Fly-fishing is an art as well as a sport. The art is choosing the correct presentation and the right flies for your targeted species. And, of course, knowing where to find the fish! Is it cheating to hire a guide? Like art, the only way to cheat is to steal someone’s style or present his or her work as yours.

Is a guide cheating?

Using a guide is no more cheating than getting someone else’s opinion. That is exactly what a guide does. They give you enhance your experience by sharing what they have learned through their own experience. By using a guide, you will only enhance and improve your abilities as a fly fisherman. You haven’t stolen anything from them, simply because they showed you how and when.

When should you hire a guide?

Now that we have cleared that up, the next question becomes when to use a guide.

The frugal angler will hire a guide for the first few days of a fishing trip. It will relieve all the frustration of finding new spots and new flies. The guide can make it a trip that last forever in your memory as a good fishing trip.

If you are fishing in familiar waters or locally you probably will not need a guide. This is the time you can clear your pallet and discover your talents. Paint your memories of the big one you caught or the quantity you caught.

By hiring a guide when you are making a trip to unfamiliar waters or unfamiliar species,you can enjoy his or her style and learn from him/her. Experiencing different guides is like going to an art gallery and discovering the many ways art is created. Guides can help you become a better angler by sharing their way of catching the fish.

A Guide to Out Do Others

The sport is catching that trophy fish or out fishing those around you. Fly fishermen are competitive also and that is what makes fishing such a great sport.

It is not cheating to use a guide. After all, they can’t catch the fish for you. They show you were to fish and what the fish like. All these things you could discover yourself, given time. However, you don’t have that kind of time on vacation. Therefore, hiring a guide is a good way to go.

Summing up, use a guide when you are traveling to catch a new species or when you are fishing in unfamiliar waters. Think of the guide as your own personal tutor to fly fishing.



By: Robert Joe Wallace


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If you are just starting out learning how to fly fish, I do not recommend investing a fortune on your fly fishing rod. Your best bet, is to start with a fishing combo that includes the rod, reel and matching fly line.

When choosing a beginners combo, you are looking for something that is not more than $200. You can now find one under this price in a number of places.

You can find them at large retail stores like Walmart, or Target. If you are on a fixed budget you can get one from there, but I would shy away from them. I have seen and used a few from Walmart, and they are just not that great.

The best place to look for a beginners fly fishing combo is in the local sporting goods stores. Look around your local area, and you can usually find combos ranging from $75 to $125.

Whatever you do, don’t buy a really cheap combo. They are hard to learn with, and you will get discouraged, and then you give up.

Cabela’s make some excellent basic combos, and you can find one ranging from $120 – $175. They are quite good for the price you pay. These rods are very responsive, and the line and reels are decent enough. I know of several friends who got their start with a Cabela just like this one.

Choosing the weight of the rod depends on where you are going to fish, and what size of fish you are going to catch. If you are going to fish for small trout (4-5 pounds) in streams. I would recommend you choose a 4 or 5 weight. If you are going for bigger fish, in a river or maybe in a lake. Choose a 6 weight, which will allow you to cast bigger flies, a farther distance.

Although I recommend starting with a basic Cabela’s combo, if you are on a budget, or you just want to try out fly fishing. Once you get started, you will almost immediately want to move onto some more serious equipment.



By: Gordon Casada


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When I first started becoming interested in fly-fishing as a teenager as soon as I had saved up enough cash I headed straight to the local tackle shop to buy some fly-fishing equipment. Having limited funds was an immediate disappointment as I had not realized how expensive fly fishing kit really was. I gave it some thought and decided that, as I was going to be catching really large fish, I would be best purchasing the largest items available. So I bought myself a huge rod, a bulky reel, some line and some flies and lures with really large hooks, after all it would take a large hook to hold the fish I was going to catch. How wrong could I have been?

Fly-Fishing Equipment Where Size Really Does Make a Difference

Deciding upon taking up a new hobby can be a life-changing decision, the new experiences can quickly make a person change the way in which they spend their spare time. I had exhausted myself by working hard to save up enough money so that I could afford to try my hand at some fishing. I was looking forward to a relaxing morning stroll along the banks of our local loch (a lake), taking in the fresh morning air, hopefully getting to see the otters playing on the waters edge and then settling down before catching a huge salmon.

Well things don’t always go to plan. I had read a little about fly fishing and I had also watched many anglers catching plenty of brown trout and a few very large salmon, after all I was living in Scotland at the time as fishing in Scotland is as popular as golf. I was therefore certain that, after a little practice, I would land a big enough salmon to take home for the family to eat. Unfortunately I failed, abysmally, no matter how hard I tried I did not get one bite.

Looking back I can now see that the problem lay in my terrible decision to go large. Even today, while watching my fly fishing DVD, ‘Fly Fishing Academy’, I saw Henrik Mortensen (www.henrik-mortensen.com) catch one of the largest salmon I have ever seen using the technique called the “Scandinavian Spey Cast” with a simple rod and reel, some floating line and the smallest fly I have ever seen. As he removed the fly from the mouth of the fish he commented that the fly he was using was the best size for this size of fish and that he rarely lost a fish when using it. It just goes to show that size really does matter but less so if you really know what you are doing.

Fly Fishing Equipment: The Rod, Reel and Line

I now realize that fly-fishing equipment is actually specific to the weight of fish you are aiming to catch. Each item of equipment should be of a suitable size so that they compliment each other nicely. As a teenager I had little time to study the art and even less time to master technique as all I wanted to do was get out there and land a salmon for tea.

Fly rods and lines are clearly labeled using the format ‘Nwt’ so that you can buy lines of the correct weight for your rod. Rods and lines vary in size from ’0′, for the smallest fish, up to size ’16′ for the largest. A rod can vary in height from around six and fourteen feet (although shorter specialist rods can be found). When choosing the reel you need to ensure that when it is in place your fly rod is perfectly balanced. If you don’t know how to check this ask the assistant in the tackle shop who will be happy to help.

By carefully matching the size of rod and reel you can ensure that your fly fishing equipment is suitable for you to perform long distance casts. If you purchase the correct fly-fishing equipment you will find it easier to perfect your technique and you will soon meet with success.

I still enjoy fishing a great deal and I have recently taken an interest bass fishing. Again I seem to have allowed myself to be influenced by others. I became interested in the sport after watching one of the many bass fishing tournaments. However I will take my time this time and study well before spending any money.



By: Andrew M Kelly

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trails asked:

When targeting rainbow trout on free stone streams, the first step is to gain knowledge from a local fly shop regarding which flies to use. Learn about dry and wet fishing for rainbow trout with help from a fly fishing guide in this free video on fly fishing for rainbow trout. Expert: Walt Geryk Contact: neffguide.com Bio: Walt Geryk is an Orvis-endorsed fly and spey fishing guide with over 30 years of experience. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

When it comes to trout fishing there are two styles of fishing that are employed min almost all cases. There is trout fishing with ultra light spin fishing gear and there is fly fishing. Both methods of fishing for trout are effective and one of the most important aspects of attempting to catch trout are the knots that are used for attaching tackle to your line and/or tying two lengths of line together. In this article I will outline and discuss three of the best fishing knots for trout fishing so that they can be added to your “memory bank” for the next time that you are out on the water fishing for these beautiful fish.

Whether you are an ultralight spin fisherman or a fly fisherman, you need to know how to tie these fishing knots when you are out on the water attempting to catch trout. I will provide some tips as to what each of the following knots can be used for as well as what the knot is called, but there is little doubt that these knots are three of the best knots when attempting to catch trout.

The Dropper Loop – This knot makes a loop in the middle of your line. There are applications when fly fishing where the Dropper loop comes in handy, and also when attempting to catch fish with ultra light gear and a bottom rig. The dropper loop is the perfect knot to know for making a loop in the middle of line no matter what the fishing application may be. The Uni Knot – This is a reliable terminal tackle fishing knot. This method of attachment can be used by both fly and spin fishermen. Some say this knot is as easy to tie as fishing knots get, and it could easily become your “go to” fishing knot when you are out on the water fishing for trout. The uni knot is perfect for tying on any piece of terminal tackle onto your line. It is a strong and reliable way to attach lures, flies, hooks, or swivels to your line or leader. The Surgeon’s Knot – This knot is a great way of attaching two pieces of line together. This obviously comes in handy for fly fishermen as they attach their leader to their fly line, but for spin fishermen as well when they need to tie two pieces of line together. This is a strong and “easy to tie” knot for both of these trout fishing scenarios.

Now, are these the only knots that need to be known when fishing for trout? Who knows? Manners of attaching fishing line together and attaching terminal tackle, lures, or flies to fishing line are largely up to personal preference and style, but these three knots are all great ways to accomplish these tasks and should be a part of any serious trout fisherman’s arsenal.



By: Trevor Kugler

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lelandfly asked:

www.flyfishingoutfitters.com The Launch Fly Rod is a fine example of what can and should be done for the angler with a tight budget. These fly rods deliver flies with the precision expected from all Sage rods. They were designed using the techniques learned from the development of G-5 technology used in Sage’s jewel, the Xi2, and are fishing rods first and casting rods second. They deliver high line speed and fly accuracy while transferring all the fish fighting feel to the angler. Click: www.redtruckflyfishing.com Call: 1.866.672.1959

. asked:


Mike phones home from his office and says to his wife, I have the chance to go fishing for a week. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I have to leave right away. Pack my clothes, my fishing equipment, and especially my blue silk pyjamas. I’ll be home in an hour to pick them up.

Mike rushes home to grab everything. He hugs his wife, apologises for the short notice and then hurries off.

A week later, Mike returns and his wife asks, Did you have a good trip, dear? …

Mike replies, Yep, the fishing was great…but you forgot to pack my blue silk pyjamas.

His wife smiles and says, Oh, no I didn’t…I put them in your tackle box!

(No flies on HER!)
P.I.M.P….he didn’t go fishin’ – think about it – why would he want silk pj’s

OutdoorAnswer asked:

Doubling up your flies is a common tactic utilized by fly fishermen to increase their odds of a strike. Jim Carbaugh demonstrates how to assemble this rig and the correct way to present it to the fish.

llbeanPR asked:

Let LLBean help you select the perfect fly rod for your next fly fishing adventure. Whether you are an expert or a beginner – LLBean has everything you’ll need for a day on the water. Just add flies and fish!

The fly fishing is a kind of an outdoor activity, which initially aims to catch as much fish as possible. The term itself suggest how it is done, the word fly implies the throwing of bait and hook into the water, where as the bait and the hook would give the picture of flying while making its way into the open water.

Going back, man used this kind of fishing to provide him fish like bass, pike, carp and other fish that live in the oceans to sustain the need of food. But nowadays, man uses fly fishing not only to provide meal, but as well as a business. This kind of fishing is intended to catch bass, pike, carp and other fish that is in demand in the market.

The use of fishing tackles are requires in this kind of fishing. None the less, if you intend to be more specific, in the course of catching a target fish, there are lots of variations in equipments that can be used. Generally speaking, the common equipments used in this kind of fishing is more commonly phrased as fly tackle by most fishermen.

This consists of artificial flies, the fly rod which throws the flies and the fly line. In order to be able to throw the fly as far as possible the line needs to be a bit heavier than other types of lines. Although, most items comes in different options in the need to use.

Artificial lures that can be used in fly fishing can be made up of some materials like, hair, feathers, fur and other materials that will render the desired aspect of the insect or creature supposedly used as bait for fish. Different area as well as intended fish to be caught calls for different kind of baits. Particular fly should fit in specific locations.

Flies can either be attractive and imitative. There are certain distinctive in two, the attractive ones are more on colors, shapes and reflections that may attract the fish without the need of copying the features of the prey of the fish. In contrast, the imitative, is more on imitating the prey of the fish to get its attention. But both are very useful in fly fishing.

The fly fishing, to sum it up, generally relies on the weight of the line unlike other kind of fishing that would depend on the weight of the reel to go in the deeper part of the water.

By: Jessica Bradbury

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