Preparing for the New Year of Fly Fishing
Winter is drawing to a close here in the state of Kentucky. Soon we will have warming temperatures, and see an influx of anglers hitting the water. Hopefully, some the anglers hitting the water, not only in my area but around the country, will be learning how to fly fish. Below is a list of some of the things I suggest to be doing to prepare for a year of fly fishing. Although this article is mainly directed at the first time fly fishers, more experienced anglers might learn something from this as well, so read on.
2. Practice your casting.
I know its cold outside. But if you cant fish, the next best thing is practicing your casting. This is one of the most important parts of being successful in the sport of fly fishing. The ability to place your fly exactly where you want it is the basis of being successful. So get yourself outside(or inside if you have the space or can somehow talk some school into letting you use their gym) and practice.
3. Research
This is what I have spent my winter doing. Sadly, school prevents me from researching as much as I would like. I like to do some research into different techniques that can help me catch more fish. Podcasts are a great way to passively gain information about the sport, and I highly recommend The Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast. It is available via Itunes and a few other outlets. (Sadly I am not being paid by Orvis to suggest their podcast, but Orvis if you want to pay me to say that I gladly will.)
These are my three suggestions for preparing to succeed on the water this year. I left out something that you see in many suggestion list, that being tying flies. I left this out because I do not tie my own flies, and not many new anglers do either. So I'm not going to suggest you do something that I can not give you advice on. However, if you do want to get involved in this, Orvis has some great resources about how to start doing that. I do plan on tying my own flies sometime this year, so be on the lookout for a blog post about that.
Good Luck and Tight Lines,
Josh
1. Get legal.
1st and foremost, make sure that you obtain your fishing license and other needed documentation for a year of fishing. So while it is fresh on your mind, go buy it.
2. Practice your casting.I know its cold outside. But if you cant fish, the next best thing is practicing your casting. This is one of the most important parts of being successful in the sport of fly fishing. The ability to place your fly exactly where you want it is the basis of being successful. So get yourself outside(or inside if you have the space or can somehow talk some school into letting you use their gym) and practice.
3. Research
This is what I have spent my winter doing. Sadly, school prevents me from researching as much as I would like. I like to do some research into different techniques that can help me catch more fish. Podcasts are a great way to passively gain information about the sport, and I highly recommend The Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast. It is available via Itunes and a few other outlets. (Sadly I am not being paid by Orvis to suggest their podcast, but Orvis if you want to pay me to say that I gladly will.)
These are my three suggestions for preparing to succeed on the water this year. I left out something that you see in many suggestion list, that being tying flies. I left this out because I do not tie my own flies, and not many new anglers do either. So I'm not going to suggest you do something that I can not give you advice on. However, if you do want to get involved in this, Orvis has some great resources about how to start doing that. I do plan on tying my own flies sometime this year, so be on the lookout for a blog post about that.
Good Luck and Tight Lines,
Josh
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