Try a fly!
Fly fishing is increasing in popularity. It is not just an interesting method for stalking members of the salmon family, it is also an exciting alternative method of coarse fishing. The thrill lies in presenting a deceptively realistic fly as bait and the direct contact to the fish during the fight. Many anglers feel that this style requires a high level of finesse and doubt their ability to cast with fly lines. In truth, fly fishing is not that complicated or extravagant. It is however of the utmost importance that you pay attention to a few ground rules. Failure to do so may lead to a rather disappointing angling session and an aversion to this wonderful form of fishing. It is necessary that you practice casting, to ensure that the fly is correctly presented. Information can be sought in books, or can be learnt on a short course. The perfect solution, of course, is asking a friend who has experience in this area. Learning bad habits at this point can make it more difficult to develop the necessary skills to ensure success later - take the time to learn properly!
After a few hours of suitable training, you should be able to cast the fly to some distance with little trouble. It is now just a matter of selecting the correct fly. There are a variety of fly designs and methods of presentation. Dry flies float and are presented on the water's surface. Wet flies sink and are retrieved slowly. Nymphs (fly larvae) sink and are presented on the bed or in medium depth waters. Streamers are imitations of small fry and are presented like spinners or artificial baits.
The variety in baits gives you the ability to match changes in biting patterns. When fish rise to the surface to feed on May flies, for example, then a dry fly would be the suggested bait. In deep waters, in would be worth trying a weighted nymph or streamer to search the bottom for fish. Roughly 90 % of a fish's diet consists of subaqueous feed, the other 10 % consisting of surface feed. This is one reason why nymphs and streamers are such a popular bait. Flies can be bought ready-made or can be self bound. Many anglers have discovered a new passion in fly binding, however it is advisable that novices wait before trying their hand at this skill. As with most angling methods, 'practice makes perfect.'
A few words about equipment. Tackle for fly fishing is relatively simple and is steered by the AFTMA classifications. AFTMA classes range from 2 to 14/15. Class 2 is for small fish and small water, like streams and small rivers. The larger the fish or water, the higher the AFTMA class. Class 14/15 is suited to specimen salmon. The suggested class for novices is 4/5, as this gives a high level of flexibility when it comes to fish species and water types. Rod, reel and line should be matched: a rod, class 5 should be fitted with a reel class 5, loaded with line class 5. There is little difference in the type of line available. There are 3 main groups: floating, and slow and fast sinking. The suggested line for novices is floating. This is because it is often a WF (weight forward) line, or shooting line, which has most of its weight distributed along the first third of the line. This characteristic enhances the casting ability, giving the novice time to develop this skill.
Further accessory items are fly wests, wading net, wading boots or waders (dependant on water depth), polarised glasses and a variety of smaller items. Another advantage in fly fishing is the low weight and small transport sizes of tackle items. Most of the items needed can be stored in the angler's fly vest.
We wish you a lot of success when entering this wonderful field of fishing.