Top Ten Mistakes Made By Rookie Fly Anglers for Trout ~ 7/28/2019

I’m deeply entrenched in the busy season of guiding beginner to novice fly anglers and the same minor problems of casting, presentation, and fighting fish just to name a few, become apparent. These are easily fixed by actually getting out and experiencing different fishing situations. Fly fishing is a perishable skill, and the more you practice (fish), the more proficient one becomes to achieving a higher level of mastery. As a long time guide (going on 23 years to be exact), I have learned to break down problems into smaller fragments for my guests, and to also imagine what it’s like to be a rookie all over again to help them understand more easily. Explaining the concept or a solution to the problem as simply as you can, often results in a quicker progression rate of learning. Telling your client “Oh, that’s easy” is not the answer.

There is a lot going on at the same time for a beginning fly angler to comprehend. Just the process of catching a fish has many detailed steps to see success. First you must select the right fly, make the needed proper presentation, achieve a solid hook set, playing the fish without breaking it off, and lastly landing the fish in the net. I’ve made a list of the problems I see that leads to failure in many different ways. I know other guides will probably disagree with me with this post and to be honest, I could care less. My sole purpose in life is to share my 46 years of knowledge with all things fly fishing, instruct, and carry on my Dad’s legacy of helping others and fisheries conservation. Posing with large fish is great for social media satisfaction or your guide business, but learning and teaching the proper ways to fly fish is more important in the long run as these skills will carry you through a lifetime of enjoyment and success.

1) Casting Indicators – Bobber rigs have many hinge points in the system starting with the fly line/leader junction, added split shot, the first fly, and the second dropper fly. An off shoulder “Lob” cast is best with an open loop, and your rig should be elongated and stretched out through the lob while in the air. If an angler fails to keep the rig stretched out and taunt, and allows the indicator rig to collapse upon itself, will lead to a major bird’s nest of tangles. This is no place for false casting tight sexy loops.

2) Mending – Some of my students pick this up quicker than others, and the principal of placing the fly line/leader upstream of the indicator, or dry fly, for a drag free drift is critical for success. Most importantly, the first upstream mend sets the tone for the entire drift. When making the first mend, keeping the rod tip higher will result in lifting all the line off the water, while sweeping the rod upstream to achieve the most efficient motion. A drag free drift of 10 feet beats a 30 foot drift that is compromised by constantly moving the bobber or dry fly through insufficient mends.

3) Line Control – Is everything! A constant awareness of your fly line and what it is doing (or going to do) while making presentations is critical. Having too much slack line between the rod tip and the fly will result in missed hook sets. Not having enough slack between the rod tip and the fly will result in drag, and your fly will look unnatural and be refused. Line control also involves your hand that is in direct contact with the line whether you are stripping in line, feeding line out, or micro managing it at your feet.

4) Setting the Hook – While drifting indos, or tight line nymphing, a sweeping downstream and to the side 45 degree angle motion is the preferred way to set the hook, by doing so you’re setting the hook into the side of the trout’s mouth as it is facing upstream in the current. For dry flies, it all depends on whether the presentation is upstream or a fly first down and across. The key here is to evaluate the take in a millisecond, which only comes with more time on the water. The smaller the fish the quicker the reaction time, the bigger the fish requires a slight pause to allow them to eat your offering. Day in and day out, I see my guests pull the fly right out of the mouth of an 18 inch or larger fish.

5) Fighting Fish – Many different topics here to discuss that must all be executed properly to see your prize find the landing net. First off, don’t horse the fish in if your using 5 or 6X tippet, take your time. The biggest problem I see when losing fish is not keeping a tight line down to the fish and allowing slack. A size 18 fly that is barbless will quickly come out of a trout’s mouth once a slack line is employed. Keep Tension! Allowing the fish to take line when it is aggressively swimming upstream or downstream is a must. I’ve seen far too many nice fish lost due to the “Death Grip” of pinching off the fly line on the handle of the rod, or simply holding on to the line for dear life. Your line control hand must use different levels of pressure on the fly line to achieve the fine balance of keeping a taunt line yet enabling the fish to take line without any slack. Lastly, once you have control of the situation and the fish is tiring, bring the rod over to the side of the river you are on and gently steer it into calmer water for a successful landing.

6) Landing a Fish – As a client you can help your guide out immensely by lifting your rod and getting the fish near the surface so the net operator can make the “scoop”. It helps even more if you can plane the fish on its side at the surface (where it has little power or control) and slide it into the net. Often times a fish will seem tired just before the net job, and as the net operator goes for the scoop, the fish makes one final burst of speed to get away from the net. Be prepared for this, and allow the fish to take line out while keeping tension, yet not too much as it will result in a dreaded break off.

7) Tangles – Beginner to expert, it makes no difference; when you see a tangle develop, stop everything you are doing. Continuing to cast will make it worse, or flipping/bouncing the tip around like it will magically make it better will always make it worse. If your tangle takes a minute or longer to unravel, clip the flies off. It is much quicker to do so and tying clinch knots are faster than unthreading twists and other monofilament nightmares. Some of the tangles I see defy the laws of physics with what seems an origin of the twilight zone.

8) Rod Control – Being smooth is everything while handling a fly rod. Unnecessary movements will be transmitted to the tip of the rod down to your presentation, or if you’re trying to string up your rod for travel to the next destination. Slow down, and be aware of your rod handling movements.

9) Clean Flies Matter – On tail water and most freestone fisheries there is an abundance of organic material. Moss, algae, rock snot, salad, or whatever you want to call it will prevent a trout from taking your fly if it is coated with it. Not all algae will come from the bottom of a river. There are also situations where it is free flowing in the current. Depending on the river, I will check my flies about every 3 to 12 presentations to make sure they are free of any accumulation of foreign material. A technique I learned decades ago on the San Juan River and aptly named “The San Juan Slap” is to swing your rig in a circular motion downstream and raking your flies and split shot across the surface of the water in a quick motion while it is coming back upstream. Your rig must be extended and taunt during this maneuver or it will collapse upon itself and result in a bird’s nest. If you cannot master this, simply lift your flies out of the water and manually remove the algae with your hands. Before you make your presentation, do not let go and allow your flies to drop into the idle water you are standing in. They will plummet to the bottom of the river due to a non-existing current, and instantly become “Goo’d Up” with crap. Hold your clean flies in your line control hand and as you make your initial cast, let go and watch them enter your intended target area of your next presentation area.

10) Mind Set - The vibe you give off and your mental state has a lot to do with  how successful you are. If you have a shitty and pissed off state of mind, you will most likely be unsuccessful in the catching department. But if you feel the stoke and have a calm peace of mind, yet are totally focused at the task at hand, you will be more successful. Woman fly anglers both novices to pros are so good with this positive state of mind. Countless times I have witnessed them out fish their male fishing buddies. Women possess the ultimate Mojo in fly fishing aura.