Showing posts with label Fly Fishing Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fly Fishing Tips. Show all posts

Monday, February 21, 2011

Small Stream Fly Fishing Tips

Fishing for Trout in a small creek or stream differs a lot from days out on a lake or larger river. Most differences come in the form of size and textures of your flies, but there are some details that are overlooked. Here are the top four overlooked strategies when it comes to fly fishing the smaller tributaries.
Don't pre-judge size
Often times people tend to think the smaller the river the smaller the bait. This is not necessarily true. Last year, on a fishing trip with one of my friends who is an outstanding dry fly fisher, I was reminded of this valuable lesson. On this trip we were to be fishing a tributary to one of my favorite rivers. I thought that this would be an average fishing day, with no particularly large trout, but that soon changed when he brought out a twenty one inch cut-throat in the first few casts, and numerous good sized fish after that. After hours of me fishing with my ordinary tackle and coming up empty handed, I asked him what he was using. He showed me a size ten salmon fly. I thought this was ridiculous for that size of creek, but I tried the behemoth fly and on the fourth cast landed a twenty inch brown trout. This will remain a lesson I will never again forget.
Keep an eye on the choppy
Another lesson I learned from this outing is to never overlook the choppier waters on these smaller bodies. On a lager river the choppy waters usually mean the fish will have to struggle to keep their energy levels up, while feeding, for two reasons. The first is that there is less food in the faster moving water, and it is harder to catch the food because of the faster moving currents. The second is because the choppy waters on a lager river or creek has more volume moving through, therefore the water is moving faster than it looks or with more force than in a smaller stream or creek. However, on smaller stream there is usually more food due to the conditions surrounding these streams. Often these smaller water bodies contain a lot more competition in the pooled areas due to the smaller volume and better feeding grounds. This can result in some trout having to venture into the choppier waters to find food. For the best results on these swifter currents try to use the areas with minute back eddies, small breaks, and traceable rock obstructions. These areas can produce a lot of fish while you are moving between pools, and sometimes can even produce a twenty inch hog as well.
Match the hatch, or not!
Most Times I see people try to match food in the stream too much. I am Not going to tell you that this is a bad idea, but if it is not working try throwing out something that is practical of the area you are fishing, but maybe not there during that particular time. Sometimes fish will hold up on feeding in order to save their energy for a hatch or evening gathering they are anticipating. They may also be holding out for a more nutritious meal. If the fish are not biting on the usual flies that your seeing try a dun pattern, a wolf pattern, a hopper, a stone fly nymph, maybe a muddler minnow, or any other form of food that you have seen in that area before. Just keep in mind that these flies stated earlier might not work in all streams.
Be different
In small streams people often shy away from terrestrial of flashy flies like a muddler minnow, beetle, ant, or hopper pattern. These flies can be great for bringing out some of those larger, smarter fish. Last spring I had a once in a lifetime encounter with an obscure, yet fun fishing experience. Fishing in a stream no wider than my eight foot fly rod I brought out three browns that were over twenty inches, and managed to fish for half an hour with a brown that was around seven or eight pounds, which is a hog by any standards for a stream that small, however with my four pound tippet and the current working against me he managed to escape. All of these fish were brought in, or at least hooked, by a size fourteen muddler minnow. Before that Trip the thought had never crossed my mind to use such a flashy fly in my fishing arsenal, and after that day it is now the number one thing I do when the fish just will not bite.
Since the age of eight I have enjoyed fishing the small streams and tributaries. There is something about these little known secrets in the fishing world that can bring a great day to your fishing season. Another thing that can bring a better season is to take someone fishing with you, weather it be your wife, girlfriend, kids, a friend, or a neighbor across the street, bring then fishing and I hope you all have a wonderful time. I hope these tips were helpful and have a great fishing trip.
If you like this article, check out my blog: http://flyfishingstrategy.blogspot.com/ for more tips on fishing and fly fishing for trout as well as bass and Pike.
Posted by Admin at 5:54 AM
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Fly Fishing Tips and Techniques

Fly fishing tips is a very common search term on the internet, because everyone wants to improve their fly fishing, and simple fly fishing tips can be learned and remembered in small bite sized chunks.
Here are a few fly fishing tips.
Problem: The Fly. Are the fish interested in your fly. And if not, why not?
Well, here are a few things to consider.
1. Are there any rising fish. If not, a dry fly is not going to get you anywhere. Locate the fish and use a wet fly to get down to them.
2. Does your fly smell unnatural to the fish? Rinse your hands in the water and dry them before handling the fly. Fish have very good sense of smell and if your fly smells of smoke for instance, the fish won't take it.
3. If there's a hatch and the fish are eating all the natural insects and not taking your fly, try adding a yellow spot to your fly. This can help it to attract the fish.
Don't just think about the type of fly, think about it's size as well. Don't make the mistake of thinking a bigger fly will get noticed, and therefore taken more quickly. Very often a small fly, on a fine tippet can work when a larger one does nothing. Springtime especially is a time to use smaller flies with great success.
Where there is an abundance of food, the fish can be very selective. When this happens you need to be aware of what they are feeding on and match it as closely as possible.
Sometimes you may notice the fish (especially trout) will be feeding just below the waters surface. In this case try casting slightly further up above it, then pull the fly under so it drifts down to the fish just below the surface, in its feeding lane. Do this correctly and you have a very good chance of a bite.
If you're fishing in waters where there's an abundance of food, the fish will tend to be very picky and you'll need to be extra careful in your fly selection and presentation, or you'll find that your fly will be ignored by the fish. So if you feel this is the problem, just stop, and spend a while checking out exactly what the fish are feeding on.
William Carter is an experienced Fly Fisherman who has spent many years teaching others how to improve their fly fishing. From, getting the basics right, to casting techniques, choosing equipment, fly fishing knot tying and lots more. He also teaches little known techniques and strategies that expert fly fishermen use, to catch trophy winning fish. To learn more, visit http://www.betterflyfishing.com
Posted by Admin at 5:49 AM
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Why I Love Fly Fishing, and a Couple of Tips

Fly fishing is often received something pressing past in the sense that many people consider it to be elitist. There is some truth in that, especially when it comes to fly fishing for salmon, but in general terms fishing the fly and especially fishing for trout is genuinely open to all. In fact people are enjoying fly fishing for catching what have in the past been considered the preserve of the course fishermen, for example Pike. There is also growing market in saltwater fly fishing.
Before I took up fly fishing I had been a regular course fishing guy for as long as I can remember. I still enjoy sitting by the riverbank either watching afloat or waiting for my bite indicator tell me that I'm into a fish.
However, I also enjoyed the prospect of stalking fish, where one keeps low to the bank to prevent being seen by one's quarry. This is partly because I do get rather impatient sitting in one place, and like to actively search out the fish. Whilst one can do this using traditional course fishing methods, there comes a time where one carries such a vast amount of tackle and bait that moving around becomes a chore. On the other hand, with a decent fly fishing vest, one can carry most of one's gear and travel light, making it very easy to move around in search of fish.
One of the things I like best about fly fishing is that one is continually busy. One does not need a degree in entomology but a small knowledge of insect life can be useful. This is because with so many different types of fly available it can be helpful to know what sort of insect the fish are taking on any particular day, so that one can try and match one's fly accordingly.
For me, the early and late part of the season represent the most exciting times. This is when one fishes the dry fly. This is quite simply a fly which floats on top of the water. There is nothing like the excitement of seeing the water boiling as a trout moves in to take your fly!
The most difficult but important thing to learn is the cast. I have known several people give up on fly fishing having been unable to master the technique. However this is a terrible shame, because it isn't in fact that difficult to learn, but it's very different to any other form of casting in angling.
I would therefore say that for anyone thinking of taking up the sport, the two most important things are spend some money on lessons, and buying a good quality fly rod. You probably only need a couple of lessons, because even if you don't fully master the technique under instruction, you will at least know what it is you should be doing and can therefore practice developing the correct technique.
Because it is the Rod that does most of the work on the cast, it is often true that the better quality rod will be easier to cast and cast further. In fact, most manufacturers have what we call fishing combos, where they will sell you a rod, reel and line, and often throw in a good selection of flies as well, at a discount. The great thing about the sordid deals, particularly from quality manufacturer, is that you are buying equipment that has been matched correctly.
Zac is a keen fly fisherman. For some great tips and deals, visit his latest website about fly fishing combos where you can get information on buying balanced fly fishing combos which is generally cheaper than buying the individual components you need.
Posted by Admin at 5:37 AM
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6 Fly Fishing Tips for Beginners

1. Always buy (or make) two flies of each type, size and color: it's so irritating to have found the winning fly on a particular day only to lose it in an overhanging tree.
2. If you can't match the natural flies and nymphs perfectly, don't worry too much - it's how the fly behaves in the water that matters just as much as how it looks.
3. Always try to think how the natural fly does behave, and attempt to make your artificial work in the same sort of way. So don't twitch methodically, but vary how you retrieve your fly. Put a bit of imagination into it, and concentrate all the time. Results will rocket.
4. It's probably true to say that 90 percent of takes are never even guessed at by the angler. A trout can swim up, suck in a fly, and then reject it without the angler having a clue what's happened. For this reason, keep everything tight to the fly and watch both your line and your leader with hawk-like concentration. Strike if you think anything is a miss, and you can often be rewarded.

5. Very often anglers use bite indicators - little pieces of putty or polystyrene - on the line to help with bite indication. These act like floats in bait fishing. They are especially useful when fishing for grayling in winter on rivers. Always consider having a packet with you for very difficult situations.
6. One of the most useful tricks in nymph fishing is the induced take. The idea here is that you can see a trout looking at your nymph beneath the surface. It can't make its mind up, so you do it for it. You do this by twitching the nymph quite vigorously at precisely the moment the trout comes to investigate. The nymph rises 6 inches (15cm) or so in the water and this triggers an instant reaction in the trout. Woof! You are suddenly playing your fish.
Posted by Admin at 5:31 AM
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Top Ten Fly Fishing Tips

Fishing Etiquette - Taking out your Line
Common courtesy dictates that you take your line out of the water for any angler who has a fish on the line. This is so that they have plenty of space in order to land their fish. This rule is very important if you're fishing down-river from the other angler. Make sure that you never step into the space of an angler who is releasing or landing a fish on the bank.




Fishing Etiquette - Silence
Whenever you're fly fishing you'll need to be as quiet as you can...and this means leaving your dog and the radio at home. There are two reasons why you want to be as quiet as possible: (1) you don't want to spook the fish, and (2) you don't want to disturb other fly fishers. Many people enjoy fly fishing for the peace and solitude that it affords them.
Fishing Etiquette - Lend a Helping Hand
Always be willing to help out other anglers. This can be as simple as helping them retrieve something that has floated down-river or lending them something that they need, such as extra line. You're all there for a fun day of fly fishing so helping each other out just lends to the experience.
Wading with Safety
When you're wading make sure that you follow a few basic rules: (1) never fish by yourself on remote lakes, rivers, or streams, (2) wear a good pair of wading boots, (3) use a good wading staff that is flexible yet strong, and (4) know the area where you're wading. Wading is a great way to get access into those places that you couldn't otherwise reach.
Tackle Boxes
Tackle boxes: A tackle box is a necessity so that you can keep all your "stuff" with you in one organized place. Some of the things to keep in mind when you use a tackle box and want to avoid overfilling include:
· Keep your worms and soft plastic bait in a small container away from your other lures. This will keep the soft plastic lures from creating a chemical reaction with the materials that other baits are made of.
· Buy two or more small tackle boxes to hold certain categories of lures. For instance, buy one tackle box to hold your worms and another to hold your spinnerbaits.
· Buy seasonal tackle boxes that you only use at certain times of year. In the spring you can have a tackle box that contains jigs, plastic worms, and minnow lures. And in the fall you can have a tackle box that is filled with fall lure, such as topwaters and crankbaits.
Keep your Fishing Vest Organized
If you use a fishing vest to carry around your tackle and lure you'll want to keep it as organized as you can so that you're not fumbling around looking for something when you need it. If you're not going to be using something leave it home so that you only take along the essentials.
Carry a Wading Staff
When you're fishing in water that is rough or unfamiliar you might want to carry a wading staff to keep you stable and give you better footing.
Wear Good Shoes
A good pair of wading shoes will let your grip the bottom that you're walking on. Choose shoes that have soles with rubber cleats since these are ideal of bottoms that are made of mud, fine gravel, sand, or soft silt.
Take Along the Sun Block
Although it may seem like a small tip to mention, taking along the sun block is one thing that you don't want to forget. After standing in a sunny stream for eight hours you'll be glad that you remembered to bring along some protection.
Use Polarized Glasses
Wearing polarized glasses is one of the best things that you can do. You'll be able to see beneath the water so you can keep an eye on your fish. Don't forget a hat to reduce the amount of glare that you experience.
Discouraging Insects
If you want to discourage insects you'll want to avoid wearing clothes that are red, yellow, black, white, or navy blue. These colors can attract black flies, deerflies, gnats, and mosquitoes.
Louis Dale a informational product writer enjoys providing quality information on a wide variety of topics. His latest fly fishing tips website provides in depth quality information and is a must see for the fishing enthusiast.
Posted by Admin at 5:26 AM
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