Name: Evan Makuvek

Name of Business: Makuvek Fly Fishing LLC

Website: www.evanmakuvek.com

Social Media: @poconorambler

  • Expert Interviews: Meet the fishing guides who know the waters like the back of their hand. Learn what makes each fishing spot unique and what tactics and gear you should be using.
  • Pro Tips: From fly selection to mastering the art of casting, get bite-sized tips that deliver big results.

What is your experience with trout fishing, and how many years have you been guiding?

My Dad got me started with fly tying and fly fishing back in 1997 around first grade and I’ve always enjoyed going to the stream with him. It wasn’t until College in 2010 that I really caught the “BUG” and wanted to pursue this more than the average angler. The majority of my fly fishing has been small streams in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania however in the past decade I have spent much more time fishing the region’s larger rivers such as the Upper Delaware River system as well as the Lehigh River.

What type of trout do you primarily focus on (e.g., Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout or Other)?

When I am fishing on my own I typically target areas that will produce wild brown and rainbow trout or native brook trout. These areas typically have exceptional water quality standards which are a direct result of undeveloped surrounding areas. To narrow my answer down even more, I love targeting big wild brown trout. 

Can you describe your approach to teaching beginners the basics of trout fishing?

My approach to teaching a 100% beginner starts with casting mechanics. It doesn’t matter how much you know about entomology or how good of a fly you have tied on, if someone can’t put the fly where it needs to go and present it correctly to the fish, their luck will not be great. 

I start with a very small streamer, maybe a size 8 non-weighted wooly bugger or muddler minnow. I use these because the first few casts aren’t perfect but if these little streamers are dancing around in the water there is a shot of a trout taking it unlike a moving dry fly or nymph (for the most part). It needs to be something that isn’t too heavy to cast and feels similar to a dry fly. Next I explain that in conventional fishing you’re using the weight of the lure to propel the lure out to your target, in flyfishing you’re using the weight of the fly line to propel your tiny fly out to the target. You’re casting the line, not the fly. 

Next I explain to them the concept of a loaded rod and timing. A loaded rod means your line has minimal slack at the terminus of each forward and back cast and tight loop during the transitions. This allows for an efficient transfer of energy between the forward casts and back casts so the casts can get increasingly further without exerting too much energy from your arm. 

Once the angler has learned how to properly cast a short cast I teach them how to extend the casting distance by releasing a small amount of line through their hands between casts while still maintaining a loaded rod. This is where timing comes in. As casts get longer and longer it will take more time for the loop to fully extend between forward and back casts. As an angler releases more line between casts they need to simultaneously increase the timing between the casts to ensure the loop is fully extended. If the timing isn’t extended, there will be too much slack in the line, the rod won’t load properly, the line will start to slap the water and the angler will need to start over.

Once the angler grasps casting, I will then start to educate them on trout food. There are 4 main types of flies. Dry flies which float on the top, nymphs which are fished near the bottom, emergers which can be in any section of the water column depending on hatch timing, and streamers which imitate small bait fish, leeches, crayfish, or anything else that swims and can fit into a trout’s mouth.

What are some of the most effective techniques you use for catching trout in this area?

I’ll break this question down by the 4 types of flies above.

Dry Flies – Drag free presentation is critical in dry fly fishing. There are rare circumstances when moving a dry fly can work but for the most part you want a dead drift. This is best achieved by casting downstream with a fly first presentation. The secret to a drag free presentation is the reach cast. 

Nymphs – Most fly fisherman know to have the indicator 1.5X the depth of the river to be sure it will reach the bottom. Fewer fly fishermen have the correct weight on their fly or tippet. I like to have an assortment of different weighted nymphs as well as lead free split shot to make sure I’m close to the bottom. The goal is to see your indicator tapping every few casts. When the indicator taps that means your fly is touching the bottom. If your indicator is not tapping every few casts, you’re not deep enough. The biggest tip I can give while nymphing is to cast as far as you can without tangling your line. Think about it, if you cast 20 feet upstream in a deep riffle by the time your fly reaches the bottom you’re about to make your next cast. This gives your fly almost zero time where the trout are. Nymphing casts shouldn’t be across the river, they should be up the river. If you let the river pull your line downstream to load the rod, make a far cast upstream so your nymph has enough time to sink to where the trout are then has time to ride the bottom before getting eaten.

Emergers – Emergers are a secret weapon at the right times. When fish are splashing around in a riffle but not taking a dry fly on the surface try tying on a wet fly or emerger with no floatant. Let it drift in the current and submerge just below the surface. When you see the splash, set the hook!

Streamers – Change, Change, Change. Change colors, depth, retrieve, and patterns every 5 to 10 minutes of fishing until you find what they’re hungry for. Don’t use your one favorite pattern all day without luck. Unless you’re doing an intentional slow/dead drift, don’t just pull the streamer back to you. Use the rod to give your streamer action. Like Kelly Galloup says, Imagine you’re playing with a cat with a string, you don’t just slowly pull it away from the cat, you jerk it, twitch it, and give that string action to trigger that cat’s predatory instinct. Same goes for a predatory trout.

How do you handle safety measures, and what equipment do you provide for clients?

Safety is everything. On the boat I’ll always keep a well stocked first aid kit as well as life preservers and a throwable. During wade fishing trips I’ll always offer a client a wading staff and make sure they are comfortable with each stretch of river we wade into.

What’s your go-to bait or lure for tricky trout, and why?

For dry fly fishing my two go-to’s for tricky trout is a Rich Strolis (Shucked Up Emerger) pattern and a rusty spinner pattern. For streamers I’ll put on a large or medium size streamer trailed by a small streamer like a leach or wooly bugger 2 feet behind the larger streamer. It works!

How do you adapt your guiding strategies based on weather conditions or time of year?

The golden ticket to understanding your local water is to understand two numbers. The CFS (cubic feet per second) and Temperature. Being able to predict river conditions based on recent precipitation and air temperature changes will allow you to make the right decisions as to where and how to fish and will put more fish in the net.

What’s the most memorable fishing experience you’ve ever had with a client?

One that comes to my mind happened this past spring in April. I had a client on a float trip on the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania. It was a cold damp day with not much action for the first few hours. Our hands were cold and spirits were fading. Near the end of the trip the rain clouds opened up and it downpoured. In the last stretch I saw some trout slashing at caddis so I anchored up and put on a large caddis with plenty of floatant. We ended up landing 10 fish in that one riffle and had a blast! Our spirits were high and we completely forgot about the rain! 

If you were a fishing lure, what type would you be and why?

I’d be a big articulated streamer made with marabou, schlappen, laser dub, and tinsel. They just look so cool in the water.

How do you maintain the fun aspect of fishing even on days when the fish just aren’t biting? 

If trout aren’t biting I’m always switching flies to refresh the hope. I’m also always trying to give clients their money’s worth by teaching them as much as they can about flyfishing. That could be casting tips, entomology information, local history about the river, or fun stories.

Pro Questions:

Can you share a nuanced Pro Tip for identifying and interpreting underwater structures where trout are most likely to congregate?

Everyone knows trout like to lie in slow water but close to moving water so they can grab food but some fishermen take this too seriously. If there is a large boulder in a river, many fisherman will cast directly behind that rock then say “how isn’t there a trout there!” the answer is turbulence. At the surface behind that rock there is water stirring around like someone is stirring it with a paddle. Yes, it’s not in the main current but there’s still too much turbulence for a trout to comfortably lie. The answer is in the “focal point” downstream from the boulder. The point where the two bubble lines that sweep on either side of the rock merge is the magic spot where trout lie. It provides slower current from the main flow yet has less turbulence than behind the rock.

What’s your expert-level Pro Tip for fine-tuning drag settings to manage fighting trout effectively, especially larger ones?

When in doubt, keep the drag settings low, you can always palm the reel if needed but you can’t re-tie the trout back into the tippet after it took off like a freight train.

Do you have a Pro Tip that addresses the subtleties of fly presentation, particularly when dealing with wary or highly pressured trout?

As someone who has been fishing the Upper Delaware River system for years, I’ve become aware of how picky big pressured trout can get. The key to catching those trout is a long leader, a fly first presentation, and learning the double haul and reach casts.

What’s your Pro Tip for seasonal transitions in trout behavior and how to adapt strategies to these shifts?

As different seasons come and go different food sources will also come and go. Two food sources that are always in the river are stonefly nymphs and small fish, leeches, and crayfish (STREAMERS) if they’re not eating stoneflies you can make them eat by taking advantage of their predatory instinct. If you can become a better streamer fisherman you can still catch fish where there’s zero insect activity.

Could you share a Pro Tip that delves into the importance of local aquatic insect hatches and how to match your flies accordingly?

Understanding details of insect activity is critical to giving you the edge. Being able to predict hatches and knowing what’s floating in the current will put more fish in the net. However you need to have the correct flies in your arsenal not only to “match the hatch” but also match the water. Take the caddis fly. A regular deer hair caddis is a great fly but its nice  to have variety. I like to have some caddis with a high vis tag to use at a dry dropper, or caddis with a small foam body for extra buoyancy in bigger water, or small delta caddis that lie flat on the surface for those picky trout in flat water.