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3. New to fly fishing

Hi there!
I live in northern california and want to pursue fly fishing. Ive done the basics but I just want to know a little more and maybe even some good spots to check out. Any tips for a newbie? Thanks!

Find a really good casting teacher, and practice on the lawn. Then go back so she or he can correct any bad habits. And practice more on the lawn. Then go back to correct any bad habits. Keep practicing. And returning to your coach. The better you can cast the more effective you can learn to be. There's a lot more to learn, but much of it is more mental than physical. Read books and articles, fish with folks who can teach you, and keep an open mind. And don't get frustrated if it doesn't come fast. It often takes time. You won't likely get any spots from an internet blog like this one, but exploration and good fishing buddies will lead you to them in time. Best of luck, and enjoy.

Everything that Mr. Martin said is so very true and important! If you can't cast well, or if you cast and you have bad habits it might make you tired and lose interest in this awesome pursuit.

I fish a lot and I see so many guys who just can't cast worth a damn. It is painful to watch them struggle and false cast repeatedly. False casting more than twice is a waste of time and energy. The only time false casting more than twice is justified is if you are casting to a rising fish and you want to time your cast to when you think the fish is about to rise again. Often a trout will eat a natural insect and eat your fly too if it is within a few inches of the natural the trout ate.

Casting is extremely important for both distance and accuracy. Distance when you want to cover a lot of water or have to reach out for a distant fish in a difficult spot. Accuracy for when you have to put your fly into a square foot of water or less to hit a fish's feeding lane. Practice and more practice and still more practice is the only way to achieve this!

If I am false casting more than twice, it is to feed out more line to shoot for distance. If you miss a fish, often times only a forward cast is necessary to get the fly back to where the fish hit. This is one great advantage to fly fishing, you don't have to reel all the way in and then cast all the way back out again.

Just my 2 cents...

Jonathon

Hi and welcome! I visit california almost every month! :D beautiful :) do you live in the bay area?