tips for beginers and others # 76 to 85

Tip #76: Fly Fishing for Trout – The Smart Fish
There are new studies out that show that trout can easily learn to navigate a maze…and that they can remember the pattern for about nine months. This means that in streams that are heavily fished, trout quickly learn that movement on certain paths of pools is an indication that there is danger. The trout will scare more easily since they know the pattern of approaching fly fishers. What does this mean for you? Avoid approaching the same pools from the same direction. Instead find different angles of approaches every time that you fish in that area.
Tip #77: Fly Fishing for Trout – Cool Water Fish
Trout like the cooler waters. When the water temperature starts to rise in the summer months, the trout will move to deeper and cooler waters. No only will the water be cooler deeper down, there will be more oxygen in the water. When trout are in water that is too warm and is lacking in oxygen they start to become stressed.

By late summer trout will move to fast moving riffles even if the water is barely deep enough to cover them. You’ll have to approach them carefully. Let your fly drift to the smallest area of the riffle. Make sure that you cover the entire riffle before you move on to the next spot.

One important thing to remember is that the senses of feeling and hearing in a fish are almost one and the same. Trout feel and hear the vibration of movement and sound in the water. Each sound will have a different type of pitch that sends vibrations through the water. Trout are able to become familiar with particular sounds and pitches so that they are able to detect even the slightest movement in the water. The feeling and hearing senses in a trout act almost as a built in radar.
Just as with feeling and hearing, the way a trout smells and tastes is connected together as one sense. Most fish have taste buds on the inside and outside of their mouths. This means that they are able to taste something before they have it in their mouth. This is why the bait that you use needs to be pleasing to the trout or it won’t get into its mouth. And if it does get into the fish’s mouth it will be quickly spit out if it is unpleasant.
Tip #78: Fly Fishing for Trout - Identifying Rises
Before you select your fly you need to identify the feeding patterns of the trout:


· Sip Rise: A sip rise will have surface rings that are sometimes very hard to see and other times very easy to see. A sip rise is caused by a trout that is sucking spent spinner or sipping on tiny duns.
· Splashy Rise: A splashy rise will indicate that the trout are rising up to active mayfly duns, quick rising pupa, caddis adults, or stonefly adults. Many times you’ll see the trout jump out of the water.
· Dorsal Fin and Tail Rise: This rise is an indication that the trout are feeding just below the surface and that they will probably ignore any surface flies.
· Head Rise: A head rise is identified by trout sticking their heads up out of the water. This means that they are feeding on mayfly, stonefly adults, caddis adults, or cripples and that they will feed right on the surface.
· Splashy Surge: A splashy surge indicates that the trout will most likely chase any whitebait or smelt into shallow waters.
A quick note on rivers: Rivers are probably the best type of habitat for trout. This is because they have a great deal of oxygen in the water that is evenly distributed from the top to the bottom. The water temperature in rivers is a bit more moderate than lake temperatures. Temperatures are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than rocky or low lying lakes.

When you’re fishing for trout in rivers you’ll want to stay close to the current but out of the direct flow. Look for breaks in the current such as stumps or logs; these are often the areas where you’ll find trout hovering in schools.

River bars are also good places to fish for trout. Don’t overlook river bends as other good options since trout seem to enjoy these peaceful areas.
Tip #79: Fly Fishing for Trout – Undercut Banks
Undercut banks are a great location to find trout since this location provides them with excellent cover from predators. The trout can hover against the edge of the stream right where the friction causes the water to slow down, making the swimming easy.

A Woolly Bugger is ideal in this situation. You’ll want to cast upstream so that your fly and your leader can land close to the bank and almost parallel to it. You can cast across stream to fish if the stream is wide enough. This way your cast will land the fly close to the undercut bank. When this happens you need to jig your cast downstream so that as much of your fly line and the leader is lying in a parallel position to the bank as possible.

When the fly starts to drift downstream and gets pulled in by the current you’ll want to flick the tip of your rod and push the fly line further downstream. This action should attract the attention of the most elusive trout.

Tip #80: Using a List
Using a list can be one of the best things that you can do as you start out learning the ins and outs of fly fishing. There are many things that you can put on your list including (1) keeping track of your most successful fishing holes; (2) reminders to do things like sharpen your flies after a snag, (3) what lures work best for you, and (4) the best times to fish the river. Lists can keep you organized and on track.
Tip #81: Take a Fishing Trip
Take a fishing trip with a local guide. You’ll learn a lot about how your guide watches the river or lake and what you have to do to achieve that same expertise. Take a trip close to home or travel abroad to experience international fly fishing.
Tip #82: Fishing in Dam-Controlled Waters
It’s imperative that when you’re fishing in waters that are controlled by a dam that you find out ahead of time when there will be a water release. The release will be signalled by a horn or whistle so make sure that you listen for the notification.
Tip #83: Fishing Upstream
A basic concept of fly fishing is that a hooked fish isn’t really caught until you have it up on the bank. If you want to land more fish the one thing that you can do is try to hook more fish upstream instead of downstream. This way, your fly will have a better chance of getting into the jaw of the fish. Try to keep downstream of any fish that you’ve managed to hook; when the fish is downstream he is using less energy since the current of the water will be doing much of the work for the fish.

Tip #84: Join a Fly Fishing Club
One of the best things that you can do as a beginner fly fisher is to join a fly fishing club. You’ll get to know other anglers in the area where you live and may even be able to find a fishing buddy or two. The other benefit is that you can learn more about some of the great angling locations in your home territory.
Tip #85: Using a Landing Net
If you want to use a landing net you need to make sure to hold the net on the stream bed and lift it up as the fish swims over top of it. Most fish will be lost after they make their final rush if they are faced with a landing net that is being held vertically out in front of them. After all, you can’t expect the fish to want to swim right into it! And if you hold the net from behind and try to sweep up the fish all will be lost. All it takes is one touch of the fish’s tail and it will be gone.

Fish are known for their acute sense of vision. They are able to see in all types of water conditions and can see equally well during the day and night. The reason for this great sight is that fish have eyes that are able to adjust naturally to different conditions of light. No matter what the color of the water is they are able to rely on their vision to guide them. At those times when the vision of the fish is restricted, its other senses will kick in. This means that no matter where you hold that landing net the fish will be able to see it or sense it.