Before we get started my intent with this video is to make something that fly fisherman can use for years to come. So if you’re a more experienced fly fisherman leave a comment on something you think anglers should avoid when fishing that will help them catch more and bigger fish, then like a few comments you think are important. That way people can read through the comments and learn things even beyond what I go over in this video. Alright let’s start with the first thing you should avoid… and that’s spending tons of unnecessary money.
- Spending tons of unnecessary money - it doesn’t look cool to spend a boat load of money on fly gear, especially if you’re not even an experienced angler and don’t know how to use it. You’re better off going to Walmart, bass pro, cabalas, or your local fly shop and getting some budget gear to fish with. Unless you’re a super experienced angler you won’t be able to tell the difference between most of the gear anyways. There are plenty of great combos from most of the major fly rod manufacturers that all catch fish just like a 1500 dollar combo. - The second thing to avoid is fishing downstream and just approaching the water haphazardly in general. There’s really no excuse to fish downstream in a creek. Trout sit looking up the current so working down towards them just an alerts them to your location, often times before you ever make a cast. It’s not that you can’t catch fish walking downstream, but you will catch more and bigger fish working upstream. There are some exceptions to this rule but it’s rare. Also keep in mind that while trout fishing your approach is everything. So be aware of your shadows, where the fish are likely to be sitting, what your backdrop is, and where your sediment that you’re kicking up is going because all of these things can become super important. - The third thing to avoid is not setting the hook downstream. This is a mistake that I still make to this day, in fact you’re watching a clip right now of a big brown trout I missed recently because of the direction of my hookset. If I had set the hook downstream that fish would be in my net and I’d be showing off another 20+ inch wild brown trout. The reason setting the hook upstream is bad is because the trout are likely to be looking upstream and therefore are probably going to be eating your fly upstream, which means you’re going to be pulling the fly out of it’s mouth. This decreases the chances of the hook actually sticking, and even if it does you’re much more likely to lose the fish. If you set the hook downstream you’re pulling the fly into the fishes mouth, or at the very least at an angle, which increases the chances dramatically of a good hook set. If you absolutely cannot set the hook downstream, set the hook straight up into the air. - Th fourth thing to avoid is netting a fish from behind. I don’t hear this one talked about much, but with fly fishing you’re almost always using a net so that you can land the fish easily. But netting fish takes a certain amount of skill itself. For example, you should always net a fish head first, so that when they kick and thrash they swim into the net and not out of it. Trout can’t swim backwards, remember that. You should also never hold the net in the water prior to trying to net a fish, they will often see the net and panic which makes coaxing them into the net that much more difficult. - The fifth thing to avoid is playing the fish too long. I’ve gotten in arguments with people in comments sections about this, but you should never fight a fish for very long unless it’s HUGE. And even then you have a moral obligation to get that fish to the net as fast as possible. I’ve seen people play small fish for several minutes for absolutely no reason, and that’s usually just a lack of knowledge about your gear or blissful ignorance about the chances of the fish’s survival. Bottom line is if you want to catch and release, get the fish to the net as fast and possible and use the proper tippet that allows you to do so. One tip I heard or read somewhere, is to get stuck on purpose where you can retrieve your fly and see how hard you can pull without breaking your line and / or your rod. It will shock you how hard you can pull without anything breaking but more importantly it gives you an idea of how hard you can theoretically pull on a big fish without having issues.
Thank you guys so much for watching and I’ll catch you on the next one!
