7 Tips For Someone New To Fly Fishing
1. Fly fishing does not have to be difficult, nor expensive - Sure, better gear is always a plus, but if you're just getting into fly fishing, there is a small chance you won't like the sport. As with anything in life, there are cheaper and more expensive variations of the same thing. While it is true that certain famous waters are more expensive to fish, fly fishing have become more popular in recent years, and fisheries have emerged to cater for all tastes and price points.
2. Buy A Combo - Combo deals do not just apply to budget gear, although this can be a great way to start. Most premium manufacturers offer combo deals that include rod, line, reel, and a few flies at a discount well below the individual prices. The other advantage of a combo, is that as the line, reel, and rod are from the same manufacturer, you will have a truly "balanced" outfit, each piece designed with the other in mind.
3. Cheap is not always best - The equipment you choose to invest in may have direct bearing on the number of fish you catch, so the better quality gear you have, the better your chance of success. This is more important than any other "branch" of fishing. Saving money by buying a cheap combo, may not be the best thing, when you can spend a few more dollars and get better gear through a quality manufacturer. The type of rod you choose when fly fishing is vital, whether you buy a cheap combo, or a quality combo. The reason for this, is the "action" of the rod is going to help determine the casting distance, and ease of use, amongst other things.
4. Don't complicate things - After making your initial gear (Rod, Reel, Line, and choice of flies) you will also need some tippet, leaders (optional if you know how to build a leader),a landing net, clippers, and hemostats. These purchases will just about complete the basics of what you will need.
5. Dress properly - As with any type of fishing, you will want to dress for the occasion. Avoid bright colors, which can scare the fish. Green is a great color, but there isn't a "dress code" you have to follow. You will also want to purchase a fishing vest, and a pair of waders. Casting your fly line from shore can often be difficult, especially if there are obstacles in which you may tangle on easily. Polarized sun glasses can also be extremely helpful when fly fishing, as they not only help you "spot fish", but they can help you see the structure of the water, pending the clarity.
6. Move around - If you have spent 30 minutes fishing the same spot, and haven't gotten so much as a strike, move upstream a little bit. Just because there isn't any fish actively feeding on what you are presenting at one spot, doesn't mean they aren't at another location.
7. Have patience - This was something I needed to learn when I first started fly fishing. I was used to attaching a worm to a hook, and catching fish back to back. Fly fishing is slightly different, as you are targeting (for the most part) specific species. Wait for the strike, take your time, and you will soon be landing big fish.
5 Tips To Remember Before You Head To The River
1. Try to keep at least two of each type of flies in your box at all times. If the fish are hitting Zebra Midges, and you only have one and lose it, you're going to be pretty irritated you didn't have a backup. I like to have a least 6 of each type of fly in my box at all times. If I have 6 Tan Woolly Buggers in my box, that doesn't mean I shouldn't have 6 Brown Woolly Buggers in my box. People who are new to the sport, as I am, tend to lose more flies than they care to count. If you don't know how to tie, and are on a budget, 2 should be plenty for you until you either learn to tie, or come up with some expendable income to buy some more.
2. If you can't imitate natural flies and Nymphs naturally, don't spend much time beating yourself up over it. How the fly behaves in the water, matters just as much as how it looks. Spend some time looking at how the flies and Nymphs behave in or around the water, and do your best to imitate that, rather than worrying about your fly not looking exactly like what the fish are eating.
3. It's assumed that 90% of takes are never even guessed at by the angler. A trout can swim up, suck in the fly, and then spit it back out without the angler ever knowing. For this reason, it is important to keep everything tight to the fly, an watch both your line and your leader with "hawk eye" concentration. Attempt a hook set when you think it's a miss, and you can often be rewarded.
4. Consider using a strike indicator, such as putty, or polystyrene. They act like bobbers, or floats to bait fishermen, and can be very effective when fishing in water that doesn't provide enough clarity for you to see every movement of your line, or the fish.
5. One of the most useful tricks in nymph fishing is the induced take. The idea here is that you can see a trout looking at your nymph beneath the surface. It can't make it's mind up, so you do it for it. You do this by twitching the nymph vigorously at the exact moment the trout comes to investigate. The nymph rises a few inches or so in the water and usually triggers an instant strike. Before you know it, you're playing the fish!
Roll And Nymph Cast - We will start with the Roll Cast. Many fly anglers, especially beginners, spend a lot of time practicing their back and forward casting stroke. This is an absolutely good thing, and there is nothing more satisfying than perfecting the back and forward cast with such accuracy that you can land a fly exactly where you intended it to go. It also provides a great sense of accomplishment, as this cast is a necessity when fly fishing. However, many new anglers spend all of their time working on the back and forward cast, and little, if any, on executing a roll cast. The roll cast, in my opinion, is the very first cast any new fly angler should learn. The roll cast introduces basic, but important elements such as the understanding of the relationship between water tension and the line in loading the rod. It also requires the angler to be aware of "straight lines", and how the fly line will follow the direction of the rod tip as it is in motion. It's also a great way to learn the fundamentals of other casting techniques while still being able to deliver 30 feet of line out in front of the angler. Roll cast should be practices on the water, because practicing on grass, or land doesn't help the angler understand the water tension. Knowing how to execute the roll cast will also provide you with the opportunities to cast to feeding fish when a back cast simply isn't possible. The following video discusses various cast, but focuses on the roll cast, the cast, in my opinion, is a MUST know. Roll Cast
The next cast we will discuss is the Nymph Cast. Nymph fishing to some can be seen as complicated, because you often can't tell if you are getting strikes, or simply catching the bottom. A proper Nymph cast, will not only help you properly fish the section(s) of water you want to cover, but will also eliminate a ton of tangles, and prevent you from getting caught on trees that may be behind you. The following video will demonstrate proper technique when nymph fishing. Nymph Cast
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