The category “How to Fly Fish” includes a broad array of information. In contrast to the category “Fly Fishing Techniques”, an effort has been made to provide information most helpful to fly fishers at the entry level.
Many, if not most, fly fishers believe that a good cast is most dependent upon the fly rod and the caster. However, I would posit that the fly line contributes as much to the end result as the rod. In addition, once the cast is completed, the choice of line impacts the presentation and effectiveness […]
As leaves begin to turn from green to crimson and gold, trout anglers begin to think of fishing streamers. While streamers can, and probably should, be fished throughout the year, few question their especial efficacy in the fall. This is particularly true in streams inhabited with fall spawners, that is, brown and brook trout. Exhausted […]
When I began fly fishing for trout, I was fortunate to be living in Virginia. The Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia boast over 2,000 miles of native brook trout water. Such small mountain streams offer the ideal venue for learning how to fly fish for trout. They require stealth, accurate casting, and good presentation. In […]
Fly fishing is becoming ever more popular. Most people try it once or twice, while a few make it an annual event for a week or two. Fewer still make it an avocation. But it is these few who can struggle for years at a beginner’s level, hoping to reach a higher level. This article […]
Before I retired, I tried to fish two or three times a month. Working Monday through Friday and sharing a weekend on-call schedule, I couldn’t afford to wait for an ideal set of fishing conditions. When I had a week-end day free, I either went fishing and dealt with the conditions at hand, or I […]
Over the past several years, I have written separately about the four seasons of fly fishing for trout. Done in this manner, I think it’s difficult to convey the many changes that occur during the transition from one season to another. With this piece, I will focus on the transitions. It is during these periods […]
Although I have previously written in more detail about many of the topics below, it seems that most fly fishers prefer their information drilled down to a short list of tips, not to exceed ten. Perhaps on another occasion I’ll explore the implications of that. But for now, I’ll venture into the genre of “ten […]
Many’s the occasion that I have been asked how many flies I fish with at a time. In truth, I fish with as many as regulations allow, which in most instances is two. Why do I put up with the potential hassle of tangled flies and tippet? Because fishing tandem flies offers trout more choices. Sometimes I fish with […]
Most trout anglers who take up fly fishing get their start by fly fishing small streams. What is it about small streams that attracts us? Is it their abundance? The sound of a mountain stream plunging over rocky falls into waiting pools? The gullibility of some of its finny inhabitants? Perhaps it’s the intimacy between the fly […]
Almost every fly fisher loves to fish dry flies when the opportunity presents itself. The game is of course to see a surface-feeding trout, and to present a fly as naturally as possible. This requires that the fly drift at the same speed as the water in which it sits. But often there are intervening […]
Every fly fisher has favorites, whether it be a rod, a fly, a lucky shirt or hat, a certain stream, or a type of stream. Not the least of these for me is the type of stream. Days spent fly fishing freestone streams are sheer nirvana for me, and they continue to fill my memory […]
Fly Fishing Tricos – a Great Summer Hatch Fly fishers who live near a stream boasting tricos are indeed fortunate. The trico hatch is the longest lasting mayfly hatch, and one of the longest lasting hatches of any of the aquatic insects. They begin to hatch in early-summer, and continue to do so until the […]
It’s my observation that the average fly fisher does not understand and utilize the varied opportunities to fish emergers. Emergers are an important part of a trout’s diet, especially for large trout reluctant to come to the water’s surface. Their presence heralds the onset of a hatch, and they continue to be present throughout a hatch. […]
Whenever I’m scouting a new trout stream, one of the types of water I look for is the riffle. Why? Well, to paraphrase the famous bank robber Willie Sutton, I want to fish riffles “because that’s where the fish are”! In this article, “Fly Fishing the Riffle”, I will describe the features of a riffle, its […]
Fly fishing magazines frequently publish articles with titles like “Six Steps to Better Fly Fishing”, or “Ten Tips to Catch More Trout”. But in this article, “Fly Fishing Tips: How to Find More Trout”, I’m going to up the ante, and discuss THE ONE TIP which is most likely to put more trout into your net. I […]
Earlier this year, in “Reading the Water – Prime Trout Lies“, I reviewed the habitat requirements for trout survival: cool and well oxygenated water, protection or cover from overhead predators, readily available food, and a break from the force of a stream’s current. When all these elements are present in one location, it is referred […]
In April, I discussed fishing during a hatch (Fly Presentation – Fishing a Hatch). For all but winter steelheaders, a unique group of trout fishers who mix cold and pain with relentless casting to catch their quarry, fishing for rising trout during a hatch of aquatic bugs is sheer nirvana for fly fishers. Unfortunately, a […]
Summer Fly Fishing- Strategies for Trout I have previously written about fly fishing for trout in the fall, 10/14, winter, 1/14 and 1/15, and spring, 4/14. With this month’s article, “Summer Fly Fishing- Strategies for Trout”, I will complete the cycle of seasons. Each of the seasons alter conditions in trout streams, especially freestone streams, which in […]
a Bit of History The first description of the concept of presentation appeared in 1676, in “The Universal Angler”, the only edition to combine Izaak Walton’s “The Complete Angler” with two additional works, written by Charles Cotton and Col. Robert Venables, respectively. It was Venables’ who penned the description of presentation, which is as applicable today as […]
It’s winter, the first day of January, the first month of the year, and in Virginia, the coldest month of the year. For the trout fisherman, this presents a host of challenges. It can be cold and windy, and the riparian foliage is bare, offering little cover for stealth. In addition, the diminutive midge is […]
After spending the summer in Montana, interrupted by a two-week trip to Kamchatka (see September article), I knew that when I returned to Virginia I would have to adjust my fly fishing expectations, or in political parlance, “do a reset”. However, I was not prepared for the severity of drought that I found to be […]
Fall is a time of transition, from summer to winter. Many changes occur in watersheds during this time which will affect fall fly fishing strategies for trout. Some changes are obvious, such as cooler ambient and water temperatures, lower stream levels, crystal clear water, and colorful streamside foliage. I took these pictures yesterday along the […]
It’s April, a month of transition in the Virginia Piedmont region. For the trout fisherman, it’s a time of transition too, from days of mostly tying flies to days of fly fishing. Spring fly fishing offers some of the year’s best dry fly fishing. Trout emerge from their winter holes, hungrily looking for food. Just […]
It’s almost March, yet here in the Piedmont it is still winter this year. I can hear Western fly fishers chuckling when they hear or read of complaints of a harsh winter from their Mid-Atlantic brethren. But the polar vortex has rendered conditions not seen in Virginia in at least the past forty years. The […]
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