Fly-Fishing Tips

An angler in waders casts a fly rod surrounded by mountains and sky.

So you want to take a fly-fishing trip. Whether it’s your first destination trip, or your fiftieth, you should ask yourself a few basic questions before you go. If you’re a veteran, you probably already ask and answer these questions without much thought. But if you’re a rookie, you'll want to ask others these questions and reflect on them yourself in order to get the most out of your fly-fishing vacation.

An angler wading through a river.

Basic Nymph-Fishing Techniques

Don’t ever fool yourself into thinking you’ll make your fly look like a naturally drifting nymph for more than a few feet.

With the average 30-foot cast, your fly will behave exactly like a drifting natural for two or three feet, sort of like a natural for 15 feet, and completely wrong for the other 12 feet. Don’t lose any sleep over this. Just as you’ll never buy or tie a fly that looks exactly like a mayfly, you’ll never get the perfect drift. But trout aren’t very bright, and pretty close is good enough to fool them.

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New Hampshire river surrounded by colorful autumn leaves

Secrets of Fall Trout Fishing

As autumn approaches, ants hatched in their underground colonies sprout wings.

There is a period of dry-fly activity on most trout streams every fall that rivals the best hatches of spring. It’s a “fall” (as opposed to a hatch) of migrating winged ants, and when these insects are on the water nearly every trout in the river will feed on the surface with abandon.

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Two people wading in tropical water.

Wading the Flats–The Experience

Every angler should at some time in their lives spend a day wading a flat in search of bonefish, redfish or other flats species.

Though fishing the flats from the bow of a flats boat is a good day in anyone’s life, to wade a flat is a day long remembered when days on boats run together. To wade is to become part and parcel of the fish’s universe. You are as much the predator as the lemon shark that glides effortlessly across the sandy ridges, then explodes in a cloud of sand when startled.

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An angler wades hip-deep in a river.

Freshwater Wading Tips for Moving Water

Any guide will tell you, it’s not if you’ll “take a swim,” but when. Here a few safety tips for wading in moving water, some learned the hard way.

I’ll never forget the first time I waded into a river to fish. With my new waders and boots, I felt almost invincible as I strode into the cold water completely dry and protected. In reality, I was participating in a potentially very dangerous activity. The false sense of security the waders afforded was made apparent the first time I fell in a river – which I also will never forget.I’ll never forget the first time I waded into a river to fish. With my new waders and boots, I felt almost invincible as I strode into the cold water completely dry and protected. In reality, I was participating in a potentially very dangerous activity. The false sense of security the waders afforded was made apparent the first time I fell in a river – which I also will never forget.

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