I sat down with Joe Rotter from Reds Fly Shop to dig into some tips on fishing the mayfly hatch with a focus on the blue-winged olive. Joe has a serious passion for teaching and breaks down his good stuff today.
We find out what technical dry fly fishing is all about on the Yakima River. Joe is a wealth of knowledge and shares his best tips on dry fly fishing. We find out what gear you need and what makes a great dry fly fisherman.
Click below and listen to the Reds Fly Shop Podcast with Joe Rotter:
Find the show: itunes | stitcher | overcast
Sponsors and Podcast Updates
Reds Fly Shop Show Notes with Joe Rotter
13:16 – The Mend is the podcast that Joe puts together for Red’s is another great resource online.
19:20 – The shadow cast in a River Runs Through It is one of the most impactful seens in the movie because it was made up. I interviewed the right hand man for the movie here.
29:05 – I noted the couple of entomologists I’ve had on. Rick Hafele was on the podcast in episode 37 and shared a general run down on aquatic entomology.
Peter Sticher from Ascent Fly Fishing was on the show in episode 51 and shared some killer tips on matching the hatch.
54:25 – The Sage foundation is a great dry fly rod for $325 to $350. You can find the Sage Foundation here from our podcast sponsor, the Gorge Fly Shop.
(If you purchase through this link from the Gorge, this podcast gets a small commission at no extra cost to you).
55:00 – The Reddington zero and the Scientific Anglers amplitude smooth are two great choices for mid range gear for the reel and the fly line respectively.
58:50 – Lune aquel or loon lochsa are both great dry fly floatants to use.
1:05:30 – Antonio Gonzales has some comp flies that are killer.
1:20:30 – I noted the Tom Rowland podcast and the lack of balance as a guide. Tom was on our podcast and I was a guest on Tom’s show.
1:27:35 – The Gary Borger book on presentation is Joe’s most recommended resource and Gary was on the podcast here.
1:31:20 – The monthly rod giveaway from Red’s
You can find joe at RedsFlyShop.com
Top tips on fishing the Blue Winged Olive Mayfly Hatch
- Drop the dry fly so it makes a ring when it drops
- 3 weight in the 8.5 to 9′ range
- Use tapered leaders from the shop (Rio supple flex tippets are great)
- 12′ leaders and 7x down to 7.5 with 4x for wind and large flies
- Put a fresh tapered leader on at the start of each trip
- Simplify your fly selection to 12 flies or less
- If you can’t see your fly you can fish it
Blue Winged Olive Resources Noted in the Show
Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth
Mayfly Hatch Videos Noted in the Show
Reds Fly Shop Conclusion with Joe Rotter
Joe Rotter brings his A game today as we dig into dry fly fishing with a focus on mayflies on the Yakima River in Washington. Find out why a lighter 3 weight rod is the goto stick for most dry fly fishing.
We also find out why its important to put on a new tapered leader at the start of each trip you are on. Joe also breaks down the top gear and brands to get you started for a mid range setup.
![](https://wetflyswing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/gtff_logo_new_sky-3.8-in_1.jpg"){kind=logo}
Hey Dave,
Really enjoyed the show with Joe Rotter !
Do you know where I can find more info on Antonio Gonzales ?
Thanks
That’s a good question. I’ll check in with Joe and see if he knows.
This was a great podcast! I love listening to Joe, he could make fixing the plumbing in my house sound like a trip to Disney. He is such a pleasure to listen to and this was a very informative interview.
Great to hear Jim! I was thinking the same thing. So much knowledge and passion. Hope to do more shows like it.