I recently posted a comment where someone said they couldn’t figure out how to catch fish and he was asking what fly he should be using. My answer was, “It doesn’t matter what fly you’re using, if your presentation isn’t good. I fish in a world where people are using 5x and 6X, and I use nothing but 4x.” Why? Because how we present a fly is the difference between catching and not catching. Learning how to get a good drift in moving water, or how a bug, bait fish, leech, etc moves in stillwater are the most important things you can do to improve your fishing.

After we conquer that, then we need to pay attention to what food sources are in the water. Are you fishing a tail water where the average bug size is a #22? Or maybe a small stream where fish are more opportunistic about what they eat rather than selective. Or how about still water where fish might be cruising weed lines and sipping midges or chasing bait fish.

Too many anglers want a shortcut but the reality is that this is a detailed and complicated style of fishing that requires skill and knowledge and that will only come from time on the water, fishing with guides or experienced anglers, spending time in a fly shop and/ or joining a fly fishing club. You can also read books and watch videos but nothing beats standing in the water or sitting in a drift boat and learning from people who know the ends and outs of this sport.

Even after fly fishing for almost 30 years and guiding for over 15 of those years, I still learn something new almost every time I hit the water. Maybe I come up with a new fly that turns out to be killer. Or, there was the time at Becker when I discovered a white mayfly that I’ve never seen and have since learned that the nymph is orange but becomes white when it sheds its wing case and becomes an adult.

White Mayfly Adult and Nymph

Fly fishing offers a lifetime of learning and it is constantly changing. The flies I’m using today are much different than what I used 20 years ago because for me, the sport is constantly evolving and we have to evolve with it.

So, rather looking for the magic fly that you think will catch ALL the fish, learn about the sport. Take the time to sit and watch a hatch and observe how the fish are reacting to it. Learn how to get a drag free drift so your fly drifts like a real bug would when floating through the current. Spend time on a piece of water until you learn it. If it’s stillwater, locate the weed lines, drops, points, and any other variations because that is generally where you will find the fish. Learn what food sources reside in the fishery, and above all else work on your presentation. Nothing beats time on the water.