Fly Fishing:How To Guide

Fly fishing: How to guide your line through the water in a picturesque, flowing movement is like a dance you’ll never forget.  Once you get the hang of fly fishing you’ll never want to stop.  Get the basic equipment: waders and a good fly rod, and you’re ready to begin!

1. Know the insects.  Before you even begin casting your rod you need to know what the fish are eating.  The basic insects that trout, a popular species for fly fishing, eat are: mayflies, caddis flies, mayflies, midges, damsels and dragons.
2. Know the insect cycle. Every river and stream has its own individual insect hatch cycle.  When the days grow longer and the temperature increases, insects begin to hatch. Insect hatch cycles are timed to coincide with natural cycles and you need to find what’s currently hatching on the river or stream you want to fish in order to have any success. 
3. Find the right fly.  Once you know what is hatching on the river or stream you want to fish, find the corresponding fly.  You can buy factory made flies in fishing stores, but some of the best flies are handmade by fly fishing anglers who really know their stuff. 
4. How to hold the rod.  Hold the rod in your right hand, and the line in you left hand.  Your right hand is your casting hand, and your left is your control.  Reverse this set-up if you’re left handed.  Some anglers swear by certain hand positions when they grip the rod, but what works is whatever position you’re comfortable with.  A popular grip is to lead with your index finger, that is, your index finger is pointing straight ahead while the rest of your fingers grip the rod.  This position helps guide the rod when you’re fishing.
5. Casting basics.  Forward casting and backcasting are very important in fly fishing.  Keep your arm close to your side as you cast the line, moving your forearm forward.  Don’t move your wrist in this motion.  As the line comes back, don’t let your rod go any further back than a one o’clock position, or you’ll have to much backcast and the fly could wind up tangled in the bushes.
6. Find the fish.  Once you learn casting basics, you need to find the right place to cast, or you’ll be catching a lot of nothing.  Fish have three basic needs in the water – food, cover, and a place to rest. If you can find a place in the river or stream that meets these three requirements of fish, you probably will find some fish and be able to catch them. 
7. Hook a fish.  Allow the current to take the line downstream a bit, but roll the line in your control hand before it gets too far downstream.  When you feel a fish bite, draw back on the line with your control hand, and pull the rod up with your casting hand.  You should now have a fish securely on your hook.  It’ll probably put up a fight, so give is some line, then reel it in, repeating this procedure until you can get the fish close enough to pull it out of the water. Remember to keep your hooks sharp, or they’ll slip right out of the fish’s mouth.