For many, a visit to the fly shop before heading out on the water has become routine. You pick up some flies, grab a new spool of tippet and maybe cast that new rod you've been pining for. Most importantly, you stop to get the information that will make your day on the water a success.
Simply relying on the hatch chart in your dad’s guide book from 1982 isn’t going to cut it. Weather conditions vary and stream dynamics change from year to year. Getting local intel can often be a necessity when fishing water you are unfamiliar with.