Montana may be thought of for many things considered part of the early west, as well as being one of five states to house the Rocky Mountains. However, fly fishing in Montana is legendary among devoted anglers. With the Yellowstone River winding through the south central part of the state, its clear and often cold waters are home to some of the largest trophy trout in the state. Additionally, passing through Hayden Valley, the river's scenery can sometimes make people forget that they are fly fishing in Montana.

Fantastic fishing is also reported in the Gallatin River and the Madison River as well as in many of the clear, crisp mountain lakes that are filled with the melted snow runoff from the mountains. The scenery invites the tourists but the trout fishing lures the angler to try their hand at fly fishing in Montana. With the availability of various fishing expeditions, folks can have their choice of how they want to approach their experience.

While many will remain on the banks of rivers such as the Big Horn River or even the tumultuous waters of the Missouri River, others may choose to wade in closer to the fish. As the rivers course through the valleys, their depth often changes suddenly and the river bottom they were standing on while fly fishing in Montana is suddenly neck deep or over their head. Many choose to use kayaks or rubber rafts as they fish the waters.

Higher Mountain Lakes Offer Different Challenges

When fly fishing in Montana the lakes in the upper elevations, above 9,000 feet offer some of the clearest waters for sight casting, but the trout in those areas are generally under a foot long. Most areas in these lakes are catch and release only and for catching trophies while fly fishing in Montana lakes at lower elevations or the major rivers offer a better opportunity.

Those who are unfamiliar with fly fishing in Montana will be better served by hiring a guide for their first outing or so, especially when fishing in unknown territories. As they follow the fish up or down a river, it may be easy to become disoriented and quickly lose their way back to the starting point on the river.

The state may also be known for many forms of outdoor sports such as big game hunting, but fly fishing in Montana is a well-known pastime for anglers around the country. In late spring the rush will be on to hook onto the trophy that they can brag about for years to come.

Before spending a ton of money on equipment and heading out to the water, it will pay to receive some fly fishing instruction to prevent becoming frustrated with the sport. One of the most difficult aspects of fly fishing is learning to cast the line accurately. An angler can learn a lot about the sport of fly fishing by reading books about the types of rods and reels and which ones to use in what bodies of water, but no amount of reading will replace fly fishing instruction when it pertains to casting.

With regular fishing, the lure or bait attached to the end of the line is cast into the water with the line following its trajectory. With fly fishing, the bait is seemingly weightless and if the angler attempts to cast the fly, it will go nowhere. Instead, fly fishing instruction will teach them how to cast the line onto the water, allowing the fly to follow the line.

It is similar to whipping the garden hose to remove a kink and the flow of the hose from the hand to the other end of the hose is essentially how the fly line is cast. With fly fishing instruction, the angler can learn how to pull the line from the reel with one hand and whip the pole behind them and over their head to send the line flying to the desired location.

Practice Leads To Fly Casting Perfection

Like most aspects of many sports, the only way to get better at something is to practice and with fly casting, the same is true. Regardless of how much fly fishing instruction a person receives it will take lots of practice to learn to place the fly exactly where they want it to land. Using dry flies places the fly on the surface of the water making it easy to see if the target was hit.

When using wet flies, or submersible flies, the idea is to cast slightly further than the desired location and letting the fly sink to the proper spot on the bottom. Once the new angler has the casting down, they can supplement their fly fishing instruction about the types of flies to use in different waters to catch more fish.

They can also obtain fly fishing instruction on the stages of the flies from birth to adulthood and at what stage the fish expect to see a particular bug. This is also useful in determining when to use which fly to increase the chance of catching more fish.

Instead of talking about the one that got away, perfect your fly fishing knots and land that next catch during your fly fishing trip. While there are quite a few fishing knots that you can learn, just a few are needed to see you through your entire fishing experience. Many people new to the sport of fly fishing often lose the fish they hook due to fly fishing knots becoming unraveled.

Practice makes perfect and learning to tie fly fishing knots is a definite must if you plan to make a go of this sporting hobby. Home is the best place to start the process as it is much better taking your time there than it could be to try to tie a knot while maintaining your footing in a stream or along a riverbank. Below are a few fly fishing knots to learn more about and what they should be used for.

The Arbor Knot

There is a section of line called the backing which is a strong piece that connects the actual fishing line to the spool backing in the reel. Among the fly fishing knots, the arbor knot is the most common for this type of task and fairly easy to accomplish. This backing line is typically made of Dacron and attached to a monofilament fly line and will keep a huge fishing from totally peeling out all the line in your reel.

The Albright Knot

When you attach your Dacron backing line to your regular fly line, you need fly fishing knots that will stand strong with two different materials while still having the ease in sliding through your guides without stalling your reel. You want a knot that will hold on the chance that you hook a large fish that has the tendency to run through your line all the way into the backing line.

The Nail, Double Surgeon and Clinch Knot

The nail knot is the best for connecting your leader line which allows your fly to flip during a cast to your main fly line. Among the fly fishing knots, the nail provides maximum accuracy for straight casting. The double surgeon fly fishing knots are for connecting your leader line to your tippet, which is the section of line between your fishing line and your leader line. Tippets are important for controlling the drag of the entire line during a cast so double surgeon knot is important.

The clinch knot is, well, the clincher, the end of fly fishing knots when you are adding fishing line and flies onto your rod. The clinch knot connects your fly specimen to the tippet so it is super important to make sure that this knot is strong so no fish are lost to an unraveling knot.

There are clinics, how-to videos and books that can show you step-by-step the process for tying fly fishing knots. It is up to you as to choosing which avenue to pursue as everyone learns differently, whether it is via a visual through videos or hands-on in a clinic.

You can learn a lot about certain things including fly fishing from sheer experience, which they say is a great teacher. Even though you may have spent a lot of time in reading about the topic, or may have spent time watching others fly fish, you may still never be able to master the art of fly fishing till you try it out for yourself. So, if you are hell bent on improving your fly fishing skills, why not take the trouble of enrolling in a fly fishing school and get fly fishing lessons from them?

Fly Fishing School

At the fly fishing school, you will be told that there is really never enough that you can learn about fly fishing though being guided by a skilled instructor will certainly add punch to your fly fishing lessons. This will no doubt speed up your learning process which is also a most efficient method of learning as well. You could start your fly fishing lessons at the basic level and from there progress on to more advanced levels as you become familiar with each new level.

There are no doubts about the continued popularity of fly fishing schools today and the reasons are that fly fishing is something that can often prove to be difficult to learn and thus the need to get fly fishing lessons from experts is of paramount importance. This is since you must be well trained before you can consider becoming an expert fly fisher.

Curriculum and Requirements

The numbers of fly fishing lessons that you can be taught in a fly fishing school are many and include learning the proper way to cast, spey casting, advanced spey casting as well as under-hand spey casting. Finally you may even graduate through all the courses to enroll in a fly fishing PhD class.

You should expect to follow the fly fishing lessons because the classes are governed by very strict policies and you should not fail to keep up with the schedule as well as stay abreast of the curriculum. There should be minimum numbers of disruptions, and you should be organized as well as ready to perform your daily tasks well.

How much you pay the fly fishing school for your fly fishing lessons depends on how many classes you take. Most schools won't refund you your money after 60 days before commencement of your first class. Also, the class schedules will hinge around whether instructors are available or not and so you need to consider all these factors before deciding to get fly fishing lessons from a particular fly fishing school.

Heading onto the water with a box of flies and a good quality rod can be the start of a great day of fishing. However, you want to make sure the fly fishing lines on the reel are designed for the type of fishing you will be doing. Similar to fly fishing rod, fly fishing lines are rated by weight and the larger the fish you target, the larger the line you will need to withstand the challenge the larger species will present when hooked.

Most fly fishing lines are categorized by weight with one through five being exceptionally light for use with light rods for short, accurate casting. They are ideal for small rivers and streams where the accuracy of fly placement is more important than the distance of the cast. They can also be used for casting under obstacles such as tree limbs or shrubs. A short rod, about eight or nine feet can also provide excellent casting accuracy when used with light fly fishing lines.

For the beginning, fly fishing lines with a weight between six and nine are good for casting further, where obstacles are few and far between. Used with a medium strength fly rod, these fly fishing lines can be snet further, but will have less accuracy than the lighter lines have.

Heavier Lines Needed For Heavier Fish

While stories abound about huge fish being harvested on light tackle, to guard against telling stories about the one that got away, heavier lines will be needed for heavier fish. Fly fishing lines weighted between 10 and 15 are typically used for larger game fish between 40 and 150 pounds, but they also require larger reels on which the line can be stored.

Many of the original fly fishing lines were made of cotton, but it tends to rot quickly after becoming wet. Most of today's fly fishing lines are coated in plastic to protect it from the elements. The reels are also larger to accommodate not only the line but the leader and the backing and depending on where you are fishing, they can add upwards of 300-yards to the line on the reel.

Just as the rod and reel should be matched to the type of fishing, fly fishing lines must be matched to the rod as well. Lighter rods for accurate casting will require lighter lines and conversely, larger, heavier fly fishing rods will need heavier lines in order to be cast by the heaver rods.

Oregon is known for its beautiful scenery and picture perfect lakes and streams and from those lakes and streams you can enjoy fly fishing in Oregon. Enjoying fly fishing in Oregon is a little different than some other spots because when you go fly fishing in Oregon you are there for the scenery and the seclusion as much as you are there for the fishing. You can really get away with fly fishing in Oregon and when you are on the boat relaxing and you look around you and see clear skies and mountains all around you then you will quickly begin to understand why fly fishing in Oregon has been popular for many years and why it will remain popular for many years to come.

One of the more famous spots for fly fishing in Oregon is the McKenzie River. The McKenzie runs from the mountains and has its origins in high water falls so the water is rough and full of fish migrating through the river. Special boats were designed to be able to go fly fishing on the McKenzie River called McKenzie boats. These boats are designed with an extra tough outer shell to protect against the rough river and the rocks at the bottom of it while the inside is padded extra comfortable to make the rough journey a little easier to tolerate. Many people that go fly fishing in Oregon say that you truly have not gone fly fishing in Oregon until you have gone down the McKenzie River.

Dress Right And Visit Often

Much of the fly fishing in Oregon is done in or around the mountains and it can pretty cold in the mountains especially in winter. It can get cold almost anywhere in Oregon in the winter so be sure you dress for the elements and bring plenty of warm extra clothing along because you are bound to get wet when you are fly fishing in Oregon and it would be in your best interest to protect yourself from the elements and be able to get out of wet and cold clothing as soon as possible.

The fly fishing in Oregon industry is booming and there are plenty of resorts and businesses that can help you find the best fly fishing when you plan your next trip to Oregon. Unless you know exactly where you are going there is no need to go at it alone when a fully qualified guide can lead you to all the great spots you will need in Oregon.

Don't automatically reach for the least expensive fly fishing reels as they may not perform as you might expect! Reels perform other tasks than just serving as a receptacle for your fishing line like the ability to release line in an efficient, smooth and tangle-free way. Of course, nothing is simple when it comes to fly fishing reels as there are three different types to choose from!

The Single Action

Most fly fishermen go for the single action fly reel because it is simple to use and there are few parts inside of it to break down. The single action means that you have a retrieve ratio of 1 to 1 which translates to one turn of the handle equals to one turn of the spool line. Of the other types of fly fishing reels, the single action is the easiest to replace spools and there is virtually no maintenance needed in its upkeep.

Resilience and reliability are two prominent characteristics of single action reels so they will serve you in good stead. Plus, these also have a greater fishing line capacity than other fly reel forms, making it quite a popular catch.

Multiplying Action

Multiplying fly fishing reels are quite different from the single action in that not only do they have several gears to worry about, their retrieval ratios is higher than 1 to 1. This means that you could turn the handle of the reel just once and the spool of line could turn several times for quicker line retrieval.

The multiple gears in these fly fishing reels can be troublesome and for many, not worth the bonus of the quick line retrieval. The reels could easily break down thanks to the intricate springs and gears housed within it. Fishermen who do get the multiple gear reel say they are great for quick reeling of large fish.

Automatic Action

The automatic fly fishing reels have an automatic line retrieval process where you do not even have to turn the handle of the reel. Instead, the automatic reel has a special trigger which releases a spring so as to “reel” in the fishing line. This type of reel is quite cumbersome due to its weight plus it cannot hold as much backing line nor does it have a good drag setting. However, some fishermen like the automatic reel because they don't want to mess with manually reeling in the fishing line.

There are some pros and cons of each of the fly fishing reels so you should really evaluate the typical fishing scenario you will encounter to determine which reel to choose. Do consider this one piece of buying advice – try to purchase a reel where the weight matches the rod it will be attached to for a more balanced fishing experience.

How much you appreciate the splendor of the outdoors will help decide which of the many makes and streams you visit for fly fishing Rocky Mountain trout. With over 50 lakes to choose from, being fed by about 150 streams, there is no end to the options for fly fishing Rocky Mountain waters. The mountains carve borders and seemingly endless scenery as they course through five Midwestern states.

The type of rod you use for fly fishing Rocky Mountain lakes will probably be a lightweight rod with significant bending at the tip. In the high mountain lakes and streams the trout tend to run smaller and even a number one road with light line can feel as though a one-pound trout is putting up a good fight. While most of the lakes are protected from the wind, when the breeze does start to pick up you will want a heavier rod and line to help your casting. A number five weight rod is probably the heaviest you will want to carry and use only in case of higher wind.

Most of the anglers fly fishing Rocky Mountain streams and lakes find trout feeding along the edge of the shoreline where they can see the fish as they head towards the fly. Most anglers claim the best trout fishing is available in some of the higher lakes as it is more like cast and catch than cast and hope.

Understanding The Flies Used In Different States

When fly fishing Rocky Mountain lakes, it is important to know what the native insects are to a particular state. Additionally, the time of year and the location in which you are fishing will be key to using the right fly for the right fish. Bushy, dry flies seem to work best on streams while lake trout seem to look for floating mayflies throughout most of the year.

When approaching a lake fly fishing Rocky Mountain waters, travel slowly and you should be able to see the fish swimming in their selected areas. Unlike fish in rapid streams, those in the lake tend to swim in a specific pattern between the center of the lake and the shore. most of their food will be gathered near the shore and you should spend a few minutes recognizing the swimming pattern before dropping a fly onto the water.

Once you understand where the fish is swimming around, wait until it is moving away from the shore and then drop the fly on the water on it anticipated return trip. If it refuses the bait, wait until it swims away before pulling the line and offering it a second time.

When folks head for the water to drench some flies they want to make sure they have the right fly fishing rod combo for the type of fishing they will be doing. Unlike bait casting or spin casting, when fishing with flies you can't use the same rod and reel no matter what type of lure you are using. Sure, you want line rated for heavier loads when angling for bigger fish, but the rod and reel can remain the same simply by changing bales of line.

It is a different game when fly fishing, as the flexibility of the rod and the weight of the line has everything to do with how well you can cast the fly in front of the fish. The right fly fishing rod combo can make it easier to cast from under trees and around bushes without leaving flies stuck in the branches. The reel used on your fly fishing rod combo will only come into play when you switch to heavier lines and a longer backing is required, typically for fishing for big game fish.

When first learning how to fish with flies, it is better to start with a medium fly fishing rod combo of average length. With a rod between eight and nine feet and medium flexibility, you can learn to cast the line quicker and with greater accuracy. However, as your expertise increase you can move to lighter or heavier fly fishing rod combos to match the fish you are after.

Rod Size Should Match Target Fish

When fishing in shallow lakes or steams and believing most of what you catch will be small, using a lightweight fly fishing rod combo allows for more accurate casting as well as offering a better feel for when the fly is bumped by the fish. A lightweight fishing rod will be fairly stiff except for the tip of the rod. To complete the fly fishing rod combo, a light line should also be used, making the casting more exact.

Longer casting will require a fly fishing rod combo that allows the rod to flex from the middle to the tip with a rated weight between six and nine. Matching line will easily whip out onto the water during the casting procedure, and while accuracy may be less than desired, it does off a better chance of getting the line further out onto a lake or a wide river.

When it comes to fly fishing rods, there are three primary characteristics to consider like the length and weight of the rod as well as the type of action you want to experience. If you are relatively new to the world of fly fishing, it is important to understand what these three characteristics mean so that you can choose amongst the different fly fishing rods available.

Weight of the Rod

When the weight of fly fishing rods are referred to, it is not necessarily an actual weight as in pounds or grams but a numbering system. This system ranges from 1 to 14 and choosing your rod is fairly easy as long as you keep in mind the type of fish you are angling for as well as the average size of the fish.

For instance, with fly fishing rods, the lower weight numbers are typically reserved for catching the smaller fish like brim, pan fish and other comparably small species. The larger the fish you want to catch, the larger the number weight of the fishing rods, like a 10 to 14 for tarpon, large salmon and other sport salt water fishing.

Length of the Rod

There are three basic lengths to choose from when you are researching fly fishing rods and they are 7, 8 or 9 foot. A short rod is best when you are in areas that only lend itself to short casts such as river or creek banks which are lined with trees or other obstacles. Long fly fishing rods are great for lakes or even the open ocean where you do not have to worry about the line tangling with obstacles.

Action Speed of the Rod

Fly fishing rods come in fast, medium and slow action speeds and these are embodied into the properties of the rods. For instance, slow action rods are very flexible which is great for tightly confined casting areas but not so great for windy conditions or catching large fish.

A fast rod is typically rigid and unyielding, except at the tip which allows for a longer cast, fishing in windy conditions and catching large fish. You can also cast larger flies to attract the larger fish but it is not a good option when you are a beginner or fishing a small stream.

Medium action fly fishing rods are a safe bet because they have some flexibility and are versatile in various fishing conditions as well as for catching a variety of fish species. If you are a beginner and unsure where you plan to fly fish, a medium action rod is your best bet, unless you have specific conditions near your fishing area that would be best for slow or fast action fly fishing rods.

When it comes to fly fishing tackle, quite a few items fall within this category, each performing a different task in fly fishing. The word “tackle” refers to all of the paraphernalia necessary to fish such as the rod, reel, hooks, flies, fishing line, waders and more. The list is actually quite extensive when it comes to fly fishing tackle because they differ depending on the type of water and fish you are angling for.

Two Basic Types that Influence Choice

When it comes to choosing your fly fishing tackle, first you have to decide what type of fly fishing to do – saltwater or freshwater. While some equipment is the same, a few pieces of fly fishing tackle will be quite different like the flies as well as the rod itself.

With the flies, most are created by hand using materials that resemble the favorite food of the fish whether it is insects, larvae or even worms. Obviously, the saltwater fish eat slightly different things from the freshwater variety so the flies or lures would be one part of the fly fishing tackle that is different.

The rods tend to be a bit different as well when it comes to shopping for fly fishing tackle for saltwater or freshwater components. With saltwater, you would want to choose a short rod made from strong metal alloys as the shorter length provides better leverage for snagging the larger fish and the alloy is not corrosive from repeated exposure to saltwater.

Choosing your Gear

Fly fishing tackle is best bought in person, at least when you are new to the sport, so that you can physically test the products and learn more about what to look for in terms of your fishing needs. The fishing rod, reel and line are three definite “in person” purchases as these are the most crucial to your fishing success.

These particular fly fishing tackle items can greatly differ obviously between the different types of fishing but also when considering the type of fish you wish to catch as well. You can catch salmon, trout and bass in streams as well oceans and not only are the conditions different, but their size and weight as well from location to location. Therefore, you have to keep the size of the fish in mind when selecting your fly fishing tackle.

All in all fly fishing tackle can be quite complicated to the newbie fly fisherman so it is important to purchase your supplies in person at a store that sells outdoor and sporting equipment. That way, a knowledgeable salesman can guide you through the essentials of fly fishing tackle – what is needed now to get started and what can wait until you have more experience.

Fly fishing waders can be a very important piece of fishing gear if you plan to spend quite a bit of time fly fishing in cold temperatures – both climate-wise and water-wise. Waders perform two basic but very important functions for you – they keep you dry and warm whether you are wading in a deep pond with cold water in its depths or a shallow stream in freezing cold weather.

Thanks to technology, these days you have an abundant supply of fly fishing waders to choose from in a variety of materials from reliable nylon to neoprene to specially created compounds that allow your body to wick away sweat and excessive body heat while still keeping you dry and protected. Of course, choosing from the different fly fishing waders will largely depending on your needs and budget.

Evaluating your Needs

First of all, do you actually need fly fishing waders for your fishing excursions, especially if you are in a warm area which also has warm waters? The job of waders is to keep you both dry and warm so unless you have an aversion to being wet for any length of time, you may not need any fly fishing waders for the warmer climate and waters.

However, cooler climates and those bodies of water which have cold depths require fly fishing waders to protect you by retaining your body heat and repelling for a warm, dry, comfortable experience. Extreme fly fishing temperatures like fishing for trout in the midst of a Vermont winter or salmon in the icy streams of Alaska call for the best waders that you can afford.

Types to Choose from

There are three basic types of fly fishing waders to choose from and they often incorporate different materials in their core design. You can choose from stocking foot waders, boot foot waders or even hip waders for your fly fishing experience and each have their own quirks.

Boot foot waders expand out from your foot all the way up to your chest and the boot portion that covers the foot is permanently adhered to the wader. The best reason to choose the boot foot fly fishing waders is that you wouldn't have to purchase wading boots separately. The stocking foot waders do not have the boot but are instead neoprene socks which must then be covered by wading boots that you purchase separately.

Hip waders are exactly as they sound – they extend up to the hips and are perfect for traversing in shallow waters with a slow current. Some types of these fly fishing waders have boots attached to them and some do not so it is all a matter of your comfort and needs as to which hip wader version to choose.

As you can see, there are a few variables to consider when shopping around for fly fishing waders so be sure you know exactly what you want. Try on different types of waders and examine the different materials before settling on one particular pair.

Although fly fishing was credited first to the Roman Claudius Aelianus sometime during the second century, modern history of fly fishing is said to have really originated on the rivers of Scotland and northern England. Fly fishing was directly associated with a book called The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle, published in 1496, attributed to Dame Juliana Berners within her Boke of St. Albans. This boos provided instructions on how to carefully dress a fly at different times of the year, along with proper lessons on line, hook, and rod making.

However, the very first detailed history of fly fishing writing came in two different chapters of the book Compleat Angler, published by Izaak Walton. This book that talked about the history of fly fishing was actually written by Walton's good friends, Charles Cotton, while Derbyshire Wye described the fishing.

British Fly-fishing

During the nineteenth century, British fly-fishing went on with its development after the fly fishing clubs emerged. The appearance various helpful books that dealt with fly tying methods and fly fishing techniques has added interest to fly fishing enthusiasts.

In southern England, dry-fishing has actually obtained an elitist reputation. Accordingly, this is the only legal method of fishing the rivers of the south like the River Test and some other streams in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, and Dorset. The history of fly fishing tells us that later dry-fly developments were done after it was discovered that the weeds normally found in the rivers of the south grow very close to the surface. This required better techniques that keep both the fly and the line right within the surface of the stream.

But to the horror of dry-flying enthusiasts, George E.M. Skues wrote two books that greatly influenced developments of wet fly fishing. The books, The Way of a Trout with a Fly and Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream gave way to wet fly fishing. The history of fly fishing, particularly wet-fly fishing, dating back early in the nineteenth-century, was all thanks to W.C. Stewart who published a book in 1857 called The Practical Angler.

History of Fly Fishing in America

During the late nineteenth century, American anglers like Ray Bergman, used fly tackles to fish into streams rich in trout; streams like Willowemoc Creek and Beaverkill. A lot of American fly fishermen developed better fly patterns and extensively wrote about this outdoor sport.

Today, upon knowing the history of fly fishing, more fishing enthusiasts have greatly appreciated the art of fly-fishing. With so many techniques to consider and so many places to visit, fly-fishing is one outdoor experience worth a try.

Seasoned fly fishermen usually say the same thing when confronted on the question of how to fly fish – get your casting technique down for maximum fish catching. Unlike regular rod and reel fishing where the weight at the end of the line is what helps the line exit the reel, it is the weight of the fly fishing line itself which brings the fly lure right to the fish.

Setting Up for Practice

Before heading to a fishing hole, you will want to practice on how to fly fish cast in a large grassy or dirt packed area. Cement and asphalt are not great surfaces to practice your casting as the rough surfaces could ruin your fishing line. Tie a bright piece of colored yard at the end of your line or even a brightly colored lure so that you can see what your fly is doing during the process.

After tying the yarn or fly onto the line, the next step in learning how to fly fish is to pull out about 20-25 feet of line out of the fly reel and lay it on the grassy area next to you. You need this amount of “play” in the line so that you have something to negotiate lightly through the water.

Get a Grip

Learning to hold the fishing rod in preparation for casting out the line is the next step in how to fly fish. While the rod is in your hand, put your thumb on the top of the rod grip and keep it on the top as this provides you with better accuracy as well as force in your cast. Also, the butt of the rod should be perpendicular to your wrist and forearm and kept under.

Make sure the line is through your rod in learning how to fly fish and then pull about 20 feet of it and place it on the ground to the right hand side. Holding your rod in a grip, the opposite hand grasps the extended line tightly for better casting momentum. Once you are comfortable in this phase, you can start to experiment with different casting when learning how to fly fish.

The Cast

The actual cast itself is next for the lesson on how to fly fish and you must use efficient movements for a successful turn. Flick the rod back a bit to a 45 degree angle, which is about the 2:00 o'clock position and then hold it. This causes an abrupt stop at 45 degree angle mark so your fishing line will shoot backwards.

Next on the how to fly fish list is flicking your wrist back to the 2 p.m. position as this action will cause the fishing line to fly forward out in front of you. If you did everything correctly, the fishing line would have straightened out and landed with ease rather than a plop. If your tied fly on the end of your fishing line made a distinct straight down dive into the water, then you did not learn how to fly fish properly. The line should extend out into the water and with a tugging motion, you learn to lightly tug on the line so that the fly appears to be skipping across the water rather than sinking in it. It takes patience and plenty of time to effectively learn how to fly fish, so unless you are gifted, don't be surprised that you do not catch anything the first few fly fishing trips.

One of the toughest things about learning to fish with flies is casting the bait onto the water so that it lands where the fish are swimming around, looking for food. Understanding how the equipment works, as opposed to traditional fishing equipment is an important step to learn to fly fish, and figuring out how to cast the line instead of a lure can be challenge. Most flies feel almost weightless and the tendency is to cast the fly and let the line trail. When you learn to fly fish you have to learn to cast the line and let the fly follow it to the water.

A large open field or grassy area is the best place to learn to fly fish as casting will take a lot of practice. Casting your line onto a driveway of concrete, blacktop or stones can destroy the line as it rides over the rough surface. It is also not necessary to attach a fly to the line to practice, as the idea is to cast the line and the added weight will not affect your control of the cast.

You may need to learn to fly fish with different types of rods, reels and fly line if you plan to fish in different areas. Different weights and flexibility of rods are typically used for different types of fishing.

Use A Rod Designed For Your Type Of Fishing

Fly fishing rods are made in essentially three weights, with those designated as one through five usually used for accurate casting. These are excellent for casting from around shrubs or trees and when you learn to fly fish for these conditions, using a lighter line will also help the casts be more accurate. Rods weights of six through nine are generally used for longer casting, specifically into lakes where obstacles are not a concern.

Trying to hook heavier fish on flies requires larger rods, such as those rated 10, 11 or even 15 to be able to withstand the weight of a hooked fish. If you learn to fly fish using larger rods and line there will be a transition period if you switch to lighter equipment for smaller fish in smaller bodies of water.

While you can find numerous resources about equipment and flies and when to use them in which climates, when you learn to fly fish you will want to devote most of your outdoor time with the rod and reel, figuring out how to get the line to land exactly where you want it to go.