Some anglers say fly-fishing is more than a past time and hobby, it is a sport and an art, requiring a lot of concentration and patients from the angler. Its different to other fishing in that the angler uses fly’s which he can make or buy ready made from their local tackle shops.
To watch an experienced fly fisherman/woman is like watching an artist in motion. It has taken the experienced fly fisherman/woman years to perfect their skills and to land his cast and fly delicately on the water no matter their surroundings.
Of course it takes years to become a highly experienced fly fisher, but learning the basics can happen very quickly. The good part is that you don't even need a nearby river or fishery to practice on. You can practice in your own garden or nearest playing field.
To learn to be a good fly caster, find an expert that will show you their talents and offer you advice on your technique. This could come by way of paying someone at your local tackle shop, taking a class at a local fishery. Usually I think you'll find that people who like to fly fish like to share their knowledge and expertise. If you are not fortunate enough to find someone to teach you first hand, the second option would be to buy a video and watch and study it and then go out and practice the techniques you’ve learned. But remember that you will pick up bad habits that can only be rectified by an experienced fly fishing instructor.
You must become familiar with your fly rod and reel and the fly line itself. Make the fly rod an extension of your arm. If you keep your wrist rigid and your elbow relaxed at your side, imagine the rod as a finger now bring it up to the side of your face and with a quick flick of the rod stopping at the 10 o’clock position
The fly casting stroke requires only two short bursts of speed, one accelerating straight backward with a quick stop and one accelerating straight forward with a quick stop. The key is to know at what point to change directions and at what point to stop. Unlike a golfer a fly fisherman/woman has no follow through when casting.
When I first started I used to use the football pitch around the corner from my home. The best method I found was to place a largish plastic ring (like a hoopla ring at the fair) and with about 20' of line extending out from the rod, plus a 9’ leader with a bit of cotton wool tied to the leader as a fly (you have to be careful in open areas where the public and dogs go).
I would stand square to the ring with one foot slightly behind the other for balance. Grabbing the rod firmly just above the reel with my fingers wrapped around the cork handle and the thumb on top facing up. With my other hand, I would grab the line, and hold it next to my belt buckle. Keeping the rod tip low.
Now remember, there are only four parts to a cast, the pickup, back cast, forward cast and presentation of the fly. With my wrist locked and elbow relaxed at my side, I would slowly move my forearm back in a smooth motion. The pickup lifts the line out of the ground. I would then slowly and smoothly accelerate the forearm into the back position being careful not to go past the
Let’s break down the fly casting technique as follows:
1. When you begin the cast, the rod is roughly parallel to the water as you start the pickup.
2. The back cast must be learned by feel, this will take time as you get used to the actions of the rod during the false cast. Bring the rod backward with the elbow relaxed down by your side and the wrist rigid to about the
3. As soon as the line straightens behind you the rod is brought forward in a smooth
accelerating motion to a stop at about the
4. Once the line straightens out ahead of you, slowly lower the rod to the water guiding the fly gently down and presenting the fly.
When taking up fly fishing for the first time it can be a daunting experience not knowing what to purchase, hopefully the following information will be helpful in some way.
When you do take up the art of fly fishing, try to get some lessons from a reputable fly fishing coach, that way you won’t pick up bad habits that will cause you to cast badly thereby catch less fish. The fishing coach will have a good idea of the type of rod, reel and line that will be suited to your casting technique, not everyone casts the exact same way due to many varying factors like:- body build; (male or female); left or right handed; the way that you cast etc. Some casting coaching is good as it helps to iron out any small faults that you may have picked up in the short time that you have started fly fishing.
However below is a basic idea of the fly rods, fly reels and fly lines thst might give you an idea of what to exoect when purchasing your first fly fishing outfit. Also I have compiled a basic fly fishing outfit list at the bottom of the page.
So good luck in your fly fishing future and like me enjoy every moment you can get whether it's on a stream, river or a great big expanse of water like the Lake of Menteith in Stirlingshire, Scotland which is over 750 acres of pure fly fishing heaven with some realy cracking brown and rainbow trout waiting to be caught.
Fly Rods
A fly fishing rod is a long stick! The movement of our hand is transformed into a much longer, quicker (but less powerful) motion at the rod tip. It is the rod tip that moves the fly line. The quicker we can move the rod tip, the quicker it can move the fly line and (within limits imposed by other factors) the further we can cast. But that’s not the whole story. A fly rod is a long springy stick! When we move our casting hand quickly, the springy rod bends momentarily against the combined inertia of the rod itself and the fly line. When the spring recovers from this momentary bending, the rod tip achieves a higher speed than it would if the rod had been just a stiff stick. And, as I said before, the quicker we move the rod tip, the quicker and further (within limits) we can cast the fly line.
The longer the rod the better. Up to a point in practice, the length of a fly rod is limited by a number of factors, not least the strength and stamina of the angler. The leverage of the fly rod actually works against the angler’s wrist and arm muscles. Rods much over 10 feet become hard to cast and very tiring over long periods. Most single-handed fly rods are 8 to 10 feet in length.
Shorter rods have less leverage and are therefore easier for children and women to cast with. Shorter rods may also have practical advantages when fishing in very confined spaces, such as under trees on heavily overgrown streams. Long rods do have advantages in certain circumstances if you’re strong enough to manage them. The extra reach allows the angler to guide his line round bankside obstacles, for example. Longer fly rods are usually chosen for reasons other than increased casting distance.
1. Choose a fly fishing rod to match the line you intend to cast
Choose the line suited to your fly fishing requirements first. Then find a rod to match it! The line weight dictates how strong the fly rod needs to be. Line and rod must be properly matched for optimum performance. Fly rods usually have their appropriate line rating marked on the butt section of the rod, just above the handle: either with the letters AFTM or a # sign, followed by a number or range of numbers. Unfortunately, unlike AFTM line ratings (which correspond directly to the weight of the first 30 feet of the line), the rating of fly rods is subjective. For example, I might test a fly rod and consider it perfect for a number 6 line, while someone else deems the same rod better suited to a number 7 line. In my experience, American manufacturers tend to under-rate their rods, which often work better with lines one or two sizes heavier than indicated.
2. Choose the right rod action
Rods action falls into two basic categories: FAST (otherwise described as powerful, tip-actioned), or SLOW (often termed soft, traditional, sensitive, etc.). Broadly speaking, the faster and tippier the action, the tighter the loop the rod will cast, but the better the caster you must be to get the best from it. The trend in recent years has been towards stiffer tippier blanks, using a combination of high-modulus carbon fibre and/or taper design. Using a fly rod more powerful than you can handle leads to fatigue which, in turn, leads to serious casting faults. Some manufacturers try to temper rods that are too stiff by giving them a softer tip, but I find that this just encourages a ‘throwing’ action. It works at short range, but seriously limits distance casting. Very slow action rods, on the other hand, can’t stop quickly enough to throw a decently tight loop.
3. Choose the right rod length
The distance you can cast with a given line weight depends upon your ability to generate maximum line speed within a fairly abbreviated arc of rod movement (covered later in this Guide). You need sufficient rod length to generate tip speed but, beyond a certain point, length becomes a hindrance. Longer rods have more leverage working against your wrist and arm muscles and take more effort to speed up and -more importantly- to stop quickly in the right place. The longer the rod, the more likely you are to get tired and open up the essential casting arc. A wide casting arc creates a poor backcast which, in turn, greatly hinders the ability to make a good forward cast. Once this happens, casters instinctively (but wrongly) try to increase their effort instead of correcting the fault.
Modern carbon fly rods are very light, so it is length (leverage) not rod weight that determines what the angler can manage. Children and small women will probably find it easier to learn with fly rods (single-handed) of 7.5 - 8.5 feet and line weights of # 5-6. Normally built chaps can usually manage rods of up to 9.5 feet with a #7 weight line quite comfortably. Rods over 10 feet (especially with heavier line weights) require more strength and are tiring to use.
Rod fittings
A fly rod’s fittings are simple enough and they don’t actually vary much from rod to rod: a cork handle; a fitting on which to attach the reel and a set of rod rings (line guides). Poor quality rings wear quickly and eventually become grooved. Not only does this increase friction and reduce the amount of line that can be shot (i.e., casting distance) but, in the worst cases, a ‘honed’ rod ring can literally destroy a fly line in one cast. I have tried most types and find little demonstrable difference between them. Hard-chromed wire snake rings still get my vote based on weight versus strength. Butt rings tend to suffer the most wear and tear, so there is a case for these to be ceramic-lined.
Fly Reels
The definition of a fly reel has changed a great deal in the last couple of decades. Once thought of as simply” a place to hold your line” the fly reel has evolved into a highly specialized piece of gear. With phrases such as “start up inertia”, “large arbor”, and “heat dissipative disc drag”, the beginner can often be led to believe that they need to be an expert in Newtonian physics to make an informed purchase. I’ll try to simplify things a bit.
A fly reel does do more than just hold line. A poor quality fly reel is a wonderful way to lose large fish, especially when fishing on light leaders and tippets. Additionally, selecting the wrong fly reel for a particular fly rod can throw off the entire balance of the outfit. So, let's get started learning about the world of fly reels.
Selecting the Right Fly Reel
When looking around for the right fly reel, a person new to the world of fly fishing will get a big surprise. There's seemingly just as many fly reels in the world today as there are spin fishing reels. So let's break things down a bit and try to sort out the different types of fly reels on the market and what you should look for when shopping for one.
The Drag System on a Fly Reel
There are two different types of drag systems on a fly reel that trout fishermen need concern themselves with. The drag of a fly reel is what provides the tension on the line. In other words, it is what regulates how easy or difficult it is for a fish to strip line off the fly reel. If all you ever catch are tiny trout or small pan fish, the type of drag on a fly reel is immaterial as it is unlikely a fish will ever pull out line from the fly reel.
On the other hand, if you get a good-sized trout or grayling on your line, the story changes completely. Once a big fish starts pulling out line from your fly reel, the fly reel suddenly becomes the most important piece of equipment that you have.
Fly Lines
Why are fly lines so important?
Just like with fly rods and fly reels, fly lines need to match up with the types of fly fishing that you do. This match should be made precisely, too. If you have a 5 weight fly rod and a 5 weight fly reel, and it extremely important to make sure you have a 5 weight fly line. By not having a properly "balanced" fly rod outfit (which is where the fly rod, fly reel and fly line match in weight), the angler is very likely to have extreme difficulty in casting.
For example, using too light of a fly line for a particular fly rod will present severe casting challenges. Remember, in fly fishing, the weight of the fly line - not the fly itself – is what allows the angler to cast. The fly rod, as it is essential to casting, will not properly cast the wrong weight fly line.
Thus, where the fly rod is "heavier" than the fly line, the fly rod will never be fully loaded (will not bend properly), since the weight of the fly line is not enough to properly bend the rod during the cast. Likewise, should the fly line be heavier than the fly rod, the fly rod will bend excessively during the cast, making line control an iffy proposition at best.
In essence, if you forget everything you just read on fly lines, please try to remember this very simple thing. Make sure your fly line weight matches precisely the weight of the fly rod you are using as well as the weight of the fly reel you are using.
In an ideal world, you want to always go by this formula : Fly Line Weight = Fly Rod Weight = Fly Reel Weight
Your First Outfit:-
9'6" Fly Rod
3 x Fly Reels
1 x Floating Fly Line
1 x Intermediate Fly Line
1 x Sinking Fly Line (there are various speeds of decent from a DI3 - DI7)
Good Sized Landing Net (you don't want that fish of a lifetime to escape)
Leader Material (from 6lb - 10lb breaking strain)
Good Selection of flies/lures in varying sizes for the type of fishing yuo are intending to do
Priest/Marrow Spoon
Snips/Scissors
Fly Fishing Waistcoat
Good sized fishing bag for both your equipment and food/drinks
Wadders (either thigh, waist, or chest depending on what your requirements are and locations etc)
Waterproof Clothing
This is not a complete and intensive list, you will eventually build up all the items you will eventually require over a period of time as you get more experienced and are seeking better equipment and maybe some day you'll want to tie your own flies/lures.
Tight Lines