1. Fish more. I know it seems obvious but it’s also a proven fact that you won’t catch fish unless you go out fishing. Well, that is, unless you’re Tom Chandler who has trout falling from the sky into his backyard.
2. Know your gear. If you’re taking out a brand new rod, reel, chest pack, or anything else you’re unfamiliar with, you’re bound to fumble once or twice. This will decrease the amount of time that your fly is in (or on) the water. More time fumbling and less time presenting your bait will negatively impact your chances of landing fish.
3. Ask. On the way to your destination, stop by a local fly shop. While you’re there, pick up a couple of patterns. Asking which ones the shop owner ties and subsequently purchasing those particular ones can’t hurt your chances of getting straight answers to your questions. Find out what hatches are on and what patterns are good for the water you’re planning to fish. Lastly, get some information on local guides. Which leads us to…
4. Get a guide. One of the smartest things I ever did to increase my hit rate on my home water was to get a local guide. You’d be amazed how much you don’t know about the places you’ve been fishing for years. Fishing as a hobby is different than fishing as a way of life. Guides are paid to put people on fish. People like you and I don’t get as many opportunities to fish the waters in our own backyards. It’s a sad truth but a truth nonetheless.
5. Shut up. Fish aren’t stupid. They’re not blind or deaf either. Fly fishing isn’t bait casting and you’re not drowning garden hackle sitting in a lawn chair either. Wear clothing that matches the surroundings of the area you’re heading to. For smaller streams, crouch, preferably behind something that conceals your silhouette. If you’re wading into the water, learn how to get your fly out there a ways.
6. Practice. If you’re used to fishing large stretches of water but you’re heading to a small stream, practice those tight casts. The same philosophy applies if you’re a brook trout, beaver dam, tons-of-willows type of angler fishing a big flatland river. During long stretches without casting, get out to your front yard and start casting at least a month before your season hits.
7. Patterns. The golden rule of picking which fly to throw is matching the hatch. The closer you can come to the actual bugs that are in the water and in the air where you are fishing, the better your chances are of getting hits. It takes practice and a good eye. If you’re not sure or don’t have the confidence, see #3 above.
8. Colors. A fishing buddy of mine always takes light colored patterns out with him. He also packs a number of markers. If he needs a darker fly, he just colors it. At the end of the day, his hands look like a toddler’s coloring book but his catch count is always good.
9. Landing. You should always anticipate a fish doing just about anything once you’ve got that hook into him. A fish running straight at you gets the best of even the most seasoned angler. Stand tall, know where your line is, and hold your rod high.
10. Go back. If you get skunked the first time on a stretch of water it may not mean the area sucks. It may mean you suck. The more time you spend fishing a particular area, the more comfortable and confident you will feel fishing it.
This Angler
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