First thing is to make sure that you have a firm grip on the fly rod, with your thumb on top of the rod. When casting, make sure that you lock your wrist. You want to allow your elbow to bend, not your shoulder or wrist. You want to use the same movement that you use to hammer something into a wall. Another important thing is that your cast should gradually build speed as your throw the fly out towards the water, and remember that the fly is going to follow your rod tip.

A commonly used metaphor in fly fishing for casting is called ten and two. You can basically think of a giant clock right next to you while you’re casting. When you cast your rod forward, your rod should stop at the ten o clock hand on the clock and your back cast should stop near the two o clock hand on the clock. Timing your starts and stops is very important when trying to get a nice accurate cast.

When you first begin fly fishing, you can turn your head to watch the fly go over you. This is done so you can see when the line is straightened out and when to begin the forward cast. Learning to stop both forward and backwards casts is crucial to becoming a good fly fisher. To help make the next cast easier, strip the line off the water with your other hand, so you can control how much line you’re throwing out each time.

• Line weight
  • Fly fishing line weight is ranked from 1 to 15, with 1 being the lightest and 15 the heaviest
  • Lighter lines are suited for delicate presentations and for casting light flies
  • Heavier lines are best for casting large, wind-resistant and heavy flies
  • Your fly fishing line weight should also be selected based on the fish you want to catch
  • You’ll need line weights from 1 to 7 lbs for lighter fish such as panfish and most trout
  • Bass need a little heavier weight, from 7 to 9 lbs
  • Larger freshwater and saltwater fish take the heaviest lines an 8 to 15 lbs
• Line taper
  • To help you cast more efficiently most fly lines are tapered. This taper varies in weight, diameter and thickness over the length of the line.
  • There are five main types of taper, each to meet a specific purpose
  • The taper is listed as an abbreviation by the manufacturer, with the usual abbreviations included in the following discussion:
    • Weight-forward (WF) taper
      • These are the most popular and the best choice if you are a beginner
      • The first 30 feet or so of line is heavier because of its tapered front end
      • The rest of the line is thinner and is known as the running line
      • The weight-forward line helps with long casts and better precision even in windy conditions
    • Bass bug/saltwater (BBT) taper
      • This taper is much like the weight-forward design except that the front section does not run as long
      • This design helps with heavier flies, hence its use for catching feisty bass or bigger saltwater fish
    • Double taper (DT)
      • DT fly lines are preferred by seasoned fly anglers
      • These lines work especially well in making delicate presentations on small- to medium-size rives since the belly is at the center, with both ends gradually tapering
      • This makes the line highly economical too because when one end wears out, you can turn the line around and use the other end
      • This line won’t cast as far or provide as much wind resistance as a weight-forward line
    • Shooting taper (ST)
      • ST lines cast farther than other lines so they are designed for fast-running rivers and in extreme wind conditions. The line portion (front section) is stout and short to form a casting loop.

      Most anglers attach a shooting line on the running line using monofilament, braided line or a very fine diameter fly line

    • Level (L) taper
      • These lines are uniform in diameter throughout, making them the most economical
      • If you are a beginner don’t try to save money this way. Level taper lines are the most difficult to cast so they really are best used by seasoned veterans, primarily for fly fishing with live bait.
• Density
• How your line behaves on the water depends on its density or line type, which affects its buoyancy
• With different types of line available, consider buying an extra spool when you purchase your reel. That way you can spool various types of line and switch lines to meet conditions.
• There are four choices, and each carries an abbreviation, included below, to identify its density:
  • Floating (F) lines
    • These do as they say they float on the water’s surface
    • Floating lines are good for beginners since they are easier to cast and handle
    • Floating lines also are a must for dry flies, but they can also work with wet flies, nymphs and streamers that are fished several feet below the surface
  • Intermediate (I) lines
    • These are a little denser than water so they sink slowly to present a fly just below the water’s surface
    • These lines work well in shallow, weedy lakes and in choppy waters where you want your line to stay below the choppiness
  • Sinking (S) lines
    • These lines do the opposite of floating lines they sink
    • They are designed for deep lakes and deep, fast-flowing rivers
    • Some manufacturers also put a Roman numeral after the S to show how fast their line sinks in inches per second. For example, an S II line sinks about two inches per second
    • These lines are best for wet flies, nymphs and streamers at a constant depth
  • Floating/Sinking (F/S) lines
    • These combine the two characteristics the five foot to twenty foot tip or front portion sinks to present the bait while the balance of line floats on the water
    • Manufacturers display the depth and speed that the front part of the line sinks
    • This floating/sinking line gets your fly down while helping you maintain control, so it’s good for fish such as salmon and steelhead
• Color
  • If you are a beginner, select a highly visible color yellow, orange, lime green and some shades of tan
  • These colors are easier to see on the water when you cast so you can more easily recognize and correct any casting mistakes
  • For sinking lines, you should go with something that’s less visible to fish such as brown, olive, dark green or black
• Backing
  • Fly lines need a thin, high-visibility line tied between the reel spool and back end of your fly line
  • This generally comes in 20-pound to 30-pound test, with 20-pound suggested for fly line weights less than 8 and the 30-pound test for use with 8-weight line or higher
  • Backing performs three critical functions:
    • This adds length to your fly line, which typically runs only 90 feet
    • This then helps you land big, b fish that run with your line. Experts suggest that use at least 100 yards of backing but up to 200 yards for longer-running fish and saltwater fish.

If you are not sure if the rainbow trout is available in the area that you live in and that you are interested in fly fishing in, you will be pleased to know that the rainbow trout can be seen from the northern Mexico border all the way to southern Alaska. However, the rainbow trout is more commonly found west of the Colorado Rockies due to the rainbow trout preferring to live in clear and cool waters in rivers, streams and lakes. When looking to see if the water in your area is the right temperature for rainbow trout, you will want to find waters that are normally between the ranges of 50 degrees and 60 degrees. The rainbow trout will however tolerate a water temperature of 75 degrees.

The rainbow trout has been known to migrate to waters of the ocean and spend several years there before returning back to the streams and rivers. It is very important to keep in mind the type of water that rainbow trout prefer to live in when wanting to fly fish for rainbow trout.

A fly rod is much longer than a regular rod and its line is composed of a core and an outer coating. The lures associated with fly fishing are called flies and usually imitate the many different types of insects that inhabit the area. The end of the main line is tipped with a tapered liter that ensures that the trout cannot see the line. The basic concept to master is casting the fly line and presenting the fly in a natural manner. This means not allowing the line to drag the fly down stream. In words, the fly needs to lead the line as it travels downstream.

Flies are divided into dry flies and nymphs. Dry flies float on top of the water and generally need to have an oil surfactant applied to them on a regular basis. Nymphs are commonly referred to as wet flies and stay under the water’s surface. When using a wet fly, a small strike indicator needs to be applied to the line.

The other trout fishing technique involves using a regular spinning rod and a lure. This is the most common method of catching trout because it is much simpler than fly fishing. The most common types of lures are spoons and rooster tails because they imitate many of the small baitfish that trout prey on.

Several variables affect trout fishing including:

* Water temperature
* Water clarity
* Water color
* Weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, windy, rain, ice, snow, etc.)
* Season (spring, fall, winter, summer)
* Available food sources
* Pressure from other anglers

These are only a few of the variables which affect trout fishing. And of course, each of the variables mentioned above not only affect trout, but also your lure selection.
But in short, the variables mentioned above affect how your lure looks underwater to trout. These variables also influence trout activity and feeding habits.

Trout are sluggish in very cold water and therefore might need a bit more flash to entice them into striking. And yet too much flash, might scare them off.

Water color and clarity can affect a trout’s ability to see your lure. A bright red lure in your tackle box will appear black in blue water. That’s because red is filtered out in blue water. The deeper the lure is fished, the blacker it will appear under water. This is just one example of how water color and clarity can affect how trout see your lure under water.

Advanced anglers have observed that dark colored lures tend to work well on overcast days, murky water and when fishing at night. Likewise, nickel and silver lures tend to work better on bright sunny days.

These are some of the reasons that a lure may work well one day and not the next. There’s just too many variables involved in fishing.

The real key to successful trout fishing is to understand trout: their physical needs as well as how their environment affects them. This understanding will help you in turn better understand how different lures, baits, and fishing tactics affect your ability to catch trout.

Another form of bait to use is artificial bait. This type of trout bait comes in the form of power bait and salmon eggs. Power bait has the consistency of a thick paste and comes in many different colors. Many trout fisherman use it to trick trout into thinking that it is corn. Due to the thickness of power bait, it tends to stay on the hook longer than most bait. Salmon eggs are another type of bait that tend to work really well for trout as well.

There are many other aspects of trout fishing that attract fisherman besides simply catching fish. The breathtaking scenery has a lot to do with it as well. No two trout streams are the same. Each one has its own mark of unique attributes such as the size and speed at which it flows. This is why it is always interesting to fish new locations. Fishing the same river year after year can become boring and you may end up finding yourself searching for a new one. So how does one go about doing this? Well, in the past fisherman could purchase a book about many of the streams and rivers located within their state. This was a very productive method of finding a new location to trout fish, but it did cost a little bit of money. At that time period the internet was much less informational than it is today. Today, you can simply check out your state’s department of natural resources to find all of the information that you need. So there is really no need to go out and purchase one of these books unless you simply want all of the information compiled into one resource. However, if you are interested in traveling to some really productive streams abroad, then you may look for a book about the many great streams across the United States.

Fly fishing can be awfully expensive, but do not go out and blow a bunch of money on a nice fly rod if you are a beginner. When fly fishing for trout, be sure that you use a light tippet. Trout are a smart species of fish and will be able so see your tippet or hook if they are too heavy or big. As for what flies to use when trout fishing depends on what kind of water you are fishing in. Dry flies are very popular, but stay on top of the water. Other flies are meant to go underwater, which can be a very good place to fly fish for trout. This is because trout mostly feed at the bottom of rivers and creeks. Only when there is a large insect at the surface do trout come up to feed there.

An important thing to keep in mind when fly fishing for trout, is to always be aware of what the environment is around you. What I mean by that is if there aren’t many surface insects around, then you’re going to want to change to something that can dive under the water. Trout love to sit right where the fast water meets the slow water. This is the first place I would look for when trying to hook a trout. Some good fly patterns to try are woolly bugger, red fox squirrel tail, or parachute adams.