Last Updated on October 2, 2023 by Kyle Whitley
There is something classic and cool about fishing for trout using a fly rod. Something almost spiritual about the connection between the angler and the trout they are trying to catch. If you want to try out fly fishing, we will look at the fly fishing setup for trout that a new or novice fly fisherman would need to get started in fly fishing.
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Fly Fishing For Trout
In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of fly fishing is presentation. When I say presentation, I mean how the fly moves across the water, how it looks, and what action it creates. These elements are critical to creating the best chance of hooking up with a trout.
A good presentation starts with understanding the basics of fly fishing. We’ll review some of the basics of fly fishing, including knowing your equipment, rod length, tip speed, cast distance, and much more. Once you understand the basics of fly fishing, you’re ready to start learning how to present the fly.
Dry-Fly Fishing for Trout
Anglers often consider dry fly fishing to be the best type of fishing. Subsurface fishing involves guessing or trying to predict where the target is. You cannot see your fly or follow its progress visually, and there is no visual indication of when a strike occurs.
Dry-Fly fishing is fun for anglers who enjoy observing the fish feeding and seeing the fish taking the flies.
Trout eating a dry fly is one of the most unique moments in fly fishing. What steps must be taken to reach that point? To create a successful dry fly presentation, you need to know where you’re fishing and how you cast, mend, and control your lines.
You first need to get into the best fishing spot relative to the fish. Unless you plan your presentation, you will not get the best results.
The best place for fishing is where you get as close as possible to your target fish without them noticing you and one that helps you overcome drag. Of course, the depths and speeds of the river, the banks themselves, and many other obstacles restrict your choices.
Nymphing for Trout
The term “nymph fishing” refers to imitating aquatic insects’ natural life cycle, especially underwater ones. This includes mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, and others.
Nymphing is done by casting a weighted fly, known as a nymph, into the current. As the fly drifts down toward the riverbed, it mimics the movement of a small insect swimming downstream. When the fly lands in the desired spot, it becomes a meal for hungry trout.
When nymph fishing, drift your flies just as you would when dry-fly fishing. Keep them near the bottom where the fish live.
To make an S-cast, stop the line on your forward cast as normal, then as the line falls to your feet, make a series of sideways motions to add extra length to your line.
Most people choose to fish with strike indicator rigs when fishing nymphs, but some people don’t need them and others may not want to spend the extra cash.
All three techniques involve standing close to your target area, but they differ in terms of whether you’re using a tight-lining method, a short-lining method, or a high-sticking method.
With a heavy fly and a tight line, the fly drags, bounces, and tumbles along the bottom, and the angler follows its path closely with his rod tip.
If you happen to be getting hung up, you might be using too much weight for your setup. If you can’t tell when you’re at the bottom, and your fly line sweeps downstream, you probably aren’t using enough sinker or fishing in deeper water than you think. Knee- to waist-deep water with moderate currents is ideal for high-sticking.
Streamer Fishing for Trout
A streamer flies by, fluttering up and down in the current. Unlike a conventional lure, a streamer does not sink quickly into the water because it is made of flexible material. Instead, it floats along with the current, allowing the angler to cast farther and cover greater areas.
Streamers are usually constructed of nylon, silk, or polypropylene monofilament. They vary widely in size, shape, color, and weight. Some streamers are very light, while others weigh several pounds. Many streamers are brightly colored, red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, pink, white, black, silver, gold, copper, or combinations thereof. Others are plain white, gray, brown, tan, olive drab, camouflage patterns, or even fluorescent colors.
Most trout streamers are made of marabou, chenille, or similar soft feathery materials. Both are strong, durable, and lightweight. Other materials include rubber, plastic, foam, and fiberglass.
In addition to being versatile, streamers are easy to use. Because they are buoyant, they do not require a sink tip. Also, since they float, there is no need to tie knots or attach hooks. Finally, streamers are inexpensive.
One of the more famous streamers is the Woolly Bugger. Which has many different variations to fit your angling needs.
When fishing for trout in small to medium streams, use a floating line and a 9-foot, stout tapetered leader ending in 2X or 3X tippet (depending on the size of the river). To drift a nymph, you cast upstream, letting the water flow past you so the fly drags itself downstream. With a streamer, you usually want to cast straight across-stream or down and across and let the line drift downstream until it reaches the fish. Then, when the fish turns toward the angler, he or she casts the fly right at them.
Fly Rods
Fly rods come in many sizes, shapes, materials, colors, and weights. They range from small, lightweight rods used for trout fishing to large, heavy ones designed for bass fishing. A fly rod isn’t just a tool; it’s a part of the sport of fly fishing.
There are many different types of flies, and each type requires a specific fly rod. For example, a nymph rig needs a light, stiff rod, while a streamer requires a heavier, flexible one.
The best fly rods are versatile enough to handle most situations, and you’ll find that some fly rods work well for multiple types of fishing.
Rod Weights
In fly rods, weight isn’t the weight of the rod but the size of the fish the rod can handle.
- 1 – 4 weight is good for panfish and smaller trout species
- 4 – 6 weight is a good general-size rod for trout in larger streams and rivers
- 6 – 8 weight is for bass, salmon, and light salt water (sea trout)
- 8 – 10 weight is for larger salmon species, steel heads, and general saltwater use
- 10 – 14 weight is for any freshwater species larger than steelhead or salmon and larger saltwater fish
A general rule is that a 5 – 6 weight rod is a good rod to start fly fishing for trout. It will allow you to target some of the smaller species of trout while allowing you to target some larger species as well. The 5 – 6 weight rods are very versatile.
Rod Length
The length of a rod is measured from tip to butt. There are several different types of rods, each with specific uses. Common rod lengths range from 5’6″ to over 14′.
Most fly fishers prefer longer rods because it allows you to cast further. However, shorter rods are easier to handle and maneuver around tight spaces. You’ll find many options in the middle ground, such as 8′, 9′ and 10′ rods.
Anglers who use a 9 foot rod tend to be able to cast far distances, but they’re also capable of casting close to shore when needed. It is common to use rods between 10-14 ft for spey rods where distance matters most.
Types of Rods
Single Handed Rod
Single-handed fishing reels are the most common type of rod used by fishermen to cast with one hand. They vary in size and weight, ranging from six to ten foot lengths. They’re the best rods for lighter casts and the most accurate ones. Spey rods are used for fishing longer distances than normal rods. Anglers who use them usually prefer switching rods when they need to cast further than usual.
Spey Rods
Spey fishing is usually done using a rod between 12 and 14 feet long, designed to be loaded with the line on the surface of the water rather than in a back cast, and handles larger lines, bigger hooks, and bigger fish. Longer Spey rods are the most effective for fishing longer casts and allow fishermen to cast distance without having to backcast. Steelhead fishing often involves seeing them frequently. Spey rods are particularly good at fishing heavier fly lines, sinking line, and even split shot. Fishermen use both their arms when casting.
Switch Rods
Spey rod lengths vary from 10 to 12.5 feet. Spey fishing rods are usually cast with two hands, which makes them ideal for “spey” fishing. Spey rod lines tend to be longer than switch rods and are usually heavier than switch rods. They cast lighter lines and lighter rigs than spey rod lines. Most switch rods are cast with a single hand, Spey rods require two hands to cast effectively.
Fly Reels
The fly reel is one of the most essential pieces of fishing gear out there. It creates a drag that helps anglers land fish, stores and releases the line, and holds the leader.
Click & Pawl
A click & pawl system is a traditional fly reel design that produces an audible “click” when a fishing line starts to pull out from the spool. This is a simple mechanical drag that is reliable and easy to use.
The click & pawl system has been around for decades, but it’s still one of the most popular designs for fly reels today. The click & pawl system has two metal pieces (the clicker and the pawl) attached to the spool’s side. When you start reeling in your line, the clicker will engage with the pawl,
Disc Drag
The disc drag reel is a great alternative to click and pawl reels. They offer a smoother drag. Most modern fly reels use disc drags.
You don’t have to worry about clicking and pausing the spool like with click and pawls. This makes it easier to control the speed of the fishing line.
A disc drag reel will give a smooth drag without jerks or stops. Disc drag reels have many more drag settings than click and pawl reels.
Fly Lines
Fly lines are rated by measuring the length of the first 30 feet (minus the tip). The length of the fly line equals a line rating.
Fly lines allow anglers to throw far distances and present their baits in natural ways. Fly lines are usually between 80’-90’ long, but there are different lengths and shapes.
Fly Line Taper
Weight Forward
This is the most common taper for fishing flies. As the weight increases at the end of the line, it is easier to cast further. There can be different degrees of aggressiveness when it comes to weight-forward lines. When the weight is closer to the fly, it will allow you to cast it farther.
The weight being closer to the fly makes it a little more challenging to make a stealthy presentation since the weight of the fly might cause some extra splashing when it lands. Some specialized tapers are designed specifically for saltwater fishing.
Double Taper
This tapered leader weights the fly line at its midpoint and then tapers out equally in either direction. It makes fly fishing easier by allowing anglers to present their flies slightly easier than a weighted line. If one end of the line becomes damaged, anglers can easily replace it by reversing the line. Double tapered lines are the second easiest line to cast, with weight forward lines being the easiest to cast.
Level Line
Level lines are usually cheaper than taper lines. They don’t offer any real advantage, but they’re a bit easier on the wallet.
Types of Fly Line
Floating
Floating flies do precisely what their name says; they float. It’s the most common fly fishing line. You’ll need a floating line if you’re fishing with dry flies.
Floating lines are pretty versatile and can be used to fish wet flies and other fishing presentations. The sinking line does not work with dry flies.
Sinking
A full sinking line is one where the whole fly line sinks at a specified speed. A sinking line is good for fast and deep water where it is difficult to get your wet fly in the target zone. The added sink of a fly line makes it possible to reach those deeper fish.
Fly Line Leaders
A leader is what connects your tippet to your fly line. When choosing a leader, three main materials are monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided nylon. All three types of leaders come in different lengths and diameters.
The leader is connected directly to your fly line and tippet. It is usually a fairly thick weight where it attaches to the line and will taper off in thickness to the point where the leader attaches to the tippet. Leaders are typically about nine feet long. They are used because they are easy to tie knots in and help conceal the higher visibility of the fly line, which might spook fish. They also guard against abrasion from objects in the water or the fish itself.
Tippet
The tippet connects the leader to the fly. Tippets are light and thin, so they don’t spook the fish you are trying to catch with the fly.
Tippets are as thin and light as possible, making them less visible to the trout. The tippet also inhibits drag on the fly as it sits on the surface or dives into the water.
Tippets come in a wide range of sizes and are identified by the size of the tippet from 3x, which is for large fish species, all the way down to 8x, which is for small trout and panfish.
Fly Line Backing
Fly line backing is a line that is added to the reel and directly attached to the arbor. The backing is an additional line used to fight fish if the fish were to pull all the fly lines off of the reel during a run.
The backing is also on the reel to take up space. You don’t need to spool your reel with hundreds of feet of the fly line because you will never cast a fly that far, so backing is added to fill that space.
Fly Fishing Flies
The fly fishing industry is one of the oldest forms of recreation worldwide. Since ancient times, people have been catching fish using natural materials such as feathers, hair, leaves, and animal parts. Some early fishermen used hooks made out of bone. Today, we still use many of those same techniques but rely heavily on artificial materials.
Fly tying is a craft that requires patience, practice, and lots of experimentation. A good fly tye’er must know how to make various flies, including nymphs, streamers, dry flies, wet flies, and baitfish imitations. And there are hundreds of different kinds.
Wet Flies
A wet fly is an artificial lure used primarily for catching trout. They look like normal dry flies, except they’re weighted down, so they sink rather than float. Trout are attracted to sinking objects, so it makes sense that they would prefer to eat something that sinks.
Most fish feed underwater. Most of the anglers will cast above the surface if you watch a stream full of anglers cast out into a pool. Why? Because they don’t want to attract fish to themselves. You want to catch fish and not attract them.
When fishing, you want to keep your bait where fish live, so you’ll want to use lures that match the habitat. For example, you might use a small shiner minnow for a shallow riffle. A big crawdad for a deep hole. And a large wooly bugger for a deeper run.
Dry Flies
The term “dry fly” refers to a type of fishing lure used primarily for trout fishing. Dry flies are generally constructed of natural materials such as feathers, hair, synthetics, etc., rather than metal or plastic. Some dry flies are weighted down with lead sinkers, while others are tied without weighting material.
Fly fishermen have been utilizing dry flies since the early 1900s. They are designed to mimic the natural food sources of insects found in streams and rivers. A dry fly is usually tied up with a small amount of hair, feathers, or downy material attached to it. This allows it to float on the water’s surface, waiting for a hungry trout to come along and take a bite out of it.
