FAQ

We explore rivers across the Western United States, with a core focus on Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and New Mexico. Each river entry on our site includes detailed flow data, hatch chart recommendations, and local wading insights—so you can plan your next Western trout trip with confidence. We also offer interactive maps, weather forecasts, gear suggestions, and fishing reports highlighting peak seasons, trout species, and recommended fly patterns—so anglers of all levels can maximize each trip.

FlyGuysNLies is your one-stop resource for: In-depth river guides (hatch charts, maps, recommended runs); Video tutorials (casting, knot-tying, techniques); Gear reviews (rods, reels, waders, flies); Real-time river conditions (flow, temperature, trend icons); and a searchable fly-pattern database with images, tailored to each river. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned angler, you'll find step-by-step guidance and local insights to help you catch more trout on every trip.

The FlyGuysNLies editorial, support, and product team maintains this FAQ. Answers are based on our owned river content, the FlyGuysNLies Mobile product experience, public hydrology and weather sources, river-specific hatch and condition models, and support questions we receive from anglers. When a topic depends on official rules, closures, access, fire restrictions, or emergency conditions, the official agency or land manager is the controlling source.

Yes. FlyGuysNLies Mobile is where our real-time intelligence lives — river verdicts, hatch alerts, and fly & rig picks tied to today's conditions, not generic advice. Other apps give you maps. We give you intelligence: know where, when, and what to fly fish, before you leave the house.

The core app is free — browse rivers, check conditions, and read hatch charts at no cost. Premium unlocks the full set of smart alerts and advanced planning features, with current pricing shown in the App Store before you subscribe.

A river verdict answers the one question every angler asks before driving out: is it fishing well today? We blend flow, water temperature, and clarity into a single at-a-glance rating — Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor — so you know whether to go, wait, or pick a different river, before you burn the drive time finding out.

No. River verdicts are planning intelligence for fly anglers. They help summarize conditions, but they are not emergency, rescue, legal, access, closure, fire restriction, or regulatory guidance. Always check the responsible agency, land manager, water operator, and local emergency information before making time-sensitive safety decisions.

Our River Conditions widget displays the current flow in cubic feet per second (CFS) alongside a 24-hour sparkline so you can see if water is rising, falling, or holding steady. Reading the CFS number tells you how deep and fast the water is right now; the color coding (blue = ideal wading, orange = approaching low/high limits, red = caution/blown out) lets you instantly gauge wading conditions. By monitoring both the absolute CFS and its trend, you'll know when to adjust your presentation angle, pick a different fly size, or plan a wading route.

We pull data directly from USGS and other agency gauges every hour, so flow and condition data reflects what's actually happening on the river right now. A handful of rivers have no gauge of their own; those are labelled so you know the reading is an estimate rather than a live measurement. For official water data, the agency gauge remains the controlling source.

Absolutely! We cover everything from nymphing and dry-fly drifts to streamer tactics—each optimized for Western rivers. Head to our Techniques section and video library for step-by-step guidance.

Yes—we're fully committed to catch-and-release conservation. We strongly encourage the use of barbless hooks, wet hands before handling fish, and minimize air exposure (keep fish in the water at all times). After landing, gently revive each fish by holding it facing upstream in the current until it swims away on its own. Following these practices helps keep trout populations healthy for generations to come. We also recommend using biodegradable tippet material and practicing Leave-No-Trace etiquette along riverbanks—pack out all trash, pick up stray fishing line, and avoid trampling riparian vegetation. Partnering with local conservation organizations through volunteer cleanups further protects our waterways.

Definitely. Check out our Fly Fishing 101 video series, which walks you through gear selection, basic casting techniques, knot-tying, and river safety. We break down each step—choosing your first rod, matching the reel and line weight, tying the Clinch Knot, and reading water currents—so that newcomers feel confident on day one.

We'd love your input! Visit our Contact page and fill out the form with any river suggestions, feature ideas, or data requests. Whether it's a local stream you love or a new hatch chart you'd like to see, we review every submission as we build out our site and mobile app.

Drop us a line via the Contact page. The form is monitored by the FlyGuysNLies team, and we aim to respond to inquiries as soon as possible. Do not use the contact form for emergencies or time-sensitive safety issues; call 911 or the appropriate local emergency service if someone is in danger.