Fishing is one of the world’s oldest professions, and many coastal communities past and present rely on fishing as a source of food. Today, most commercial fishing is done with boats and large nets to catch many fish, and a single angler with a fly rod is unlikely to catch enough fish to feed an entire community. But that is not the point of modern fly fishing anyway. Today’s anglers simply enjoy some quality time out in the wild, and fly fishing rods, sage fly reels, fly fishing outfits, and more make this sport possible. Today’s fly fishing is more about the art than catching a lot of fish in many cases, and an aspiring angler may buy the right gear, such as fly rods or rod reels, from a local retailer to get started. How might fly fishing be done?
Fly Rods and Other Gear
Like any other hobby, getting into fly fishing means both getting the right gear and learning the technique. An aspiring angler may visit local outdoor gear retailers and ask the staff there for recommendations, and the customer may specify that they are getting into fly fishing in particular. After all, fly rods and other gear are distinct from those of conventional fishing. These novice anglers may get their hands on discount fly rods to stay in a tight budget, or they may invest in a larger, more expensive rod for more dedicated fishing trips. The anger may also get the right line and bait, and the bait is typically artificial lures with feathers to imitate natural insects. The angler may also get the proper types of fly reels for the job.
Don’t forget the clothes. Going fly fishing today means dressing for the part, since fly fishers operate while standing in the water, rather than on the shore or on a boat like with conventional fishing. Fly fishers don’t want to get soaked, so they will buy tall, waterproof rubber boots to keep them dry while standing in a cold creek or stream. These boots may in fact be built into overalls for maximum effect, and they can help keep the angler dry while they are fishing. The fisher may also get their hands on a tackle box to store their spare reels and line, not to mention artificial bait or even live bait. The angler should also bring along a water-filled live capture bucket, if they keep the fish that they catch. Someone doing “catch and release” fishing won’t actually need the bucket, though.
Going Out Fishing
Once a novice angler gets their fly rods, line, and other gear, they may want to learn the best way to catch some fish. A new angler may learn the proper technique for casting the line, since fly fishing differs from regular fishing in this arena. Regular fishing lures are heavy and use the lure’s weight to throw out the line, but fly fishing involves small, light bait. So, a fly fisher will cast the line itself rather than cast the lure, and that may take some practice and guidance to master. The benefit of fishing like this is that the light lure does not make a disruptive splash when it lands on the water, so it will not scare off fish when it arrives. Fly fishing is subtle and discreet by comparison.
An angler may also check with local wildlife conservation departments once they arrive in the area. Conservation departments work hard to protect and maintain local animal populations, and hunters and fishers alike will abide by their guidelines. Fly fishers may get permits for fishing, and they may be required to release fish that are under a certain size. The idea is to limit pressure on reproducing fish populations so the overall population doesn’t crash from fishing efforts. Otherwise, the angler may keep sufficiently large fish, and cook them later. But it’s not an issue at all if the angler is doing “catch and release” fishing to start with.