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The Basics Of Fly Fishing: Getting It Right

You take the time to get into just the right location in that great stream that your friend told you about. You have been waiting for so long to enjoy this time, alone, fishing to your heart's content. There are many amazing moments in life but fly fishing is one of your favorite. You'll get into the waders, getting into just that right location so that you can cast.

The tip of your rod should be in the four o' clock position with 20 feet (6 meters) of line extended beyond your rod's tip. Trap the line between the rod handle and your index finger. To begin the back cast, bend your elbow, raise your forearm and move the rod tip from four o'clock to eleven thirty and lift the line from the water. Pause for a moment at this point to allow the line to extend behind you before casting the rod forward. Allow the rod to follow through as the line extends to its full length in front of you. Then continue to work the line in this manner. A fish strikes. The fight is on and you successfully land the fish. This is fly casting.

Fly fishing is an old method of angling. It was primarily developed to catch trout and salmon. Today, it is still used to fish these species, but is also used to catch bass, carp, pike and a wide range of saltwater fish. The difference between casting and fly fishing is that in casting you use the weight of your bait, sinker and bobber to propel your cast. In fly fishing, the weight of the line propels your line forward and puts your fly into position. The fly cannot do this, as it is essentially weightless. The goal in fly fishing is to present the fly gently and to always be in control of it.

When you fly fish, you need special fishing equipment that includes a fly rod and reel, a special fly fishing line and artificial or live flies. These are tied onto your hook with feathers, fur, thread or other materials in colors and sizes that represent natural prey. The key to successful fly fishing is balance. The rod, reel and line, as well as the tippet all have to match in order to have a positive fly fishing experience.

Rod, Reels and Lines
Fly fishing rods are lightweight and long. The line provides the casting weight and is heavy. It can be of differing density, depending on whether you want the fly to sink or float. Line is matched to your rod by weight. Look near the fly rod butt to find out what line weight must be used. Graphite rods are best because they can produce any action that you wish to use. If you are a beginner, buy a basic and moderately priced rod, or borrow one from a family member or friend.

Flies and Leaders
Flies weigh very little. The fly is usually attached to the line by a leader that is two to three meters in length (6 to 9 feet). The leader often tapers to a fine end. This is called a tippet. Tippet size range from 8X, which is the smallest, to 0X, which is the largest. Tippets are set in units of .001 inches. To match the tippet to the fly, you must subtract from eleven and multiply by .001.

For example to find the diameter of a 4X tippet, you would subtract four from eleven. That equals seven. Now, multiply by .001. This size would be .007. What if you have a # 18 fly? How would you calculate tippet size? You would put eighteen over four and calculate. The answer would be 4.5. Since there is no 4.5 X tippet, you would move to the next largest size, which would be 5.

Types of Fly Fishing
There are two types of fly fishing - dry and wet. Wet flies are fished beneath the water surface and are divided into several types, including live wet flies, lures and nymphs. Dry flies float on the water surface and are coated with a substance called, 'floatant' to make this possible.

If you are interested in fly fishing and can't decide which equipment you need to have a positive fishing experience, ask an experienced angler for help. This can be a family member, friend, someone from the local angler's club or a staff member of the local fly fishing shop. Fly fishing is not as hard to learn as it appears to be. Have fun and enjoy that big catch.

The best way to enjoy your catch is to take the time to enjoy the many wonders that the fishing experience offers. No matter what that first adventure turns out to be, you can make it amazing by spending some time learning the skills from an experienced fisherman.

About the Author

Niall is a fisherman looking at new tools to help him catch more fish. Visit Fish Finder Review for more information and great deals to help you find a fish finder or other GPS/Sonar marine navigation systems. fish-finder-review

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. Copyright Fish-Finder-Review

Bass Fishing - Recreation or Obsession?

First of all, we need to look at the word ... recreation. When I break it down, it comes out re-creation.

What this means to me is a re-creating of myself; a way to get away from it all and do some soul searching and some thinking and ... re-create my ideas, inspirations and motivations; a break in the pattern that allows me to reconsider things in my life and make adjustments.

But the term is large. Typically, recreation means activity. What do you do for recreation? Watch TV? Garden? Go out to restaurants or bars? What?

It implies relaxation. It implies a way to get away from the normal grind and have an element of divergence; have some fun and forget it all.

Not so for the bass fisherman.

I know I have mentioned to people that I went fishing and they said, "Oh, that sounds relaxing."

What is relaxing about bass fishing? Probably nothing.

There are times I go to be outdoors, and there are times I go to catch bass. Catching bass is not relaxing. In fact, bass fishing is hard work.

If you want to throw in a live bait and hang by the shade tree, so be it. Granted, that is fishing ... but not the style of bass fishing I'm talking about.

What I am talking about is active bass fishing where you are in hot pursuit of the prey. Walking the banks ... fishing from the boat ... whatever your style may be, it is hard work.

Why hard work? Every time I come home from a fishing trip I am worn out for a few days. That's because I work hard while at play. I am up and down the banks hiking around the lake looking for my target: largemouth bass. I cast and I cast and I cast; always keeping the bait in motion and trying to find the fish.

So, do I go to get away from it all? Or, do I go because I love the thrill of the hunt; the catch.

If you think that serious bass fishing is a 'vacation," it's not. Again, it's hard work.

Even if you're not hiking up and down the banks, even if you are in a boat, it's hard work. You are constantly casting, reeling and landing fish (hopefully). This will wear you out if you only fish occasionally.

So, to me, bass fishing must be an obsession. I mean, certainly, I don't do it to get occasionally, though it is that. And I don't do it to forget the world and all it's cares, though it does help with that. And I don't do it because I am looking for a way to relax, though I do find it to be relaxing as well as tiring.

What's in it for me?

I must do it. I am obsessed, maybe better described as addicted to the adrenaline charge I get when I catch a bass. I need the satisfaction of feeling powerful because I have fooled the fish in it's own domain and I am now the king. I have to have that.

By the way, I will have to write more later, because now I must recreate. Maybe I will see you there.

About the Author

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to http://fishing.tips-and-gear/">Fishing

Catch and Release Fishing - Ensuring Fish For Our Future

Know the proper technique for catch and release fishing. Keep those big ones healthy and strong. Your kids and grandkids will thank you!

There is nothing more enjoyable in this world than a great day on the water. If conditions are perfect and the fish are active things don't get much better. Well, maybe catching big fish can add a level of excitement that is hard to match.

Fish populations across North America are, in general, suffering. Stocking efforts and recovery programs are happening virtually in every jurisdiction. Some areas are suffering more than others. Think about it. How often have you heard someone say, "The fishing just isn't as good as it was a few years ago". That goes for a number of lakes and rivers right across this continent.

The good news is you can do something about it. Catch and release fishing is one of the keys to help populations recover. It is pretty straight forward - keep only what you are going to eat. And just as importantly, let go the big one's (they lay many times more eggs during the spawn).

Too often we see anglers keep more fish than they will eat. Often this is done out of ignorance of the impact to the water system. Unfortunately too often it is done out of lack of respect for the fish and water they are taken from.

This has an unbelievable impact on fish populations. Think about it. A good fishing location that has red-hot walleye fishing in the spring for eight weeks can have as many as 100 boats a day visit it. Particularly if the lake is accessible by road. Assume that each boat has 3 anglers in it. Also assume that the limit for walleye is 5 per day.

8 weeks x 100 boats x 3 anglers x 5 walleye = 12,000 walleye! If you are rolling your eyes at that number, don't. There are many lakes that are under tremendous pressure like this and our fish population is taking a pounding!

Catch and release fishing is a key to helping our fish populations recover. The key to catch and release is to reduce the mortality rate of the fish. There are things you need to consider
Use a barbless hook. It makes the time the fish is out of the water much shorter. It is also much easier on the fish as the barb can often get caught in the throat or the gills making the odds the fish will live much longer (plus it is a lot easier on you as you take the hook out).

Try to land your fish quickly. The less energy they spend on the way into the boat, the faster they will recover. This is a key element often not thought of during catch and release practices.

If you can keep the fish in the water as you remove the hook, this is a huge advantage for the fish. If you need to pick up the fish, wet your hands first. Try not to squeeze to hard as you hold the fish while you remove the hook. If you can hold the fish upside down, quite often this will immobilize it, and give you a chance to quickly remove the hook! Above all, be gentle!

Often you will need to hold the fish in the water as it "catches its breath"! Be patient, this is an ordeal for any and all fish species. When catch and releasing a fish, do your best to release it in slow water.

If there is a current, make sure the head is facing upstream. This will give it a chance to regain its strength and equilibrium. It also forces water through the gills helping the fish realize much needed oxygen. If there is no current, slowly move the fish forward and backward in the water to get the water through its gills! Make sure you don't release an exhausted fish until it appears the gills are working properly. When this happens, the fish will usually swim out of your light grip on its own.

It is the responsibility of every angler to take care of our fish population! Limit your catch. Let go the big ones go, and ensure a productive resource of fish for generations to come!

For more information visit freshwater-fishing-canada/catchandreleasefishing.html .

Thanks for reading!

Good luck out there!

About the Author

Craig Fiske is from Saskatchewan Canada and has been an avid angler for over 35 years!

For great advice on catching big fish, check out freshwater-fishing-canada ! Tips on walleye, pike, trout muskie and more. Practical advice on when to go and where to stay on your fishing adventures. Fishing tips cover all the seasons, including winter. Delicious fish recipes too!

Another short ice fishing in alaska review
Tying Small Flies by Ed Engle

Learn to imitate midges trailing shucks and drowned adults, tie tiny parachutes and white-winged Tricos, and create patterns that mimic microcaddis and micro scuds. Covers small-fly history, tying tools, the materials you’ll need to begin tying and fishing techniques. 300 color photos 7x9 inches 328 pages

Price: 34.95

Tying Stillwater Patterns for Trophy Trout: A Comprehensive Guide to Tying and Fishing Fly Patterns for Stillwater Trout by Denny Rickards

The very best stillwater patterns available to anglers today. Covers the top 10 nymphs, streamers, dry flies, along with 15 personal favorites from the best stillwater anglers I know. In addition, I’ll share 20 of the best color variations of my 10 patterns developed for stillwater fisheries anywhere. Cover the fly lines needed to fish effectively, the depth to fish, the best retrieves along with what the fly best imitates & much more. 173 color photos 9x11 inches 172 pages

Price: 34.95

R. L. Winston Bamboo Pentagonal Rod

Fishing with a bamboo rod is one of the great experiences in angling. Bamboo is a proven natural material that lets us make rods with incredible touch and feel, as well as superb line and loop control. For over 75 years, the name Winston has been synonymous with fine, handcrafted bamboo fly rods. As evidenced by our introduction of the new, moderately priced Pentagonal series, our commitment to this material remains unwavering. Creating bamboo rods is a cumulative process. Years of testing, design refinements, study and knowledge that has been passed down from rod builder to rod builder go into every one. Winston bamboo rods are far more than things of beauty, they are extraordinary fishing instruments. PENTAGONAL RODS These trout rods feature crisp, smooth actions. The five-sided construction honors a niche tradition in the history of bamboo. These 2-piece rods come with a single tip. 3-WEIGHT 6 1/2ï¿½, 7ï¿½ 4-WEIGHT 7ï¿½, 7ï¿½ 3ï¿½ 5-WEIGHT 7 1/2ï¿½, 7ï¿½9ï¿½ Backed by a Lifetime Warranty Free Shipping Rod Case Included --> Product Details Reel Seat: Nickel Silver Uplock, Downlock or Slide Band with choice of Burled Maple, Zebrawood, Dark Walnut or Lacewood insert. Guides: Agate stripping guides and Titanium-plated guides. Grip: Choice of Cigar or Half Wells. Bag: Rods come with a thick cloth bag embroidered with our logo. Tube: Dark brown, anodized aluminum with brass-colored cap and collar. Hand Inscribed: All rods are hand-inscribed with the line size, length, weight and serial number.

Price: 2100.00

Fishpond Seychelles Flats Pack

The oval design of the Seychelles Flats Pack wraps around the waist and distributes gear and accessories across the entire lower back, making this comfortable for all types of water. Includes fishpond jacquard webbing loops to attach pliers, nippers, floatant, etc. An adventure pack to explore. Features Diamondtech Fabric new to fishpond for 2006 Webbing and tarpaulin gear keepers Water Tight YKK coated zippered pocket Additional large storage pocket for ample gear Airmesh back with accent pods for comfort and moisture transfer fishpond molded âwater and line-friendlyâ zipper pulls Oval design distributes weight across lower back for greater comfort Great for all travel, fishing, hunting or other sports Colors : Cutthroat Orange Bahama Blue Sand Dimensions 14â x 7â x 3â â¢ Fishpond products are backed by a Fishpond Guarantee â¢ Free Shipping Fishpond is the fly-fishing industry's newest and most innovative accessory products company. We're small, but our products are already making more than a few ripples. By rethinking product design from the ground-up, we've created an impressive line up of fly-fishing storage products and accessories that look great, and outperform anything else available on the market. We started with a few simple ideas: design and create a tippet dispenser, develop an innovative cutting tool or clipper, and reshape the fly storage category with the creation of a series of soft-sided cases and chest packs. Our simple ideas turned into very complex design obstacles and challenged some of the best industrial designers in the country, yet we've succeeded with our vision and created a line of revolutionary accessory products that will stand the test of time. Fishpond is all about design and function . We are the first to bring a functional tippet dispenser to the market-one that stores, straightens, cuts and dispenses tippet material directly from most commercially manufactured freshwater tippet spools. Look for our saltwater version in the coming months. Tired of plastic and aluminum fly boxes? We've also created an entirely new product category with our molded nylon and soft-sided fly cases. With ease-of-use in mind, brightly colored jacquard webbing on the spine serves as a hand strap to securely hold the case while on the water. This gives our cases their signature style and unparalleled function. To keep us on the cutting edge, we're redefining the accessory segment with revolutionary products like our patented, ergonomically designed Titanium Clippers with optional integrated retractor that make competitive tools based on the traditional nail clipper obsolete. Our research has told us that fly-fishing enthusiasts want to lighten their load. In response to this trend, fishpond has created two new chest/fanny packs that can complement or replace the traditional fishing vest. Each product has our signature zip-down "fly bench" with a replaceable foam fly page that serves as a convenient fly changing station and work area. At fishpond, we're committed to staying on the leading edge of fly-fishing product design, and we're already hard at work on the next generation of new products to enhance our position as an emerging leader with our dealer-partners and customers. Fishpond is connected to the past and it's timeless traditions, but its focus is on making designs for the fly-fishing enthusiast that will endure the future. We're committed to our dealer-partners and consumers at every level, and want to earn your trust and support by offering quality service, delivery and creativity.

Price: 49.00

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A Good Life Wasted: or Twenty Years as a Fishing Guide

A Good Life Wasted: or Twenty Years as a Fishing Guide

Told through the eyes of a longtime Montana fishing guide and itinerant fishing bum, A Good Life Wasted offers a unique perspective on an implausible period in the recent history of human civilization. When Dave Ames started guiding, Rocky Mountain locals rode horses and dug camas roots; now they’re trading stock options on cell phones. The collision of stone and computer ages was short-lived, but the deep-rooted themes of this book remain.

A Good Life Wasted--a chronicle and celebration of the fishing-guide life--is poignant and spiritual; it’s Blackfoot Indians and copper miners’ daughters; it’s fiddles and guitars and the fabric of space; it’s about what happens to wild people when the wilderness is gone.

From the first chapter--in which Dave Ames recalls bluffing his way into a job as a fishing guide to the rich and famous (after barely managing to suppress the overwhelming urge to go postal at the federal agency where he suffered his first, and only, “real” job in a cubicle farm)--we’re hooked. We gladly follow Ames as he describes the rite of tasting clouds of mating midges to better match the hatch, tells the story of a fabled Blackfoot fishing guide, and shares his further adventures as a guy with no job, no office, and no stress. A Good Life Wasted spins a fascinating, compelling web--a web that entices the deskbound salary slave to make a break for it, and head west to big sky and fast, cold water, ASAP.

Fishing with McClane: 30 years of angling with America's foremost fisherman

Tales From Delaware Bay: Crabbing, Boating, Trapping, Net Fishing, Sports Fishing

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News about ice fishing in alaska
Beyond the tourist haunts, Alaska is vast and unfamiliar - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:08:48 GMT

Beyond the tourist haunts, Alaska is vast and unfamiliar
Atlanta Journal Constitution, USA - Jul 15, 2008
And there are, says Peterson, only two seasons: break-up ("... meaning the ice breaks up and then we have the season of going outside, fishing, hunting"); ...

Fairbanks dip-netters accomplish mission to bring home Copper ... - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:38:09 GMT

Fairbanks dip-netters accomplish mission to bring home Copper ...
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK - 20 hours ago
This year has been slower for commercial, subsistence and personal-use fishing, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials. ...

Deseret News (Salt Lake City) - Crab fishing risky, but the catch is tasty

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:00:00 GMT
February 13, 2008 -- Tired of freezing weather? Sick of snow and ice? Things could be worse; you could be fishing for crab. A friend loaned me a copy of Discovery...

Northwest Passage: Still Impassable

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:53:52 GMT
There has been a lot of hype this year citing data which is suggesting that we'll be able to navigate the Northwest Passage and some even so bold as to suggest a completely ice free Arctic Sea.