flyfishing tips

[wiffleballbatboy]

Since this appears to be a new section of the board we might as well start this thread. I grew up in Montana and learned to flyfish as a child so its not as hard as folks think. There are a lot of methods and a lot of different fish to cast flies to so I will give some general advice. First thing I do is decide what I will fish for and what body of water. I then find the flies and the line it will take to catch them. You wouldn't want a 5 weight rod to hook fish that lay on the bottom of a fast, deep river. You couldn't get the depth required and it wouldnt have the power to throw a big heavy bug. But it would work great for casting dries to rising trout. So make sure you get gear to match the conditions. You cant just "keep adding weight" til you get down.
One thing I see people do a lot is try to cast too far. You dont need to put a lot of effort into your cast. Let the rod throw your line and when you cant cast any farther, you cant cast any farther.
Probably the biggest thing you can do, that I can relate over the computer, is to break your cast down to 4 parts. The first part starts with your line on the water. Lift the line off the water. Bring the rod up so that it points to about 10:00 or 10:30. Of course not all your line will come off the water, but alot will. Part two is your back cast. Bring the rod backswift enough that the line weight and water tension will bend the rod, then stop at about 1:00. The rod should unload and propel the line rearward like a whip. Do this with a practical amount of line out, say 40' or so. Too much line out and the line doesn't become airborne and hits you in the face. Watch the line as you backcast. If the line hits the ground right behind you, your going back too far. You want the line to completely unfold behind before it hits the ground. Then, when you see the line is unfolding behind you, not so low that it snags the weeds and whatnot behind you, Begin your forward cast, part three of your cast. Stop the rod again at about 11:00. Your line should completely unfold in front of you before it hits the water, say 10' above the water. Then part four, drop the rod and lay the line down. If you stopped your forward cast at the right time the leader, or tippet, will straighten out with your fly at the end and the whole line will gently fall to the water. If your rod stops too soon your line will shoot up in the sky, staighten out, then fall back on itself. More common is stopping too late and the whole line falls into the water in a big clump. That will also happen if you have too much line out. If your bug is too big it will often hit you in the head as it is just too heavy to get airborne, and will cast short, often hitting the water and stopping your line. Get a smaller bug, or a bigger rod.
The biggest problems I see with newbies is tackle that doesn't match, and trying to cast too far. And remember to watch your line while you cast until you get tuned in.

[admin]

Thanks for the tip.

[michihunter]

Great stuff!! Thanks for sharing that with us!!

[hunkerite]

Great tips! Thats cool that theres someone else who flyfishes. Now all I have to do is make a big story like that!

[wiffleballbatboy]

What do you fish for?

There are so many different techniques for different fish and different water that this thread could go 20 pages.

I mostly fish dries for trout from 8"- 14". Pretty easy really, as far as the mechanics of it go. Biggest trick is getting into a good casting position without spooking the fish, as the water is small and shallow.

I also fish for some sea-run cutts we have here, they go 12"-20" and are awesome. I go back and forth between a full floating line and a sinktip, and simply cast cross river, make an upstream mend, and let the fly sink and swing back toward my side of the river, following it with my rod tip. This is a common technique used for steelhead, and though I employ it for sea-runs while steelies are available I have never had a take. Someday. Someday soon...... Someday that water is gonna freakin explode and 28 inches of chrome is gonna go airborne like a polaris missile, spraying water as far as the eye can see, glistening in the early morning sun line a million diamonds, arching his back, his yellow and black eye searching the water he just came from, then the crash as he hits the surface, breaking that golden silence we all love so much, the sound of a fly reel screaming as he tears downstream 50 yards, 75 yards.....

whew, I'm spent.

[hunkerite]

I fish for trout from 3"-25"! I caught 1 a week before the trout opener here in Pa that was 18"! Biggest I ever caught! I used it on a fly called a Blue-Winged Olive. It's hard to explain what to do over the computer.....

[michihunter]

I've heard flyfisherman were passionate, but it really comes through in your post wiffle!! I'm wondering if I could handle that with this old heart of mine!! ;D

[hunkerite]

Yea Ted us flyfishermen love to flyfish! Don't know if it will work in Michigan though... Do you have trout?

[michihunter]

Hunk!! Michigan has it all!!

[wiffleballbatboy]

I dont think trout fishing changes much from east to west. Maybe just different flies. A few different nuances but not much.

Where I really want to go is Alaska. big rainbows shaped like footballs and covered with spots. In some areas they fish for them with an imitation egg slid up the leader about 8 inches or so, when the trout grabs the egg the line slides through their mouth and hooks them on the outside of the mouth. They do that in the catch and release areas to make it easier to remove the hook. interesting idea.

Speaking of catch and release, we have a new rule that just took effect or maybe starts on june 1, whatever, but any salmon, trout, steelhead or dolly varden that must be released, which is basically almost all wild fish, cannot be removed from the water. You must land?, dehook and snap a pic with picking it up. Should be interesting this year, trying to get a good look at a fish to determine its legality before sliding it up on the bank.
I'm not complaining though, we have too many bubbas that kill everything that moves anyway.

[daniel00]

very nice tips..thanks for that..i can really learn when i do it on the actual..guess il hav to ponder on this

[wiffleballbatboy]

Another thing I just thought of is fly lines. Everyone always wants to cast as far as possible and a couple things you can do is pick the right rod and line. A faster action rod will unload faster and throw the line farther, but at the expense of delicasy. Casting a fast rod requires a faster casting stroke and a lot more effort from the angler. Your timing also has to be a little more exact. I prefer a slower rod, which is contrary to what the industry is pushing right now, but a slower action rod can be cast with less effort and a little screw-up here and there is not as noticable. To me it is just a more relaxing way to fish all day. You dont get the distance, but oh well!

To maximize distance with the rod you already have you should not be afraid to spend some money. Buy a good quality fly line. Lines range from about $20 to $65 in a trout sized line, and you get what you pay for. I have been using the Cortland 444 for a few years and its been pretty good. It runs about $45 in a 5 weight. The better lines are a little stiffer and slicker. They flow through the guides with much less friction and will really add some distance to your cast. They also dont tangle as easily, coming off the spool in large, loose loops instead of little tight ones. The hard slick coating also resists dirt and other contaminates better. Which reminds me, use a fly line cleaner every now and then and apply some line dressing when ever your line starts feeling sticky or just kinda dirty. Also clean your rod guides about once or twice a year.

Oh, I almost forgot! If you want distance go with a weight forward line, if you want a line that lays down on the water real delicatly go with a double taper. That is a good line to use with dries.

[michihunter]

Great tips for sure. Thanks wbbb