Fly Fishing, How do I Love Thee, Let Me Count the Ways

Fly Fishing,



1. I love thee for your....



Oops, here comes the wife, and if push comes to shove, I have to admit, I love her more - so off I go - no more blogging on Valentines Day!!!





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Freshwater Flies, For Starters

If you're just starting out in fly fishing, the last thing you need is a dissertation on insect entomology!

Why not try these two tried & true flies - learn to fish them, and then later expand your fly universe. The Adams the Wooly Bugger are two of the most versatile flies in any fly fishers vest - but especially for beginners. They both imitate a wide variety of fish food (natural insects, baitfish), and are both designed to catch fish.


1. Adams (Parachute Style, size 14) (above right)

Try a parachute Adams whenever you see fish sipping flies on the water's surface. You'll see rings on the water when fish feed this way. You can confidently cast this fly to trout, bass and panfish. The parachute tie makes this fly easily visible on the surface - even in low light. Keep your eye on the fly, and when you see the rise, gently lift the rod tip to hook up.

2. Wooly Bugger (Olive, size 12) (above left)

The Wooly Bugger is a sub-surface fly or wet fly. Fish it when you don't see fish rising, or when your Adams isn't working. You'll want to get this fly down to the bottom - so cast quartering upstream and let it sink as your line travels downstream - let out some line if you have to, and them let the fly travel downstream - let it swing at the end of its run. Use a strike indicator to determine strikes - and don't be terribly surprised if a fish hits the fly on the swing. If you're fishing a lake or pond, cast your line and fly out, let it sink, then slowly retrieve the line with very small strips to hook up to bass ad panfish.

These two flies can be found in the fly boxes of the world's best fly fishers - why wouldn't you want to start fly fishing with them?

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The 2 Knots you really need to know to Fly Fish

There are really only 2 knots that you need to know to get out there and fly fish. Sure, you will want to learn others along the way, but to just get up and go there are only two.



1. The Improved Clinch Knot (to tie on your fly)

2. The Blood Knot (to add tippet to your leader)


Tying on a fly makes sense (Improved Clinch Knot) - but adding tippet to a leader - what in the world does that mean???

You will change flies often for a variety of reasons - you may lose one (it gets tangled in a tree), or you want to switch because you feel your fly isn't working. Whatever the reason, the terminal leader material (tippet) gets used up - say 2 - 3 inches for every fly change.

After several fly changes, your leader shortens from a 7 or 9 foot length to a 6 or 8 foot length - and this will affect the way that your fly hits the water in the way the leader "turns over". So you'll add tippet - and you'll use the Blood Knot to do it.

Here are the links to a couple of short videos that will teach you the knots. Online video is great - you can get out your practice materials, sit in front of the computer - start practicing your knots - pause and play the video as necessary - and voila, you've learned to tie your knots in no time!

Improved Clinch Knot Video (Flash based - must have Flash installed)

Blood Knot (also Flash based)

Happy knot-tying, drop me an email if you have any questions

joninc@AnglerUniversity.com



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