Top 4 Tips for Beginner Fly Fishers

To piggyback off one of our recent posts of the theoretical approach to fly fishing, today we are going to look at the top four tips for someone just starting out fly fishing. Now it's important to remember...

that fly fishing is difficult. I mean, if it wasn't difficult I wouldn't have a job! I tell folks that I play golf once every 5 years and then wonder why I shoot 130. It's no big mystery: the fact is I don't play golf very often, and if I did I would be much better. Obvious as it may seem, fly fishing is the same way. The more you do the better you become! With that in mind let's start looking at our tips to help someone just embarking on a fly fishing career. ​

1.) Keep It Simple!
I have seen many a beginning fly angler walk out of a fly shop with thousands of dollars worth of gear knowing full well they won't use half of it. Side note: leader straighteners are really cool, but it's amazing how your fingers can accomplish the same task! While it's true that fly fishers might be just a tad gear obsessed, that can do nothing but over-complicate things for someone just starting out. Figure out where precisely you are going to spend most of your time learning/practicing and build your arsenal accordingly. For example if most of your early time will be spent for bass and bluegill on a farm pond in Illinois, you probably don't need salmonflies for the Colorado River.  Get yourself a handful (call it 8-10) little poppers, streamers, and San Juan worms and figure things out. Do everything in your power to simplify things!

​2.) Positive Experiences!
These especially hold true when the beginning angler in question is a kid. Above all else fly fishing should be fun! Don't push it to the point where it isn't fun. I love fly fishing more than just about anything, but after a certain number of days in a row doing it even I need a break. Fish just long enough to learn some new things (and you will keep learning things every trip out!) and hopefully catch some fish but not so long that it becomes a drag. Fly fishing should act as a reprieve from the labors of daily life so don't let it become another part of the grind!

3.) Practice Often! 
The more you fish, the better you get. Yeah no duh, I get it, but it's true! There will be moments in your fly fishing journey where things will start to "click" and become second nature. I've seen it happen throughout the course of a trip and sometimes throughout the course of multiple trips. Everyone learns at their own pace but to get better you gotta do it! That doesn't mean constantly fishing as you can get some solid practice with a hula hoop and some yard space. 

4.) Book a Guide Trip with Wildwood Outfitters!
Okay, okay maybe this is a shameless plug for our guide trips, but it's true! Guide trips can eliminate a lot of the learning curve and can ensure that a beginning angler starts with the foundation necessary to cultivate future skills. Many a trip has been spent trying to forget about bad habits that could have been avoided had the angler just booked the trip at the beginning of their fly fishing career. You can really start things off on the right note by getting professional instruction from our experienced and knowledgeable guides!