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    Fly Fishing: 100 Things to Know
    Fly Fishing: 100 Things to Know
    Fly Fishing: 100 Things to Know
    Ebook84 pages1 hour

    Fly Fishing: 100 Things to Know

    By Jay Nichols

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    About this ebook

    • Concise introduction to a favorite sport
    • Fascinating "did you know?" facts
    • Compulsively readable presentation
    • Surprising and interesting facts help you become an instant fly-fishing expert. From learning how to read water to using the best equipment, anyone can learn the fundamentals of fly fishing in a fun-to-read format. Choosing the right fly for the fish, selecting tackle to match the fly, and practicing the cast ahead of time are all essential elements of a successful fly-fishing outing. With practical information on a variety of fly-fishing tactics, this guide provides a solid foundation upon which all fishermen can build their skills.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStackpole Books
    Release dateJun 18, 2008
    ISBN9780811740029
    Fly Fishing: 100 Things to Know

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      Book preview

      Fly Fishing - Jay Nichols

      Copyright © 2008 by Stackpole Books

      Published by

      STACKPOLE BOOKS

      5067 Ritter Road

      Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

      www.stackpolebooks.com

      All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

      Printed in the United States of America

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      First edition

      Cover design by Wendy Reynolds

      Cover photo © David Epperson/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Fly fishing : 100 things to know / Jay Nichols, editor. — 1st ed.

      p. cm.

      ISBN-13: 978-0-8117-3495-0

      ISBN-10: 0-8117-3495-1

      1. Fly fishing. I. Nichols, Jay.

      SH456.F58515 2008

      799.12’4—dc22

      2007047991

      eBook ISBN: 9780811740029

      Contents

      Approach and Presentation

      Reading Water and Finding Fish

      Catching and Releasing

      The Fish and Their Senses

      Food and Flies

      Equipment

      Casting

      Approach and Presentation

      Fishing Casts Should Not Be Straight

      Unlike the arrow-straight casting-pond casts you see on TV or at fly-fishing shows, most fishing fly casts were developed to introduce slack into the leader, which facilitates a drag-free drift of the fly. The crucial slack isn’t always pretty—it may be in the form of a series of S curves or simply a pile of leader on the water’s surface—but it gives the fly a few more precious moments to float in a natural fashion before the current attacks the leader and line. And it’s surprising how attractive a well-executed slack-line cast begins to look when you know it’s the answer to fooling a trout into taking your dry fly.

      For a good slack-line cast, make sure your leader is at least 2 feet long, even longer can be better. You’ll know if your leader is not long enough if all is straight between your fly line and fly after you cast. If your leader lands in a pile that looks like a bird’s nest, you should shorten it up a bit. Ideally, you want a leader with lots of S curves in it.

      Drab Colors Blend in with the Surroundings

      Professional photographers like a touch of bright color to add life to their fishing pictures or to help an angler stand out in a scenic shot. If you are hoping to make a magazine cover, wear a bright red shirt. If you want to catch trout, leave the red shirt at home and wear something drab. Many good anglers wear camouflage clothing when they fish.

      Consider the color of the surroundings of the water you plan to fish and dress accordingly. Many spring creeks are bordered with lush vegetation that presents a green background to the fish. You’ll blend into this type of environment best if you wear a green or olive vest, shirt, and hat. Many large western tailwaters are in open country with vast prairie grass and sagebrush meadows. Tan, gray, or khaki clothing might blend in best with these surroundings. In the salt, shirts that are light blue or even white (the color of clouds) blend in well.

      A Quiet and Low Approach Works Best

      The deception in fly fishing is more than in the fly. You must get close enough to present the fly without being detected. This isn’t easy on clear, placid water. No matter how your clothing blends in with the surroundings, you must keep out of the trout’s window of vision at all times. On streams where they aren’t accustomed to seeing anglers, a trout alerted to your presence will be gone in the blink of an eye. On heavily fished streams, they usually hold their position—they’ve seen enough blundering anglers to not perceive them as a threat. Either way, a trout that has been alerted will be difficult, if not impossible, to catch.

      Use the foliage on the bank to help hide your profile. You can slip along a high bank, or hide beneath a bush or tree and blend into the surroundings. Walking on a high bank with nothing but blue sky behind you is a sure way to convince the trout that it needs to find another place to eat. You can get a little closer to a feeding trout by crouching to keep your profile low. Kneel on one knee so you can get up more quickly. Consider the tip of your fly rod when you are approaching. Keep it behind you so you don’t give the trout an early warning of your approach.

      Wading Disturbs Fish

      When planning your approach, first try to get close enough to cast without wading. Wading creates vibrations, no matter how careful you are, and should be avoided whenever possible. If you do need to wade, avoid grinding the rocks on the bottom. A probing wading staff clinking against rocks or waves on the surface from careless wading signals to fish that trouble lurks nearby. The best way to wade to avoid grinding and wave action is to not shuffle your feet across the bottom. Shuffling also disturbs the bottom and damages the aquatic life. Lift one foot at a time; plant your heel and rock forward to your toe. Murky water can put a fish off its feeding. When you locate a trout and need to position yourself across current from it, try to wade across far enough below it to avoid being detected. If you must wade across from above, try to move far enough upstream so that the clouded water will disappear before it reaches the trout.

      Walking on the bank also creates vibrations, which will be easily sensed by a wary trout. Walk softly, carefully, and precisely. Minimizing vibrations is not the only reason to walk slowly and carefully. Nothing terrorizes a trout more than a 200-pound angler doing a half gainer after stepping into a muskrat hole or tripping over a strand of barbed wire.

      Wind and Sun Direction Affect Success

      Always consider the wind and sun before you get into

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