10 Tips to Keep You Catching Fishing During Your Fly Fishing Travels. Photo By: Louis Cahill
By Kent Klewein
It’s easy to get out of your game when you’re traveling and fly fishing a new piece of water.
It has happened to me plenty of times, where I find myself fly fishing and going against all my fishing catching principles. Stick to what works for you on your home water and keep your confidence, and you’ll be landing beautiful fish in no time. Below are ten principles that I always make sure I live by when I’m fly fishing abroad on unfamiliar waters.
1. Spend your time fishing productive water, don’t waist your time fishing subpar water.
2. Look for the 3 C’s (Cover, Current, Cusine) to locate the hotspots.
3. Always position yourself where you can get your best presentation and drift.
4. Have your fly rig setup correctly for the water you’re fishing (nymph rig set correctly, long enough leader for spooky risers, correct tippet size, ect).
5. Take the time to figure out the food source the fish are keying in on. Take regular bug samplings throughout the day and keep an eye out for aquatic insects on the water.
6. Always fish with confidence and fish hard. Persistence usually pays off.
7. Don’t be afraid to move on if the water your fishing is slow. Even pack up and change watersheds if fishing conditions are bad enough. Its saved me on many fishing trips.
8. Do your research before you leave on your fishing trip. Don’t be afraid to hire a guide the first day so you can get dialed-in and understand how to fish the water correctly.
9. Pack your fly tying materials and vise with you. You never know when you’ll run out of the hot fly pattern or need to tie up a pattern you don’t have in your fly box.
10. Have a fishing buddy come along with you when possible, and take different fishing approaches on the water. This will help you decipher the fishing code much quicker.
Keep it Reel,
Kent Klewein Gink & Gasoline www.ginkandgasoline.com hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
I love tip #8. After getting skunked on some new water, it truly pays to hire somebody. I fished the White River +10 years ago (before the new dam regs) Then recently went again – its a completely different fishery now, I quickly hired a guide for an afternoon and was seeing the benefits for the next 3 days. It might seem like a lot of $$ but if your traveling to fish, learning the local tips and tricks is well worth it.
I agree. The 10 points are good advice for any water but a guide is well worth the investment, especially on new water.