A Beginners Guide to Fly Fishing

A Beginners Guide to Fly Fishing

Fly fishing is a great hobby and has lots of benefits outside the actual catching of a fish. In our stress filled lives what better way to relax than to get out in nature and breathe the fresh air and soak up the beauty of the great outdoors? The sound of a running stream alone has a wonderful calming effect and the stress relieving benefits of fly fishing is a great bonus to a challenging and fun hobby.

If you're considering taking up fly fishing you will need the proper equipment and also learn how to use it. The main pieces of equipment you'll require to start on your journey to becoming a fly fishing guru are:

1. A Fly Fishing Rod
A proper fly fishing rod weighs somewhere around 5 ounces and is usually about 9 feet in length, although this will depend on how small or large the river is where you intend to use it. Local fishing tackle stores are a great source of free advice on which equipment to use in a particular stream.

2. Fly Fishing Line
The line used for fly fishing is much thicker than normal fishing line as it needs to have enough weight to achieve the whipping action used to move the fly around the surface of the stream.

3. Flies
The artificial fly lures that you use can vary greatly and depend on the species of fish you intend to catch and what insects are most common in the stream. In some cases you will use a fly for working the surface of the water and other times a lure that sinks a little. Once you become more involved in fly fishing it is not too difficult to learn how to make you own fly lures. Catching a nice sized fish using a lure that you have made with your own hands is an extremely rewarding experience too.

Once you have the right equipment you then need to learn how to use it. The idea behind the fly fishing technique is to mimic the behavior of the insects the fish are feeding on. Here is where observing the river is important so you can select a fly lure that looks similar to insects flying around the edges of the stream. You will also need to use an action with the rod that makes to fly mimic what the insects are doing on or below the surface of the water.

As important as knowing how to use the fly fishing equipment and choosing a lure is selecting the best time to fish. This can depend on when the fish are most active which may be different from one stream to the next, however dawn and dusk are usually the best times as the sun isn't bright enough for the fish to see you and the insects that the fish feed on are usually very active.

With a little preparation and learning about the right equipment and how to use it fly fishing can be an exciting and rewarding hobby. Its great appeal is not only the relaxation element of getting out in nature but the excitement of catching a nice fish. Once you land a good sized fish that fights on the end of your line then you'll be hooked on fly fishing for life.