Basically, fly fishing is not only one of the fastest growing sports; it is one of the foremost forms of conserving natural resources as well as providing aquatic recreation.

Fly fishing is, very simple when three things are right: you must have a suitable rod; you must get a line to match it; and you must learn correct casting technique.

For people who wish to know some tips on fly fishing, here is a list of some pointers that could help anglers harness their fly fishing skills:

1. Material of the rod

When starting out, it is always best to start with a cheap option. Once your fishing improves and you are enjoying it,
you can then progress onto more expensive options.

2. Line

It is important to know that on any given rod, the fly fisherman should use the same size line for anything from small trout and bluegills up to the largest sea fish.

In choosing the line, anglers should get a C level, an HCH double-taper, or a GBF three-diameter. This choice is based on the fact that a high percentage of fly rods bought nowadays are hollow glass, and that a great majority of these works best with lines of those sizes, almost regardless of lengths or weights.

3. Learning to cast

In casting, it is important to get about 20 feet of line out front. Anglers should always remember to cast a straight line. Avoid jerky movements even if it is on a faster mode in order to do so.

Boiled down, there should be no reason why you should not learn the fundamental principles just as easily as those who now enjoy fly fishing.

Probably, the best and surest way to learn to cast successfully is to spend a day on the stream with some fisherman who is a competent caster.

Lessons learned on the stream are the best tips you can acquire anywhere in your quest for learning fly fishing.

Most of all, enjoy your fly fishing!

Download your free bass fishing tips guide now. Lots of great tips and techniques to improve your fishing. http://www.secretfishingtips.com/freeguide.html

Since the water is slow, clear and shallow, the fish seem to be extra skittish. This means you need to practice extra caution to have any luck. If you can see the fish in a beaver pond, more than likely they can see you, too. All but the very small and gullible fish will retreat to safety. Avoid the overwhelming temptation to walk up to the pond to spot the fish.

Instead, keep a low profile and delicately cast to any rising fish or bulges you see in the water. Be sure to concentrate your efforts on the pond’s inlet, the main stream channel, the deeper water at the dam itself and any other good holding water you may notice. Since beaver ponds offer such an abundance of food, the majority of trout will feed on the surface only when there is a large hatch in progress. Some of the smaller fish may feed on the stray bugs, but for the most part they will be eating nymphs under the surface of the water.

I like to stand just below the actual beaver dam and cast into the deep water behind it. It’s easy to sneak up on the fish from here and you don’t need much line to present your fly. This will usually yield a fish or two, but it is a tough place to fish (although there really aren’t any easy places in a beaver pond). Most of the time, you will either snag your fly on a piece of wood or hook a fish that beelines to its shelter under the dam. Whatever the case, plan on losing lots of flies.

I will never forget the time I hooked a large native cutthroat trout in a small beaver pond in Colorado. Again, I approached the pond just under the dam and hooked it on my first cast, which is often the case in beaver ponds. After a rather lengthy battle, I finally got the fish within arm’s reach when the unthinkable happened. The fish made one final run, but this time dove below the dam and tangled itself around large piece of wood. I tried my best to untangle the leader, but to no avail. I had to snap the tippet. With a long branch, I reached the line and pulled the fish up to the surface of the water.

Besides a sly approach, the key to successful fishing on beaver ponds is to give them a break. Unless it’s a huge pond, don’t plan on fishing more than 10 to 20 minutes before all the fish are spooked. Instead, catch a few trout, give it a break then come back. I usually fish a beaver pond pretty heavily when I first get there and then break for a half-hour or so. During this time, I usually have lunch, take a nap (ah, fishing!) or more likely fish my way up the creek until I hit another pond. If there are several beaver ponds in one area, as is often the case, some of the best fishing can be in the channels that connect them. Concentrate on these channels while you give the ponds a break.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Fishing

There are two types of high mountain lakes: those above the tree line and those below it. Some lakes are at such an elevation that they are above the level where trees can grow. These lakes usually sit at the bottom of a talus slope and offer very little cover for fish. Since these lakes are nutrient-poor compared to their lower neighbors, food is scarce and they tend to have fewer trout. This doesn’t necessarily mean the fishing isn’t good, though. As long as you don’t spook the fish (which can be quite easy), you can take advantage of the scarce food situation. Hungry fish are eager fish. Because of the fierce competition for food, some of these high alpine trout will aggressively attack anything that even resembles a meal.

Because lakes below the tree line offer more food, they typically house more fish. There is usually more cover for these fish to hide. The two drawbacks to these lakes are the abundant food (fish won’t bite if they’re not hungry) and the fact that they can be in heavily forested areas, which makes casting difficult. This can also shelter a lake from the sun.

I remember a hike I went on a few summers ago in Colorado. I tried to time my trip just as I thought the lake was thawing out in mid-June, since this time offers some of the best fishing of the year. During this time the fish are usually hungry and eager to bite anything that looks like food. I also think fish seem to forget some of their nervous habits over the long winter months and appear to be a bit less spooky just after the thaw. On this particular trip (as with many others), I had to use snowshoes to reach the lake only to discover that it was still iced over. I was probably two weeks early. Not wanting to give up, I took out my map to see if there were any other lakes in the area. Luckily, I spotted a small, unnamed lake on the map that rested just above the tree line. Although it was a little higher in elevation, it sat on a south-facing slope. I decided to give it a try since it received a bit more sun.

I reached the lake an hour later and I was in luck: the lake was just about ice free. I was sure I was the first fisherman to cast a line in that lake all year, but before I did, I hiked up a small hill overlooking the lake to scout the situation. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It seemed every trout in the lake was cruising the shallows for food and probably enjoying the warmer water as well. They weren’t schooled up (brook trout rarely are); instead it was as if each fish was out only for its own survival. To make the story short I got strikes on about every cast. This just shows that timing is as important as the many other ingredients of successful fly fishing.

Keep in mind the pros and cons of each type of high mountain lake and don’t be afraid to hike a while to get to that elusive water hole that every fisherman claims to have found, though few probably actually have.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Fishing