Fly Fishing for Trout - 5 Top Tips for a Beginner

1. If you have never cast a fly rod before, or only fooled around with a friends, then take an afternoon and visit a local field or your back yard and try to simply master the feel of the cast. A fly cast is not a powerful action, but instead a precise technique which once acquired seems quite efforless. To cast a fly far does not take strength. It instead takes timing and a feel for the entire flow of the cast. So take the time to hit a wide open area with a few targets and cast a fly with the hook snapped off to avoid catching any watchers or local pets.




2. I truly beleive that a novice angler to the sport of fly fishing should start their fishing by casting on a still pod or small lake to panfish in order to master the obsession they are working on creating. I think the willingness of the bluegill or pumkinseed to oblige you in hitting a dryfly no matter what the presentation looks like to them is a wonderful opprtunity to perfect your casting methods without being discouraged by a lack of action.




3. Once you have your timing down on your cast and the set of the hook from catching willing panish take to a local stram where you have the ability to makeshort and precise casts. At thi time one needs to work on accuracy and timing. Pay attenion to the water prior to even making your way near the bank. Do you see any bugs in the air or on the foliage? Is there anything moving near the surface and do you see any fish rising? If the answer is yes to any of these questions try to catch one of the suspected flies and look for smething in your arsenal of flies that closely resembles the critter. Remember - it does not have to be an exact match. Your entomological knowledge will come later in your trip to obsession.




4. After you have picked a potential fly, tie it on and approch softly and from downstream of where you beleie fish to be. Try not to make noise and keep a low proile. You have to remember that fish are prime targets for birds and other overhead predators so you need to stay low and as silent as posible.




5. If you find a steady rising trout and happen to flop a splashing puddle ofline over his head just mark the spot and move away for a while fishing another possible holding area. You will be surprised by how quickly a slightly spooked fish will sometimes start feeding again once rested.

I hope my breif assessment of how to start slowly in fly fishing will lead to many succesful days in a park casting, fiching for bluegill on a pond and catching the trophy 23" brown in your dreams.

JW
http://dryflywaters.com/
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