Fly Fishing for Beginners

fly fishing for beginners

Fly fishing is a fun and rewarding activity that anyone can enjoy with the right information and equipment. If you’re new to fly fishing, start by understanding the basics of casting, selecting the right gear, and reading the water to find fish. When selecting your gear, consider factors such as the type of fish you want to catch, the size of the water you’ll be fishing in, and your budget. As you start to practice casting, focus on keeping a tight loop and a smooth motion. With these fundamentals in mind, you’ll be on your way to successful fly fishing in no time.

Fly fishing for beginners can be an overwhelming experience because there are many myths about how difficult fly fishing is and how expensive fly fishing is. The truth is that fly fishing will take time, money, and patience to get started but I can assure you it’s much easier and cheaper to start doing than you expect.

I believe you can start fly fishing for under $300. Why? Because I have done it! Of course, as you get more into the sport you may want to spend more money on different gear or traveling to certain locations. But at that point you aren’t going to be thinking about the cost because you’re going to be hooked on the feeling!

I also believe everything you need to learn to catch your first fish, can be learned quickly and easily. Why? Because thats how I caught my first fish! Of course, there are many fantastic learning options out there, including books and in person fly fishing guided trips. These are great resources that I have also used to grow as a fly fisherman. But I want to point out, you can figure out whether or not this sport is for you pretty cheaply and quickly.

Let’s talk about why people fly fish before we get into the details. I find its easier to relate the details when you have a good visual in your head.

Why Do People Fly Fish?

Fly fishing is a popular outdoor activity that has been enjoyed by millions of people around the world for centuries. It is a unique and challenging form of fishing that requires patience, skill, and technique. Fly fishing is not just a sport, but a way of life for many people. For beginners who are just starting out, fly fishing can be a fun and rewarding activity that offers a range of benefits.

One of the reasons why people fly fish is the challenge and excitement it offers. Fly fishing is a highly technical and intricate form of fishing that requires a lot of skill and practice to master. It involves using specialized gear, such as fly rods and reels, and a range of different flies that are designed to mimic the natural movements of insects and other aquatic creatures. For beginners, learning to cast a fly rod and present a fly in a natural way can be a challenging and rewarding experience.

Another reason why people fly fish is the opportunity it provides to connect with nature. Fly fishing is often done in beautiful and remote locations, such as mountain streams, pristine lakes, and winding rivers. It allows anglers to immerse themselves in the natural world and appreciate the beauty and complexity of the environment around them. Fly fishing can also be a peaceful and meditative activity that helps people to relax and recharge.

Finally, people fly fish because of the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction it brings. Catching a fish on a fly that you have tied yourself is a unique and rewarding experience that can give anglers a great sense of pride and accomplishment. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced angler, fly fishing offers a range of challenges and opportunities for growth and learning. So, if you are looking for a fun and rewarding activity to try, consider giving fly fishing a chance.

What is Fly Fishing?

Okay cool, we established that to start out fly fishing, you can do it pretty cheaply. Fly fishing for beginners requires buying equipment, going to new fishing spots, and learning more about river ecosystems.

But what do we really mean when we say fly fishing?

The best way to think about this is that right now, ecosystems exist all over the world where fish survive by eating flies that live in the waters they live in. So the goal of fly fishing is to mimic those flies that the fish prey on (like a black gnat fly pattern). And if thats done correctly (or well enough) then the fish will think the fly is real and bite the hook!

Pretty simple right? Nope! Pretending to be a fly is actually pretty difficult and that’s why there are so many gear options, fly options, and other techniques that fly fisherman focus on to get better at tricking fish into thinking they are looking at a real fly!

But rest assured, by focusing on certain types of fish, in specific waters, with simple techniques … you will catch fish! And soon after, you will be trying to learn more techniques and trying out new gear to catch other types of fish.

Fly Fishing for Beginners: How do you fly fish?

So you’re probably wondering how does somebody “pretend to be a fly”? And no, I am not going to suggest we shrink you down and give you wings! It’s actually much simpler than that.

From a physics perspective, the goal of a fly fisherman is to get a very small and very light object (the fly) out into the water far from the fly fisherman and have it appear to not be attached to anything (the fishing line). This may not seem difficult, but if you try to throw a very small piece of yarn or fabric, you’ll see how it quickly slows and falls because there is no weight (or mass) to it. And therefore it has no momentum.

So how do fly fisherman fix this problem? They do it by using a heavy fishing line that they could connect to the fly and use the weight of the line to fling it out to the desired spot. Yep, that’s that goofy cast that comes to mind whenever you hear “fly fishing.”

More specifically, the fly is tied to a leader (or tippet) which is an extremely thin but strong piece of nylon (or fluorocarbon) that is meant to be invisible to the fish. And that leader is connected to the heavier fly line which is what is used to get the fly out of the rod and into the water. Check out my article on Types of Flies for Fishing to learn more about the different artificial flies.

Okay so we know how we can go about physically getting a fly out into the water, but is that it? Nope, a lot more goes into it than just casting the fake fly.

Another large part of fly fishing is knowing when to go (like what part of the year and what part of the day) and where to go (what streams have fish in them). Once you find out where to go and what time of the year to go, then you need to figure out what types of fly patterns to use.

By talking to local fly fishing shops you can quickly identify where to go, when to go, and what fly patterns to use.

Okay lets talk about the gear…

What is the essential gear needed for fly fishing?

Okay lets summarize what we talked about so far. In order to begin fly fishing, you will need to do the following:

  • Get the essential gear (what we will discuss right now) at an affordable price
  • Find out what streams to fly fish at in your community
  • Find out what time of the year to fly fish in your community
  • Find out what fly patterns work in your local streams and for what species
  • Get a fishing license (if necessary)

Okay, when you talk to an experienced fly fisherman they will definitely have their preferred gear. And there is lots of it. But instead of talking about all the different types of gear lets just talk about the essential pieces that you need for setting up a fly fishing line and catch your first fish.

Kinda seems like a long list but there are plenty affordable combination options that provide rod, reel, line backing, leader, tippet, multiple fly patterns and hit indicators. You will need to get the landing net and knife elsewhere most likely.

To simplify this list, you can say that all you really need is rod setup, a net to land the fish, and a knife to cut the line and tippet after tying knots. Really not that much to get started. Right?

What you will find in books, on other blogs, and when you talk to your fly fishing friends is that there is plenty more gear to buy. A vest, or waders, or wading boots, or a hat, or a fly box, or a fly fishing fanny pack, and on and on.

Hopefully one day you will own all of those items because you want to and you use them, and maybe some of the waters you want to start fishing in require some of that equipment. It’s not a bad investment. I’m just pointing out that if you just want to try it out, and give fly fishing a chance, you probably don’t need that to get started.

What skills do I need to learn to become a fly fisherman or fisherwoman ?

Okay now that you know where to go fly fishing and got your essential gear, you need to learn a few techniques. Yes I know this is a lot but trust me, its worth it!

Here are the basic skills

  • Learn how to tie knots so you can:
    • tie the fly to the leader (or tippet)
    • tie the tippet to the leader
  • Learn how to cast:
    • learn the D cast or the roll cast
    • learn how to load the line with the water for a simple backhand cast
  • Learn how to read the water:
    • Find the holes where fish are likely to be hanging out

How I Caught My First Fish (and how you can catch yours!)

Catching your first fish fly fishing can be really challenging if you are constantly changing streams, changing casting tactics, changing flies, and changing the time of year you are going.

Now one of those things you can’t change, we can’t freeze time. I get that, but we could try to get out on the water multiple times in a short window of time to try to find some consistency in the water.

For the other common changes new anglers make, I suggest you do the opposite. The way I caught my first fish was by going to the same stream, the same fishing hole, using the same cast cast (roll cast), and the same fly that the local fly show recommended. Nothing special here, just keeping it simple and increasing the chance you catch a fish!

Now the one mistake I made on my first fish was not having a net! I hooked a beautiful rainbow trout, stripped the line in, and as it got close, I didn’t have a net. While trying to safely pull it out of the water, it got off the hook! Don’t make that mistake.

Get Out and Fish!

I hope you enjoyed this article and the others on Stoella. Get out there and catch some fish! If you have any questions, reach out to us!