Four Fly
Fishing Tips
By
Frank Faldo
Good Fly Presentation
Obviously, the goal when casting a fly is
to present the fly to the fish in a realistic
manner. You are trying to simulate nature
here. If you are going for trout in a stream, for
instance, this means a drag-free float of 36 inches over
a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding
fish.
Never randomly cast – you have got to pick
a spot and hit it. Throw tight loops that put the fly on
target. One important method that can be used is to
overcast the target and stop the line short while it is
in the air. The fly should come back to you and fall on
the water with slack in the leader.
The best trout fishermen fish with only 30
to 35 feet of line, but make up for this with accurate
casting. They read waters will and put the fly in the p
ay zone time after time. One of the most important thins
they do is to recognize that presentation and approach
are much more important than pattern.
It is different for bass. Whether a surface
bug or a streamer, the offering must move past a spot
where a bass is apt to hold. As the boat drifts, it is
important to pick a precise time to shoot a cast to the
target. Too soon or too late, and the fly won’t be in the
right spot. This is where the double haul form of casting
becomes essential. It generates line speed and enables
the caster to pick 30 or 40 feet of line off the water
and shoot another without false casting.
When bassing, make your presentation,
retrieve 10 to 20 feet, pick up, and cast again without
the need to false cast. After each one, drop the rod type
and keep the butt of the rod near your belt buckle with
the tip-top of the rod pointing at the line. A simple
lift will let you execute the next pickup or strike a
fish.
Leader Connection
If you are a fly caster, you know that a
smooth connection between the leader and fly line is
important in presentation. The best way to do this is to
nail-knot a six-inch piece of 25-30 pound leader material
to the end of the fly line. A loop like those found on
snelled hooks is then tied into the opposite end. The
connecting leader must also have a loop.
Connecting the leader itself is done by
passing the loop attached to the fly line through the
loop on the leader; reaching through the fly line loop.
Next, grab the butt section of the leader and pull the
leader up through until the tippet passes the loop. Last,
just pull the loops together by tugging on the fly line
and the butt section in opposite directions.
Strategy
If you are every in a
situation where see large brown trout in open
water and hold, your best bet is to use a No. 12 Cinnamon
Ant and sink it. If this doesn’t work, move to the No.16
Adams fly. Still nothing? Switch to the No. 20 Black Ant.
Last-ditch effort would be to use a 3X tippet and use a
No. 6 nymph or streamer.
Typically the bigger trout will leave small
morsels to the small guys, preferring the bigger bites
that are easy to get. They are very economical
feeders.
High Rider Dry Flies
If your best dry-fly patterns are failing
you, it may be time to switch to spiders and variants.
Many times a spider or variant will bring trout to the
surface, then you can switch back to a conventional dry
fly.
These spiders and variants will delicately
drop to the water, usually somersaulting or jumping after
touching it. Fish find this very alluring.
High riding is another attribute of these
flies. When tied properly, their hackles support the hook
above the water’s surface, thus imitating a natural fly
much more closely than the ordinary fly does.
Related
Articles
Copyright 2005
EveningSecretFishing.com - Frank Faldo Is A Long-Time Fisherman and
President of EveningSecretFishing (
http://www.eveningsecretfishing.com/specialsecret/4_Fly_Fishing_Tips.php)
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