Fly Fishing Wyoming

Understanding some fly fishing basics will help the novice enjoy a successful fishing experience. Fly fishing is more than throwing a line on the water and waiting for the action to start. Certainly the point of fishing is to catch fish, but there's something about fly fishing that makes practicing the art as rewarding as seeing a full creel. Even more so if you practice catch and release tactics.

Fly fishing basics: what you need

Even a beginner fly fisher needs tools. Rod, reel, line and some flies will get you a starter kit, but knowing how your tools work together is an essential ingredient of fly fishing basics.

Fly fishing basics: the fly fishing rod

Fly Fishing Rods come in many lengths and weights. In order to make the right choices you need firstly to consider the type of waters you will fish. For general purposes a 4 -5 weight 9-foot rod should do the job.

Experienced fly fishers may have several rods in their armory. As you gain more experience you might consider buying a shorter rod for those times when you are fishing waters with a lot of overhanging vegetation.

Fly rods also come in a variety of materials. The most commonly used rod today is made from graphite. Buy the best model that you can afford. A good rod will last many years with careful handling.

Fly fishing basics: the line

Your fly fishing lines are the tool that will carry the fly to where the fish are (if you have aimed it right). Fitting the line to the rod is one of your fly fishing basics. If you are not sure, ask a knowledgeable salesman in your local fishing store.

Fly fishing lines come in different shapes, commonly known as tapers. Weight forward, floating lines are the easiest for the beginner to cast.

You can always fish a wet fly on a floating line, but never a dry fly on a sinking line. The floating line is usually the line of choice even for the more experienced fisherman.

When you buy your line also buy something to clean it with. The line eventually wears out, but keeping it free from accumulations of dirt and film from the water will extend its life.

You'll also need to buy some backing (100 yards recommended) for the times when the trophy trout strips all your line from your reel. Braided nylon or Dacron is the best choice. Use an Arbor Knot to tie your backing line to the reel.

The strongest knot for tying your fly line to the backing is the nail knot. Alternatively you could use an Albright or a Spider Knot

Fly fishing basics: the leader

The leader is the third section of your fly fishing line and choosing the correct line is another of the fly fishing basics. The leader consists of a length of monofilament (colorless will prevent it from spooking wary fish). The leader will varying in length according to fishing conditions but can be anything from 5 to 15 feet.

The diameter of the fly line and the end of the leader that will attach to it should be about the same. The leader can then taper down to a variety of diameters to suit whatever the fishing conditions are. The rule of thumb is the smaller the fly being used the small the tippet material.

Attach the leader to the fly line with any of the following knots: the Albright, the Blood, the Surgeon's, or the Huffnagle. To attach the tippet to the fly a Cinch or Improved Cinch knot are the most commonly used.

Fly fishing basics: the reel

If you are going to skimp on anything when purchasing your fly fishing equipment, the fly fishing reel is where you might be able to do so. But remember, if your reel fails when you are trying to land a lunker trout, you'll wish you had chosen differently.

There are almost as many fly fishing reels as there are spinning or bait casting reels. You need to consider a couple of things before buying.

What type of drag mechanism does the reel have? The traditional 'spring and pawl' system is fine for fishing with a light weight tippet for small fish. If you are going for the big buggers or something like bass you'll need the disc drag reel.

A cheap reel will wear out quickly, a quality reel will last a lifetime with proper care. It's worth the investment if you plan on fly fishing for many years.

If you are a lefty like me, you'll need to buy a reel that can be changed to a right hand retrieve as you'll be holding the rod in your left hand.

Fly fishing basics: the flies

You'll see fishermen on the river with a huge assortment of flies in their tackle. A fly fishing basic selection will get you started. You can always add to them as you spend more time on the waters.

I recommend that you have the following in your kit in sizes 14, 16 and 18 some Elk Hair Caddis and Adams for dry fly fishing. Midges in the smallest sizes always seem to be on the trout menu.

For wet fishing I usually have a couple of nymphs again in the 14 -18 sizes. Some Woolly Buggers in size 10 or 12 are good for exploring the bottom waters. The remaining essential item to your fly fishing basic kit is a selection of flies.

Ask your local fly shop about the current hatches and add a selection of flies to imitate them.

Basic fly fishing: added extras

There are a few additions to your fly fishing basic kit that would be nice to have if not essential. These include a vest with many pockets to carry all your goodies right there on the water.

Fly fishing waders are necessary for fishing in cold waters. You can find several different materials and weights to suit your conditions. They come with or without attached boots.

I recommend chest waders without the attached boots. You can purchase boots for comfort and fit which is always nice for a long day on the river.

When wading with chest waders, keep the safety belt in place as it will help keep water out if you ever take a dunking.

A hat is great for keeping the sun off your head but even greater for diverting the miss-cast fly from your face. If you look at other fishermen you'll see that hats come in all shapes and sizes, and personalities!

Putting it all together: fly fishing basics

You have all your kit; you look the part; now its time to wet your line. Fly fishing basics involve putting everything together so that the fly at the end of your line does what you want it to do.

Learning the cast is the first fly fishing basic task. Practice at home if you have a decent back yard, or the nearest park will suffice. Make sure that you are using a hookless fly for safety's sake, yours and others.

Aiming at a target can help improve your accuracy, but the very best of places to fine tune your skill is out on the water where wind, temperatures and water conditions vary.

Knowing how to cast is the one skill that you need. If you can cast, you can fish, it is as simple as that.

Even if you don't know how to read the waters, if you can cast you can fish everywhere and sooner or later you will cover an area where a fish is holding. The fisherman who reads the water like a pro will not catch fish if he can't cast to those waters.

Fly fishing basics: stop, look and listen

Once you have mastered the fly fishing basics of casting, you need to learn this valuable lesson. Every time you go fishing the mantra of stop, look and listen should be echoing in your mind.

The consistently successful fly fisherman will spend several minutes surveying the waters he is going to fish. Even if he has fished that spot for several years, he'll take time to notice what is happening on the river at that time.

Look at what is going on in and around the water before you throw your line. What hatches are occurring? Are the fish rising? Where are the likely holding areas? Is the water so clear that you'll need to fish from well back with the lightest of leaders?

You will likely go home with a smile on your face if you take the time to answer these questions.

Fly fishing basics are not hard to master. The time you spend learning directly equates to the success and enjoyment you reap when you begin casting your line on pristine waters.