What to Know About Fly Fishing

Fishing is practiced around the world, and it dates back much further than the written word. Fishing is often done for food, but today, it is mainly commercial fishing boats with nets that catch most of the world’s fish supply. Meanwhile, everyday anglers may go fishing, such as fly fishing, mainly for leisure. Fishing like this can make for a fine getaway from work and everyday life, and it can be very relaxing to be in nature for hours or days on end during a fishing trip. Many Americans love to go fishing; in 2017, for a recent example, over 49 million people took part in freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, and fly fishing. But what makes fly fishing different from regular fishing? A fly fisher will need fly fishing reels, sage fly reels, fly rods, and more to make a fly fishing trip possible, and local outdoor supply retailers can help. Once an aspiring angler gets their hands on on some fly fishing reels and the right lines and rods, they are ready to go fishing.

Getting the Right Gear

Someone who would like to get into fly fishing for the first time should, as mentioned above, visit local retailers that offer fly fishing reels, tackle, and other outdoor goods. Store associates can help a customer find the right fly fishing reels for the job, and go over different models of fly fishing rods and the like. A new fisher will also decide on the right bait to use, and they can use live bait, such as crickets, or artificial bait. Such artificial bait may be light, small, and have feathers on it to attract fish and imitate natural insects.

A fly fisher will also need to get the right outfit for a fishing trip. Unlike regular fishing, which is often done on a pier or even from a boat, a fly fisher will typically stand in the creek or stream where they are fishing. They may stand knee deep or even waist deep in the water, and to avoid getting soaked, that fisher will wear very tall, waterproof boots that may even be combined to form overalls of a sort. All of this can keep the fly fisher warm and dry while standing in cold creek water.

Going Fishing

Once someone has started fly fishing, they may practice the proper technique if they do not already know it. Regular fishing uses the weight of the lure to send out the line, but fly fishing uses different methods. The bait typically used for fly fishing is too light for this, so the fly fisher will instead mover the rod so that the line itself is being cast. This takes some practice, and a new angler may want someone to teach it to them. But the benefits are clear: by using this method, light bait and light line will land gently on the water, and that will not scare off the fish or make a splash. Then, the fish may be attracted to the lure. The line itself may lay on the water’s surface, too.

An angler may want to pay close attention to local wildlife conservation efforts, and they can obtain proper permits or paperwork as needed. What is more, an angler may go over local guidelines on the minimum size of fish that they keep, and release any fish that are smaller than that minimum. All this is so that local breeding populations can be protected, and the local fish numbers can be maintained. Anglers may also have limits on how many fish of a certain type that they can catch. An anger may use live capture bucket with water to preserve fish that they will keep, and they can release the rest. Some anglers actually practice “catch and release” as a rule, and so they don’t have to worry about size or number limits on the fish that they catch. This also helps protect local populations.