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3. Link: What I wish I knew about fly fishing when I started

Jason-

the 3 things I wish I'd learned earlier are 1) how to mend line better, 2) how to 'read' water better, and 3) fishing streamers which I still don't do well or often

Roguerat

1) How to cast more accurately at all distances

2) How to get the appropriate slack near the fly for a drag free drift

3) How to determine the best fly for the circumstances

Not that I've learned them yet.

And thanks for this thread. I started reading the experts answers and really enjoyed what I saw.

Heh, Louis, that's quite a list... you might have picked the top three things nobody has really learned yet as well as they'd like to.

1) That slapping that fly on the water scares fish away.
2) Entomology
3) Size really matters

I've learned so much from this site over the past year+. An invaluable resource for learning about bugs.

just read the link - good stuff

1) Slowing down your casting rhythm as you let out more line keeps you from getting a pile-up by letting your line stretch out (watched my buddy Joe make this mistake a couple of years ago);

2) Only take what you need, everything beyond that is just a burden, including extra boxes of flies that you never use (i.e., cram them into fewer boxes and leave the ones you never use home);

3) Presentation can trump imitation, at least on occasion.

I'm sure there's more but those are the ones I can think of right now. Especially #1, that took me a while to figure out...

Jonathon

Hey, Jason, enjoyed your list; Right up my alley.

But... I'm going to go back a ways and think about the beginner. I was involved in a youth FF education program for a bunch of years and this is what I thought was most important to get them off the ground.

1. Casting and control are critical to heading off frustration and getting to the enjoyment. Casting in itself can be a joy. Later it's HUGE in terms of catching fish. I started kids with homemade yarn rods -originally with a goldenrod switch and wetted acrylic yarn. Control tip arc to develop a tight loop and... they are on their way. With a yarn rod you can cast at home, under tables and chairs, and present to the cat. KISS instruction and fun practice time and those budding FF's are ready to rock in no time.

2. Let the fish take them to the next level. Pond bluegills and chasing the stocking truck on put-n-take trout streams are the best teachers. Show them basic line handling and presentation and the fish will do the rest.

3. Get them onto wild stream-bred trout ASAP. This is where FF becomes the intimate game that can take them deep into the natural world. Ecological understandings, so important today as we urbanize and get away from nature, become the focus.

Now, I guess this should be 4 important things, bc you have to have a mentor to take them there, both in terms of knowledge to be passed down and bc... kids can't drive.

Allan, in a city park here there is a big bronze statue of an older fisherman with a youngster sitting on his lap, the two sharing fishing talk. Sweet statue. One day as I passed the statue on my way to fish the ponds there, a mom and her young son were looking at the statue. I was lugging on my back an enormous float tube with rod holders, anchor system, sonar, obsessively organized tackle boxes, and a fistful of rods. I stopped, caught her eye, and said... "Oh man, don't get him started!"

Guys, it's called Bipolar Disorder these days...but I have a better diagnosis:

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

As for addictions, there are much worse ones, trust me, I know. And fly fishing actually works in at least 5 different ways as an antidepressant, by elevating serotonin levels. Safer than LSD and doesn't cause ED like Prozac does...

Jonathon

When I started at 12 years old many years ago i would say:

1) Confidence in my flies I tied

2) Understanding where trout live and feed

3) Observing instead of just jumping in and start casting

Mine would be:

1)Understanding and operating your equipment, including rigging, tying and fly selection and usage.
2)Proper casting and presentation
3)Effectively "fishing out" all of your casts. After reading Bergman many years ago, I learned how crucial that is. Many times Ive casted a fly, not overly satisfied with my placement and drift, yet fished it out anyway and ended up with a fish. Less casting, more fishing is the key!!

Mine is fairly simple:

1. How this was going to affect my life.

2. How to read the water, but it didn't take too long after I started to catch fish on my own.

3. This one hasn't happened yet, but it's when it will finaly end. Because I only have two fears, and one of them is no longer being able to fly fish the way I like.

Does anyone know want wt a Cortland crown 95 is thanks

I'm pretty sure it is a fly reel.

Nice pointers. One thing I wish I knew about when I started was the importance of matching leader and tippet diameters, lengths of leaders, and fly sizes. It really made a huge difference in my casting when I realized how to get these matchups correct.

Did any papers or articles come from your research from that Drift Model project yet? The videos you posted a while back were very interesting. I want to see/learn more!

Cheers

TimCat, we're still working on the papers. One of them is in the peer review process and others are nearly ready.

Nothing. It was a gradual learning experience from which I gained much pleasure. Some days were tougher than others but that added to mystery and excitement of the pursuit.

Nice pointers, there's things I also wish I knew earlier , lol perhaps more then three , the big thing I still study is matching the proper fly/size for conditions ,I suppose this also is in the category of properly " matching the Hatch"
Next would be reading and observing the water, there are many things always going on that tell a story on the water.
Next would be not to be shy or embarrassed to " Ask" it's human nature in all of us to,feel awkward or think " I'll just figure it out ,eventually I decided to start asking , nobody will think less of you for asking that question that could make a big difference the rest of you're fishing years,
I'll ask how did you tie that?, how are you getting that cast off?, what kind of bug is this ? You get it lol.

One other big thing to me is I do not stress or start my day in the river that I must catch fish , " perhaps odd but Fly fishing is so much more to me then catching fish, My casting, how are my flys holding up ? , matching hatches, just being in nature and seeing that mink on shore , or that eagle flying above me ... it's a passion ,an addiction lol.