Mark asks…
going fly fishing…for first time?
I know how to cast and all i practiced on fishless streams and ponds. I wanna try going for crappie in my local pond, i caught them with lures and worms before, so i know they are there. What insect or fly should i use is my only question and any tips for casting. please be descriptive.
Joy answers:
One difference between spin fishing and fly fishing is that spin anglers often determine the bait or lure they’re going to use before they step out the door, whereas fly anglers don’t decide until they get to the water. Find out what is going on at the pond when you get there — look around, look for rising fish, look for anything that will tell you what to fish with. Leave your rod on the bank and just observe for a bit.
If you see rising fish, try to determine what they’re feeding on. If it’s a small gnat or midge, try to imitate it with something from your collection of flies. If they’re eating big caddisflies, imitate it. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know what the various insects or flies are called — just observe the insect and try to find a fly that looks similar.
If you don’t see any rising fish, look for fish feeding under the water — walk slowly along the bank and watch for fish. Determine if they are actively feeding and what they might be feeding on. If there’s no surface action and you can’t tell what’s going on underneath, you might have to try a varied approach. The Woolly Bugger or Clouser Minnow might be good for crappie and panfish — they get excited by lures that look like struggling minnows. Scuds or nymphs might work, too.
You might also try an attractor on the surface. Attractors, such as the Royal Wulff or the Humpy, are big gaudy flies that are designed to induce a fish to come to the surface. They can bring up fish even when the fish aren’t feeding. Now that it’s late summer, terrestrial patterns, like ants, hoppers, and beetles, can be very effective.
Tips for casting? Entire books have been written on that subject, and with my cast, I’m not one to teach anyone. I suppose if I had one tip it would be that you not try to cast too far. Oh, and don’t get too frustrated. Okay, that’s two things. Takes a long time to learn to cast well and as soon as you get one part of it down you realize you’re screwing up in some other way you really didn’t even think about. Watch videos and other fly anglers and do what they do. Just keep at it and it’ll come.
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