Fly fishing is a challenging sport. Plain and simple, this is not a sport for the weak of heart. For an activity that is so seamlessly performed by expert anglers, it is a surprise to many who pick up their first rod and reel combo kit that it can be such a challenge even to cast a fly onto the water. Learning fly fishing is a journey, and it seems everyone remembers their first fish, big or small. Bringing that stocked fingerling to a fishing net has never been so exciting as to the angler who has logged countless hours acquiring the skills necessary to complete a cast, follow a drift, strike on a bite, and complete a scuffle.
As patience is a virtue to the fisherman, it is a requirement for a fly fisher. Unfortunately, many are turned away from the sport due to the complexities of the craft and little to no reward after much time spent on the water. But this does not have to be the case, as there are a handful of tricks and tips that can jump-start ones fly fishing adventure. Believe it or not, there are ways to catch the elusive creatures that lurk in our local waters on the fly, and it might just take a few slight adjustments to meet the results one desires.
Top 10 Fishing Tips for Fly Fishing Beginners
1. Reading the Water
2. Fishing Tactics
3. Time of Day
4. Where to Fish
5. What to Use
6. Using Your Feet
7. Setting the Hook
8. Fighting the Fish
9. Visit your Local Fly Shop
10. Get on the Water
Tip One: Reading the Water
There is a reason this is our first tip: In many respects, this is the most important facet of fly fishing, or fishing in general. If you are fishing in water where there are no fish, there is a zero percent chance that you will catch a fish. If you are fishing water that holds fish, then your chances of catching a fish increase drastically, even in you are not using the best available bait. Being able to read the water will take research and practice, but it begins to come naturally after enough time spent observing your environment. The species you are fishing for will likely determine where they are in the water, but here are a few general places you may find trout or similar freshwater species:
Structure – Look for underwater structure such as downed trees and logs, boulders and rocks, weed beds, man-made structure, etc.
Foam Lines – Often rivers will create oxygenated foam bubble lines, a source of entrapment for bugs as well as a break in the surface that protects the fish from the eyes of aerial predators.
Drop Offs – See subsurface level changes and underwater ledges where fish seek shelter.
Tailouts – This is the end of a river run, and is characterized by its slower, shallower water before the next riffle.
Seams – Looking for seams where fast water meets slower moving water, creating a split in the water flow.
Tip Two: Fishing Tactics
Understanding fishing tactics is key to success on the water. Many anglers only understanding of fly fishing is lazily casting big dry flies over ideal water where a big brown trout will erupt with a dramatic display of strength. But the truth is that at least 70 percent of a trout’s diet is consumed underwater. If we are playing a numbers game, it is clear that a majority of trout will primarily focus their diet on the earlier stages of bug life that preside below the water’s surface.
There are many factors that dictate a choice tactic for a day of fly fishing, but ultimately if the method you are using to catch fish is not working – it may be worth trying something different. Fly fishing primarily consists of three forms of tactics:
Dry Fly - This is the tactic of presenting a floating insect by drifting it across the water’s surface, instigating a strike from a fish below.
Wet Fly - This strategy is characterized by using a sub-surface insect or other fish food, that is drifting BELOW the water’s surface. These “nymphs” are carried by the waters current at various depths to reach feeding fish.
Streamer - This tactic is the imitation of a baitfish to trigger either an eat, or a reactionary strike from a predator below. Streamer fishing is the most similar tactic to conventional fishing, as it is primarily an attractor type of bait.
Tip Three: Time of Day
When fly fishing, it is important to consider the fish species you are targeting, and what time of day they will be most likely to feed. Feed times often change and are affected by a handful of variables. Variables to consider are as follows: What time of year are you fishing? What kind of bugs are available, and what time will they be active? How is the weather affecting the water temperatures? What water temperatures are best suitable for the fish you are targeting?
For example: If you are targeting trout in the summer, it would be wise to get to the water early when they are feeding on a morning hatch of insects in the cooler water temps. The evening will also present a suitable window for trout to feed on a low light hatch, along with the water temperatures beginning to drop to more comfortable conditions. The time of day will completely flip for the winter, as the water can often be too cold, putting trout in a near comatose state. The best available fishing time in winter will be during mid-day, which is likely the warmest part of the day when water temps will ease up on the trout just enough, allowing them to pursue a winter snack to fill their survival needs. Determining best time to fish is crucial to increasing the chances of landing your preferred species.
Tip Four: Where to Fish
Determining what water to fish can influence your success or destroy your chances. Hiking a fishing rod ten miles to an empty alpine lake will certainly put a damper on your day. There are many tools available for you online that you can take advantage of before a trip to help ensure you are not wasting your time. Online, you can determine stocking reports, check satellite maps for streams available on public land, and do research on your local waterways.
Another aspect to be aware of is the amount of angling pressure a certain area receives. Some waters hold amazing opportunity but may be overcrowded, resulting in combat fishing and overfishing. Other waters receive little to no pressure, so the fish are more apt to attack your fly. It always depends on what your preference is, and what success looks like for you. If you want to fish a big, busy river for one big monster, go for it! If you want to fish a small, quiet river for plenty of little fish, the chance is there. Planning ahead and choosing the best access point will maximize your time on the water and help you reach your goals, whatever they may be.
Tip Five: What to Use
Choosing what type of fly to use can be as complicated, or as simple as any angler desires. When you go into a local fly shop, you will be faced with a hundred varieties of royal wulffs, stimulating gypsies, X-Caddis, Quigley cripples, and parachute adams. These names alone can be daunting enough to make the novice angler scratch his head. At the end of the day, if you accurately present a fly where a hungry fish is feeding, you are giving yourself a decent shot at getting a bite. The next level of fly selection is to observe your environment. Are there mayflies buzzing about? What about the sound like the clicking of grasshoppers in the overhanging brush? It is helpful to scoop up a handful of water to see what kinds of insects may be traveling on the current. Another helpful trick would be to pick up a small rock from below the surface, and observe the aquatic life crawling on the flip side of it.
If you do not have an exact fly match for the insect you find in your fishing environment, it is important to consider the following:
Size
Insect stage (surface, or subsurface insect)
Color
Tip Six: Using your Feet
Too often do fly anglers forget that their feet are some of the most important tools they have available, and that these limbs can be applied to their advantage at a moment’s notice. Using your feet to help catch fish is a trick unfortunately many anglers disregard. The strategy here is simple; if the fishing is bad, move on. There is a tendency for fly fishers to stubbornly hold their ground, relentlessly casting to the same patch of water or pod of fish that just doesn’t seem to reciprocate with any sort of action. The next thing they realize is that day turns to night, and all their time on the water has quickly faded into dust. There is nothing wrong with using those legs and walking to the next available fishing hole. Sometimes even the most promising waters do not deliver, and hooking fish on the fly is not a forcible activity. In most fishing circumstances, there is plenty of water to be explored, and maybe the best option is to call it a draw. Walking on offers a world of opportunity, and maximizes your area covered on the water.
Tip Seven: Setting the Hook
Many forms of fishing require a strong, almost violent hook set, in order to embed a large hook through the tough jaw of an angry fish. Conventional fisherman will set the hook so hard, that it almost seems as though their rod is about to explode into pieces. This is NOT a strategy that works best in fly fishing. Due to the remarkably small size of most fly fishing hooks, along with the extreme thinness of the tippet at the end of you leader, the chances of the hook missing the fish’s mouth are amplified as is the potential that the tippet will snap altogether. Setting the hook needs to be very quick and reactionary, but only requires the light lifting of the tip of the rod in order to complete. The hooks on flies may be small, but they are incredibly sharp and will not miss the chance to embed themselves into the desired fish (or as many of you know, an angler’s body). Getting your timing right on setting the hook can be challenging due to the swift nature of the action, but it is rewarding when you connect with a fish and can confidently move on to managing the following run. Remember to keep at least one finger from your lead hand on the line, so that you will only have to perform the single action of lifting that same arm, rather than two separate actions of lifting the rod and pulling line from your secondary, less-available hand.
Tip Eight: Fighting the Fish
Sometimes getting a fish on the hook is the smooth part of fly fishing, but then bringing the fish to a net can be a completely chaotic experience. With a fish’s frenzy of movements, it can be challenging to take control of the situation before it’s too late. Certain species are exceptionally acrobatic - flinging themselves out of the water, shooting downstream with the current, then turning upstream just in time to give a roll on the surface, resulting in your fly launching out of its mouth. What are the best ways to combat these slippery animals?
1. Keep the rod tip up, even if this means holding the rod high in the air.
2. Control the head of the fish. If it goes left, guide it right, and vice versa.
3. Keep tension on the line, but be ready to give some line if the fish needs to run.
4. Strip the line in for small fish, use reel for big fish. The fish will let you know.
5. Only use the net when you are confident the fish is ready. Nets scare fish.
Tip Nine: Visit your Local Shop
The best way to learn about your local fishery is to go to a fly shop in your town and talk to an expert who fishes the area themselves. Fly fishing can be difficult, but difficult pursuits build strong communities. With a cheerful attitude and the purchase of a few flies, most shop employees are more than happy to respond with a rundown of the area and some local intel. This includes a friendly heads up on fishing conditions, what flies have been working for the guides in town, and maybe even the location of a river that would be worth your time. The fly fishing community is a relatively small one, but it is a community that responds well to those determined to share in the passion of the great outdoors and the pursuit of catching fish.
Tip Ten: Get on the Water
Get on the water! The best way to learn about fly fishing is to go out and practice the sport. Every day logged on the water is a day to improve your skills, whether that is by victory or defeat. Tactics will slowly improve with every fight and every fish caught or lost, even if the lost ones break your heart. Conditions are never completely perfect, and many times an angler meets the most success on days they never could have previously imagined. But those possibilities are only realized with a rod in hand and boots in the water. Outstanding fly anglers are not born experts, but are developed from a mix of persistence, dedication, and stubbornness that other sportsmen struggle to comprehend. Train your skills relentlessly on the water, and success is bound to follow. Tight lines!
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