Fly Fishing Trout Tips:
From coast to coast, North America offers no shortage of beautiful fly fishing locations in rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal regions. When you're looking for your next fly fishing expedition, you want to find a beautiful vista that will offer plenty of your target species. To help you plan your trip, we've assembled a list of the top ten best places for fly fishing in the United States.
1. Own the Low-Light Bite
Great ways to practice:
- First set up your rod like you would on a day of fishing but tie a piece of egg foam or something that can mimic a fly to your leader (a fly cut at the bend of the hook is great)
- Go to a local body of water, ideally one that is relatively open and not much vegetation and start casting. Start by pulling a rod-length of fly line (colored line, not the leader) out of your top guide, increase the amount of line until you feel the rod loading and doing the work for you. Keep doing this until you reach the rods limit, this will help you determine the sweet spot of your fly rod with your line.
- Set up hula-hoops, plates, or frisbees in your yard or nearby field and try to put your foam or fly imitation on the target. The more you practice and downsize your target, the more accurate you will become for when you're out in the wild and need that cast to count.
- Purchase a practice rod, there are a few options from different fly rod manufacturers out there. These are designed to practice in tight quarters, inside your house or office. Although not an identical experience as a real fly outfit, this is a convenient way to help develop your casting rhythm, can be done inside and very kid friendly.
2. Research
Research and/or observe the bug and baitfish species in the body of water you'll be fishing, look for them on or flying above the water, around the banks of the river or lake you're fishing, turn over submerged rocks or use a seine while a fishing partner shuffles their feet upstream. Once you have an idea of what aquatic life is there, match the hatch with the flies in your box.
3. Stay Low and Slow
Great ways to practice:
When approaching a body of water to fish, stay low and slow. Fish in general are easily spooked and the smaller and more pressured the fishery, the spookier the fish are. I have read multiple articles stating that trout can see about 10ft from where they are positioned and have experienced spooking fish feet away from the water's edge. Whenever I approach a spot to fish, I keep a low profile, walk slowly and light footed, and review the section of water for targets before I make a cast.
