Fly Fishing

America’s Team is back!!! asked:


Just seeing what flies and methods work best for you on the river you fish.

Blake

Steve W Sharpe asked:


The forty-ninth state in our union is a wonderland of lakes and mountains and rivers and streams. Fly fishing in Alaska is one of the most captivating experiences that fly fishermen can report. In fact, fly fishing in Alaska has become a multi-million dollar industry as anglers flock there to catch prize-winning fish in a beautiful landscape.

Fly fishing in Alaska can be an amazing experience for both experienced as well as beginning anglers. This state, while somewhat remote, has so much to offer people who decide that fishing the waters of Alaska would be the way to go. Where are the best spots?

It is generally agreed upon that Katmai, Alaska is one of the best fly fishing spots in Alaska. Alaska is a magical place, and Katmai is one of the most wondrous. This area has been designated as the only trophy sport fishing area in the entire state. There are over 1,000 miles of streams and rivers to fish for such prizes as coho salmon, rainbow trout, and award-winning pike. There are many lodges in this part of Alaska that will provide guides for you and give you a real Alaskan fly fishing adventure!

Many of the lodges in Alaska are fly-in only meaning they can only be reached by floatplane or train. One of the best places for fly fishing in Alaska can be found on Lake Creek which is northwest of Anchorage. On this creek, you can expect to catch some beautiful king salmon, pink salmon, and rainbow trout. You will be isolated, but the scenery and experience is absolutely second to none!

The Alagnak River is another great fly fishing destination in Alaska. This river is just a few miles away from Bristol Bay providing some great tidal waters that breed wonderful fish. Chrome-bright salmon will stay here for a few days after coming in from the ocean and getting used to their new freshwater environment. Each new tide brings in a new crop of fish, so there is always a great chance of landing not just one but several fish on every expedition.

You can find some trophy-sized salmon in the Kenai River of Alaska as well as rainbow trout. This is a beautiful river with easy access provided you have a guide to lead you. There are plenty of places where you can find a guide, so when planning a fly fishing trip to Alaska, be sure to book a guide if your lodge doesn’t offer one.

Alaska is a beautiful, wondrous state full of adventure and peacefulness alike. The fly fishing in Alaska is renowned for its abundance of fish. You will have an experience beyond your wildest dreams when you are fly fishing in Alaska. Plan today and make the trip of your fly fishing dreams a reality – in Alaska!



Deandre

Kolawole Olambiwonnu asked:


Although most flies represent water insects, a terrestrial fly is made to imitate a land insect that has fallen into the water. The two most common terrestrials that are imitated for fly fishing are the ant and the grasshopper.

Although there are hundreds of  types of flies used for fly fishing, most of them fall into five specific categories, or types.  These types are dry flies, wet flies, nymphs, streamers and buck tails, and terrestrials. The main purpose of the fly is to imitate an insect that the fish wants to eat.

A dry fly imitates a natural insect that is floating on the top of the water. Fish are very sensitive to any motion of their water and how currents move the insects they want for food. In fly fishing, if a dry fly is moving even slightly against the current, the fish will have nothing to do with it. The fly  may look like something the fish recognizes but it is not acting the same an insect would. The fish recognizes it as something foreign in the water and leaves it alone.

In fly fishing, a wet fly is imitating a drowned, or drowning,  natural insect and is fished below the water surface.  No one is sure if the wet fly is seen as a drowning adult insect or a nymph from the perspective of the fish. Most fly fishermen today seem to believe that it is seen as a nymph. Because of this less and less wet flies are being sold. Wet fly fishing is the oldest form of fly fishing. It dates  back to descriptions of the early Macedonian people.

A nymph is the stage between an egg and the adult in the life cycle of an insect. In fly fishing, flies that resemble nymphs are growing popularity. The nymph fly is just below the surface of the water. When a fish bulges the water without breaking the surface, he is nymphing. This means that the fish is eating the natural nymphs just as they are emerging from their shell. This is what a nymph fly imitates.

Streamers and buck tail flies do not imitate any part of the insect’s life cycle. These types of fly fishing flies are much larger and represent small bait  fish such as sculpin minnows. The main difference between theses two types of flies is that streamers are tied with feathers, and bucktails are tied completely with hair. Fly fishing that uses these two types of flies generally requires more rod and line manipulation. The movements are supposed to duplicate the motions of the little fish. 

Besides these basic five categories of flies, there are many other kinds of flies that are used for fly fishing. Some of them are a combination of one or more of the basic categories and some do not fit into any group. The most important thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter how the fly looks to you, the fisherman. It matters how the fly looks to the fish.



Justice

Lanie Dills asked:


Fly Fishing is a very old method of fishing that is particularly effective for hauling in trout. Ponds, small streams, rivers and lakes are best for trout. Fly fishing is tantalizingly unique in that the bait is artificial flies made by tying, fur, yarn, feathers, foam, or almost anything else that can be made to look like a fly onto a hook as bait. The best way to learn how to tie flies is to talk with anglers who have become experts over time or you could attend a fly tying school.

Dry fly fishing and wet fly fishing are the two forms of fly-fishing. Dry fly fishing is the most familiar and is regarded as the classic form. Using the dry fly fishing technique, the angler casts the fly upstream hoping that the trout will rise up and bite the fly as it passes overhead. Wet fly-fishing involves fishing beneath the surface of the water and can be divided into lures fishing, true wet fly-fishing and nymph fishing.

Fly-fishing tackle, and fly-fishing reels and rods are all commonly used fly-fishing equipment. Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California, Idaho and more recently New Mexico are all popular fly-fishing areas in the U.S.. British Columbia and Alberta are also very popular.

The popularity of fly-fishing has increased dramatically in recent years. It is definitely a fast growing sport and it’s easy to see why; it’s relaxing, enjoyable and rewarding. Usually, fly-fishing anglers practice the sport in the most beautiful areas of the world. Fly-fishermen worldwide are known to have an on going love affair with their sport.

Beginning fly-fishing anglers may have difficulty learning the sport. Probably the best place to learn is a fly-fishing school or from a fly-fisherman that is willing to take you on as a student. There are also a number of excellent fly-fishing courses on the Internet. The school you choose should teach the techniques, strategies, and tactics used in fly-fishing.

Before you get hipdeep in any water, you should learn about the various fish you’ll be casting for, learn the basics of casting and how to read the water, you’ll want to know how to take care of your gear and how to tie knots, and maybe you’ll even want to learn a little about hatches and entomology.

This sport is a life-long source of endless delight. You will live to feel the hairs on the back of your neck tingle as you watch a trout looking upstream for the fly you’ve just cast.



Eliana

Steven Magill asked:


Fly fishing is a sport that has been around for hundreds of years but nobody really knew about it until the last couple of centuries when it gained popularity in Britain and in the United States. For some, fly fishing is just “that thing where they fling a big long fishing line over their heads and try not to catch themselves on it.” For others fly fishing is “the subject of a movie that had Brad Pitt in it” you know the one, from a long time ago?? For the fly fishing enthusiast though, fly fishing is a sport and the best way to educate others on fly fishing is with a fly fishing guide.

This article aims to be a very basic fly fishing guide and will take you through some of the history of fly fishing as well as a basic overview of how to fly fish.

The earliest writings of fly fishing that have been found so far are dated around the second century AD. After that there is a gap of roughly thirteen hundred years as the next fly fishing writings that we know about were published in the late 1400s. After those writings were published, the sport lost notoriety until the nineteenth century when the British elite fell in love with the sport. In the late 1800s, fly fishing became very popular in Britain and it quickly became the sport of choice among the British upper class and well-to-do society members. It wasn?t long before very elite fly fishing clubs were formed. These clubs were small and honored the traditional methods of fly fishing. They were appalled by the American practices of fly fishing which involved all members of society no matter what their social ranking and also involved the attempt to improve upon the traditional methods of the sport. The American fly fishers are famous for constructing new rods, new line and new reels.

The best way to learn how to fly fish is to find yourself a good fly fishing guide as this is a sport that is not easily learned from books. It is better to go out to the water with your fly fishing guide and have him or her teach you the basics of casting, reeling and landing your fish.

Basically to fly fish you have to know how to cast. If you don’t know how to cast, you will need to find a fly fishing guide who can show you how because you just can’t learn how to cast from the written word. There are two types of casts you will want your fly fishing guide to teach you: the “C” cast and the “J” cast.

In the event that you can’t find a good fly fishing guide, there are lots of fishing courses available that you can take. A quick search through the internet will locate a fly fishing class in your local area. Once you learn how to fly fish, you can be a fly fishing guide for others. The sport is incredibly popular and growing by the day.



Cayden

ochocuarenta asked:


I really want to get into fly fishing. I have spin fished since I came out of the womb and never really gotten into casting flies. I have zero knowledge on it. I have zero gear and no idea where to start. I am going to attend a beginner’s class at my local Orvis outfitter’s store and I expect them to tell me a ton. I just can’t wait for the class in a week. Anyway, any and all info welcome! I need some lists of rods and reels, line, and any other gear I should know about! Thanks!

Madilyn

mountain_walrus asked:


When I go fly fishing, I get fish to bite all of the time. (I usually go nymphing.)

I am new to fly fishing and I only land one out of every twenty fish that take my fly at best.

I am probably setting the hook the wrong way.

How do I land more fish that take my flies?

Tiffany

John Savage asked:


Fly fishing is a spectacular hobby. Very few pastimes combine so many interesting features. From physical dexterity to a knowledge of biology to a mastery of area entomology, fly fishers are able to explore so many exciting topics in their quest for those thrilling moments when a fish leaps and takes a fly in his mouth.

As with so many worthwhile pursuits, however, it isn’t always easy. In exchange for the fun, fulfillment and excitement offered by the hobby, one must put forth a genuine effort. Fortunately, much of the work is fun. Any angler would enjoy reading more about the hobby and the game he or she will be pursuing. Anyone with the slightest interest in fly fishing won’t mind practicing his or her cast until the body’s muscles have memorized each element of the motion.

Successful anglers should be role models for all of us. They have combined three powerful traits that can help anyone to live a better and more successful life. Consider the two keys to fly fishing success. While you do, think about how those lessons might apply to anyone’s life and how fly fishing just might be something of a microcosm of life.

Patience is a virtue. That sentiment has been expressed so many times that it has almost lost its meaning. Clearly, the message has been lost by many of us as we move through our hectic lives at warp speed, rarely even stopping to catch our breath. Those who fly fish, however, have acknowledged the importance of patience and have made it part of their lives.

A day of fly fishing may feature scores of struggles with potential trophy fish. A day fraught with that kind of excitement, however, is no more likely than a day spent with only a single nibble. No-catch days are common, yet the fly fishing master will still stand in that unmistakable posture, casting again and again, waiting patiently for his opportunity.

Those who don’t practice patience find themselves switching casts, flies and locations so often that they rarely have a line above the water. The only successful anglers are those who have patience.

Knowledge is power. That’s another old cliche many of us disregard. We jump in headfirst without knowing exactly what we are doing and without the information necessary to successfully confront a challenge. An angler, on the other hand, comes to the stream with knowledge. He or she understands the equipment, the stream, the weather, the fish likely to be swimming about and a host of other factors.

Those who attempt to fly fish without that kind of knowledge are far more likely to have their patience tested than the well-informed, who are able to maximize their chance of success. Those who fish with a box full of tackle and a mind full of data are the ones most likely to leave happily at the end of the session.

Does all of this mean that those who fly fish are somehow superior to those of us who don’t? I am sure a few fly fishing advocates might argue that is the case, but that really isn’t the point. The crucial thing to recognize is that fly fishing encourages both the development and use of a few mental habits from which we all could certainly benefit.

Fly fishing is an object lesson in the value of patience and the power of knowledge. It shows us that taking those two concepts to heart can be the difference between a fulfilling experience and frustration. That’s an important lesson no matter how it is taught.

Imagine how peoples lives might be improved if everyone committed themselves to being knowledgeable and found it within themselves to be a little more patient. It’s hard to argue that the world wouldn’t be a better place. Will fly fishing make you a better person? Not necessarily. Then again, it may remind you and those around you of the value of those two key attributes. Fly fishing is patience and knowledge in action and the result is really quite amazing.



Donald

Hunter D asked:


Im very interested in other forms of fishing but i want to try somthing new any ideas

Bruce

Bob Bastian asked:


Fly fishing is a popular sport around the world. With a history dating back nearly 2,000 years it should not be surprising that many of the world’s cultures have adopted various styles of fishing for their sport fishing activities.

It’s a sport where the basics can be learned in a few hours with a guide but where the advanced techniques of the masters will take years of dedicated effort. This combination of factors helps to keep people interested in fly fishing for many years.

It’s also diverse enough that it works well for quite a variety of fishing conditions. It will serve you well whether casting a fly into a small, mountain trout stream in North America and Europe or whether casting for bonefish in the Caribbean. The sports flexibility has served to make it a popular sport option around the world.

The earliest records of fishing with artificial flies record that Macedonian fishermen used six-foot rods with six-foot lines to fish. These fly fishermen crafted artificial flies using a hook decorated with red wool and insect wings.

Interest in fly fishing increased in England and Scotland throughout the years though little was written until 1496 with the publication of The Treatyse On Fysshynge With An Angle. The 1653 publication of The Compleat Angler by Isaaak Walton contained several chapters on fly fishing. The publication of these books, along with the information they contain, demonstrates that fly fishing was an established fishing sport by the time of their publication. The development of fly fishing clubs throughout England in the 1800s served to further develop and popularize the sport.

The chalk streams of Southern England were well suited to dry-fly fishing with their shallow waterways and weeds that grew in the water to just below the surface. Northern England and Scotland also saw the development of wet-fly fishing around the same time. However, anglers in Southern England strongly favored dry-fly fishing and tended to look down on wet-fly fishing as an inferior perversion of their sport. It continues in England and the same chalk streams can still be fished today though most access is through privately owned and managed land.

American anglers in the Catskill Mountains area of New York began experimenting with dry-fly design in the late 1800s. These anglers began designing artificial flies to mimic the native insects that the trout naturally fed on. Like Isaac Walton, some of these anglers wrote about their adventures. These publications served to further interest in the sport. The American fly fishers were also more open than their English counterparts to experimenting with wet-fly fishing.

Fly fishing interest has continued and grown considerably in the United States and in Canada, The development of fiberglass manufactured fly rods following World War II, along with synthetic line and leaders, made the sport more affordable for many anglers. Inland fishing is frequently done with dry flies on streams and rivers. Coastal fishing often involves wet-fly fishing in bays or surf. It has also been adapted by bass anglers.

Many Caribbean and southern-hemisphere locations are popular saltwater fly fishing destinations. Fly fishers travel great distances to fish for bonefish and tarpon. Other southern-hemisphere locations like Belize offer both freshwater and saltwater fly fishing

It is a growing sport around the world. There has probably never been a better time to start it than today. The basic equipment to start fly fishing is more affordable than ever and the worldwide opportunities for it are just about limitless.



Seth