Six Basic Fly Fishing Tips to Catch More Trout! 🎣
8 Minutes read time 📖 We do not use AI to create content; written by Anglers, for Anglers 🎣
When fly fishing for trout, some people make it look easier than it really is. The truth is you can spend a lifetime learning how to fly fish for trout. It’s a constant curve of learning the best fly fishing tactics; trying to master a new fly cast, or learning how to fish different waters.
Fly Fishing Tips to Catch More Trout
The first trout fishing tip for beginners, is to fish the best time of the day to catch trout. As we have written a previous article on this very subject, it will not be included on this list.
Other obvious tips for fly fishing trout I won’t include on this list either. Things like pre plan, pack a lunch, are somewhat obvious & won’t cut it.
Lets get this list started with one fly fishing tips that is crucial to your trout fishing success.
Tip #1 – Trout Fishing Setup 🪝
When first starting out fly fishing for trout, one of the most important things you can do is decide on the correct fishing setup. Simply going down to Walmart and buying the cheap combo off the shelf without considering how your going to use it, is a waste of time and money.
You need to ask yourself a few questions first:
- Where are you going to fly fish for trout?
- What is the terrain in that area?
- How big do the fish get in that area?
These are some important trout fishing basics to ask yourself. Let me explain why you need to answer these questions.
Fly Fishing Rods have weights associated with them. The weight is directly related to the fly fishing line size to use. Using a large line for little fish will spook trout and decrease your odds of catching more fish.
Knowing your terrain is critical for trout fishing success. If the area you want to fish has a lot of steep banks or bushy surroundings, then a super long fly fishing rod would not be the right choice.
The fish size is important to know to determine what size line or rod to use. Generally speaking you want a 1-4 weight fly rod when fly fishing for small trout 10-12 inches or smaller.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLE >> HOW TO CHOOSE A FLY ROD FOR BEGINNERS
Tip #2 – Reading Trout Waters 📖
Reading the water is very important to actually catching trout. A fisherman can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t know where they are, you will never catch any fish.
This may be the most important fly fishing tip for beginners that I can give you. So let’s dive into where trout like to hang out so that you can present them with a fly.
Trout need shelter and protection from predators to survive. More importantly, they need to feed. Having a place to shelter where they can quickly move and feed is what we want to target.
Imagine a rock in the middle of a river. The water will push around the rock allowing a calm section or eddie behind the rock. This allows the trout to hang tight until unsuspecting prey comes by in the current. Trout can easily dart out to grab the food and quickly return to the calm spot.
Take this same concept and apply it to any body of water. Trout will hold on rocks, brush or trees, contours in the bottom, bends in the river, or even man made structures.
Tip #3 – Choosing Your Approach 🤔
All to often I go fishing with friends that just blast up to the waters edge and start looking into the water to see what’s swimming about. This is one of the worst things beginner fly fisherman can do.
Trout spook easily, and they aren’t stupid. I promise that trout will see you before you see them, 9 times out of 10. Try the following instead to catch more trout on your next fly fishing trip.
Stand back 20 feet from the waters edge. Scan the water and the shoreline around the water.
Do you see anything flying or hopping around?
Searching for insects can give you a clue as to what the fish are eating. Give yourself the advantage of knowing before you approach the water.
Next, try to read the water as we talked about in the previous section. Where are the fish going to set up? Identify as many locations as you can in the immediate stretch of water. Number them in your head with the spot closest to the shore being #1, and count them out until the furthest spot is the last number.
Now fish spot #1 as you approach the water. Remember this is the closest spot to you, so you should be fishing some feet away form the waters edge. This will allow you to catch the fish on the waters edge before you walk up on them.
Tip #4 – Inspect the Water for Food 🪰
So we’ve scanned the water and the shore for available food. You have also fished your first section of water. If you did not have success, we are going to investigate the trouts diet a little further.
Every good fly fisherman should have a decent fly fishing net handy. There are multiple reasons to carry one of these. For this fly fishing tip, the net will come in to play in order to see what the fish are eating.
Find yourself some rocks under the waters surface. Slowly and quietly start turning them over. Pay close attention to the insects or larvae that you see. Use your net to scoop up some of these rocks and debris so that you can sift through it.
Knowing entomology (the study of insects) will play a decent role in your fly fishing adventures. It’s important to have a basic understanding of the insect your fish are eating.
Tip #5 – Matching the Hatch 🐣
Building off of the previous tip, we are going to talk about matching the hatch. When you can use a fly that is actively hatching, you will increase your chances of catching a fish.
Keep in mind that it may not just be insect that we are looking for. Minnows and crayfish are considered fish food as well. The “hatch” does not always mean bugs.
Some of the most common things you will find under rocks are stone flies, worms, and larvae. So open up your fly box and find something that closely resembles what you have found.
Outside the water look for grasshoppers, flies, bees, ants, gnats, and mosquitoes. All of these are very common insects to find near water and all get eaten by trout.
Any time you can match your fly to the food that trout are eating, you are in a better position to catch them.
Tip #6 – Fly Casting Basics for Beginners
When you’re first starting out fly fishing, a proper fly cast is critical. This is the foundation of fly fishing and fundamental to your success down the road.
One tip I can give you in order to make better casts is to stretch your line.
Pull out a good amount of fly line and lightly stretch it in 3-4 foot section at a time. This will eliminate memory and some twist form your fly fishing line. This will allow your line to flow through your guides with ease.
I recommend doing this even on a brand new fly rod and reel. You don’t know how long that line has been sitting on the shelf. Start with good habits and stretch our line from time to time.
Rod Grip is one of the easiest ways to improve your cast. The “thumb over grip” is the easiest and most universal grip when fly fishing. It creates an even leverage pint in your grip that allows you to manipulate the fly rod better. With this grip your thumb should be pointed down the top of the rod with your index finger at a 90 degree angle wrapping under the fly rod.
Check out our article; How to Make a Fly Cast in 7 Easy Steps
Your index finger should not extend out further than your thumb. The shorter the cast, the higher up on the rod you want to position your hand. If you are making a super short cast, having your thumb off the butt and on the shaft of the rod is not uncommon.
The last thing I want to touch on here is practice. You really do need to find a nice area on a lakes edge or rivers edge where you have space to cast.
