Fishing Tips Digest

OK. I’m pretty new at fly fishing. My dad used to try to show me how to properly fly fish but I preferred casting with a bobber and sitting and relaxing while waiting for the fish to bite. Yes – A bit on the lazy side.

My grandson, however, was asking me about my dad’s fly fishing equipment. My dad died recently and we were going through his stuff. I told him about it and he decided that was something we should start to do from time to time.

So we are diving in.

Practice your Casting

The experts say that the one thing that you need to do to develop a good casting technique is to practice as often as you can.  This will lead to a proficiency in casting that make all the difference between being a successful fly fisher or a frustrated one.

Try practicing against a wall on the outside of your house.  Just imagine that there is a clock hanging on the wall that is at the same level as your shoulder.  Place markers, such as black electric tape, at the 11:00 and 1:00 clock positions.  Practice casting against these markers for a few minutes each day to improve your accuracy and style.

We did this and then hit the water to try it out. I should have listened to my dad. I’m finding fly fishing to be pretty enjoyable and challenging. Any fly fishermen out there with tips?

Don’t scare the fish! You want to attract them but certainly do not want to scare them.

Ever hear people say they are scared of their own shadow? Well . . . shadows scare fish. They look at a shadow as being a fish that might be out to eat them. Heck – I’d be scared too!

Shallow water fish could even be scared away from the shadow of your fishing rod. Try to not stand in a way that you are casting a shadow.

Some fishermen say to wear dull or neutral clothing and to never wear a white tee shirt as the fish can see it. I don’t know. That may have some validity to it but my grandson wear some bright clothing and he always catches fish.

Fly fishing is seriously a fun way to fish and I highly recommend you at least give it a try. When the fish are jumping, it generally means a fly might be just what the doctor ordered.

A dry fly imitates a natural insect that is floating on the top of the water. Fish are very sensitive to any motion of their water and how currents move the insects they want for food.

In fly fishing, if a dry fly is moving even slightly against the current, the fish will have nothing to do with it. The fly  may look like something the fish recognizes but it is not acting in the same way an insect would. The fish recognizes it as something foreign in the water and leaves it alone.

So the idea is to drop the fly on the surface and then recast and keep doing it.