly fishing and it will be an ongoing process because everyone has different takes on how to approach it.  There is nothing better than a few hours of peace before or after work, without needing to drive for hours, and you can find it, even in the middle of our largest cities.  My guest Greg DeMars [40:25] specializes in the urban fisheries around Dallas, Texas, but the tips he offers are valuable for any urban area throughout North America—and probably beyond.  Urban fishing can be exciting and interesting and challenging—it's not just about trout or permit!

 

In the Fly Box this week, I thought we had some unusually interesting questions, including:

• Will you ever have a podcast on targeting yellow perch on a fly rod?
• Is there any need for a "shorty" Euro line if I want to Euro nymph with my regular weight-forward line?  Can't I just attach a very long leader?
• Are swimming holes "fish-free" zones or are they worth targeting in early season before the swimmers arrive?
• Where can I find Orvis BigEye hooks?
• When I fish in fast water I have problems shooting line because my excess line gets carried away by the current.  I don't want to use a stripping basket.  Is there another solution?
• I never use tippet, only leader material.  Do I need special tippet?
• What knot would you recommend instead of the Perfection Loop?
• I have problems catching flying insects over a trout stream and my hat doesn't work.  What would you suggest?
• How do you tell what fish are feeding on under the surface?
• Can you elaborate a bit on why you should make your first cast count?  How important is that and how do I do it without making a few bad casts first?
• When tying nymphs, I have trouble getting CDC to wind evenly.  And I don't like using a dubbing loop.  Any tips on how to make my CDC flies look better?
• What tips or recommendations do you have for getting into fly tying?