Im going fly fishing tonight and need some questions answered before hand?

Question

A.) How should I tie the knot to the fly? I did it the way I tie my knots to my lures when freshwater fishing, but it makes the fly sit on its side or upside down. (Which I imagine wont be attractive to the fish.)

B.) How long should I let a fly sit before recasting it?

C.) Once casted how far away should the fly be from the yellow line in order to not spook the fish, and still make the presentation attractive to them?

D.) I can only seem to cast the fly about 20-25 feet. Is that about normal?

Answers to any or all of these questions would be greatly appreciated. Please dont answer my questions with questions. :)

THANKS A BUNCH! 10 points best answer

Answer 1

in the future, you shouldn't wait till the last minute, to ask for help.

from the multiple questions that you have asked, just a little bit of that people can give you in this forum, will not be of a great deal of help to you, the people answering your questions, are giving good answers BUT, that knowledge alone, won't make you good at fly fishing.it takes LOTS & LOTS of practice, in variable conditions, with many different flies to get good at it.

good luck

Answer 2

Wow, a multiple-point question. Hmmm. (A)Well I'm not a dry fly fisherman but, any decent knot shouldn't affect the way your fly sits on the water. It leaves the hook eye at the same trajectory. I would think that (assuming it isn't a size 28 or so fly) your tippet may be the culprit here. If you are using a heavy tippet..try downsizing it and see if that helps.(B) As far as how long you should let your fly sit..that depends on if you are fishing in current or on still water such as a lake or pond. If you are fishing in current, standing 90 deg. to the water try casting upstream at about a 45 deg. angle to wherever the current seam is and let it float down past you while mending your line.[.from ) to this ( ] ...to keep it as drag-free as possible. Let it slide across the current until it is directly downstream from you..give it a few seconds ( a lot of strikes occur as it dips and  darts in the current).. then pick up and re-cast. Work your way down through the stretch of river and then if you missed any strikes you could try re-fishing those spots again. If you are fishing in still water let it sit until the ripples disappear then twitch it a couple times before picking up and re-casting. Cover as much water as you think is appropriate before moving on. (C). That depends on the water clarity and what your conditions at the time dictate. Clear water= longer,smaller, leader. Large flies require enough stiffness in your leader/tippet to turn it over correctly. (D).. If you are fishing in a small creek, 25 ft. would be fine but for larger rivers you might want to see if you can master a cast of perhaps 50 ft. or so. Remember...the weighted part ( I assume you are using weight forward  line) of your line is about the first 15-20 ft of line and to be able to cast properly you must use the weighted portion....Man, I hope this helped you out because now I'm mentally exhausted! lol  Good Luck !

Answer 3

A) It depends on the type of fly.  I use different knots for different types.  For the beginner that doesn't have lots of time to learn new knots, an improved clinch knot will pass.  A dry fly sitting on its side won't be entirely detrimental.  Upside down isn't as good.  Learn some alternative knots as time allows.

B)  You should present your fly to the feeding zone.  Once the fly has traveled outside that zone, you want to present it again.

C)  The distance between your fly and the end of your fly line is a function of leader length, leader memory, and water current.  That said, the distance will never be equal to the total length of the leader.  When fish are relatively close to the surface, as they are when surface feeding or resting in the shallows, their field of vision is very limited.  Just figure that if your fly lands next to your line, your chances are very diminished.

D)  What does the "20-25 feet" represent?  Total fly line past the tip of the rod?  Total line plus leader past the rod tip?  Or something else?  Regardless, that distance would put you in the beginning caster class.  That's not to make fun of you at all.  First, you are getting some line out, which some people struggle with for countless hours.  Second, trout are often caught at that relatively short distance.

When you're not a highly skilled caster, you can still be successful on the water.  Use the most stealth you can muster when approaching the water or wading through it.  Fish are always nervous about being eaten, something we don't worry about.  Moving cautiously will allow you to approach more closely than someone sloshing through the water.  Make every attempt to make each and every one of your albeit short casts as precise as possible.

Enjoy your time on the water.  Gaining skills in fly fishing is a lifelong pursuit.  That quest is what makes it a pleasurable challenge.  Don't focus on your mishaps; we all have them.  Learn from every single one.  If you stick with it, your skills will improve with time.