Q&A with Joe Goodspeed

In this episode, Joe answers one of the most debated questions in steelhead fishing: Are Great Lakes steelhead comparable to sea-run steelhead?Drawing from decades of experience fishing the Salmon River and other Great Lakes tributaries, Joe shares his perspective on how these fish compare in size, strength, and behavior. The conversation also dives into gear choices, targeting tactics, and seasonal behavior.

Joe breaks down the concept of drift nymphing and how it compares to the increasingly common ultra-thin leader approach used in modern euro nymphing. He answers frequently asked questions about his leader setup for drift nymphing, explaining why heavier tapered leaders and flies with more natural density can create more convincing drifts when nymphing with big flies like crayfish and sculpin patterns.Joe walks through how leader taper, sink rate, and current dynamics all influence presentation when fishing larger subsurface flies. He also explains why flies with more natural movement often trigger stronger strikes and how anglers can detect those strikes even when fishing with a semi-tight approach.The conversation also touches on an idea recently discussed by Kelly Galloup : Fishing flies with “soul.” Patterns that move naturally in the water and imitate real food sources can often outperform nymphs that simply plummet to the bottom.If you’re interested in learning more about drift nymphing, euro nymphing, leader design, or fishing larger nymph patterns more naturally, this episode dives into how leader construction, fly density, and current speed all work together to produce these better drifts.Drop your questions in the comments for future Q&A episodes.Topics In this Q&A:Drift nymphing vs euro nymphingFishing large flies like crayfish and sculpin patternsFly density vs fly weightNatural sink rates and realistic driftsSemi-tight contact and strike detectionBuilding a tapered drift nymphing leaderReading water currentWhy flies with movement trigger harder strikes

In this second episode, Joe answers questions on how to catch big wild trout in early season conditions using crayfish and sculpin patterns, euro nymphing tactics, and precise presentation strategy. If you want to consistently catch larger trout on pressured rivers and freestone streams, understanding where trout feed and how to present big food imitations is critical. A huge topic is the importance of the spill point - the primary feeding lane in a trout pool and how approach, angle, sink rate, leader setup, and rod choice all affect success when targeting trophy wild trout.Topics In this Q&A:Crayfish fly fishing tacticsBig trout feeding behaviorEuro nymphing for large troutSink rate and natural driftsFishing the head of the pool (spill point)Rod selection for big fliesEarly season trout strategyDrop your questions in the comments for future Q&A episodes.

This new Q/A format gives you the chance to have your technical fishing questions answered on video by Joe Goodspeed. We’ll be pulling questions directly from comments across all of our platforms. If there’s something you want covered, drop a comment on our posts. Let us know what you think of this new format. Topics in this first episode include a look into Joe’s design by feel philosophy, upcoming rod releases in the Generation IV Nymph lineup, winter fishing.