By David Hulsey
If you’re a fly angler, there’s always stuff you need to do in order to make yourself more productive for the upcoming spring trout season. I’ve been doing this trout thing for a long time and there are always things I need to work on to make guide trips easier, or more successful, for my clients. Finding new access points on the river that are less likely to end up in a swimming lesson are always a good thing. Fly patterns that can be dragged around, hung on the bottom etc., and still catch fish, are great. Leader construction that will turn over a concrete truck will also help with the worst of casters to keep me from losing my mind! Fly line cleaning and sending off broken rods for repair will also land in the top ten. Sharpening my teaching skills will make both of our lives complete. You really have only about eight or ten weeks of slower time here in the southern mountains to get ready for the onslaught of folks wanting it to be spring. These are the things a guide thinks about. Coming next is a list of things you should consider if you want to catch a few more fish this year and keep your favorite guide out of the crazy house!
- Scout out a few new spots to fish. Winter is a great time to find new holes on your favorite river and totally new watersheds to fish. Usually no Snakes will be about. That’s a biggie for me. I’m a snake hater. Access points will be more visible due to the lack of vegetation.
- Learn to tie a few new fly patterns or get with a friend that actually knows how to tie flies. Better yet, attend a real fly tying class at your local fly shop. Stock up on simple patterns like San Juan Worms and Wooly Buggers.
- Learn to tie your own leaders. This will save you some cash and get you great performance, if you tie them right. Again, try your local fly shop or trusted fly friend.
- Clean or replace your fly lines. Check your lines and leader connections for damage. Just don’t destroy your fly line coating it with too much scrubbing or the wrong cleaner.
- Consider a new fly rod purchase. I see this all the time. Somebody shows up with an old piece of junk with some kind of sentimental value. Catching fish is much more important than that. Get a 9 foot 5 weight and be done with it.
- Take a freaking fly casting lesson or two! Bad casting is the most detrimental thing to an otherwise great fly fishing trip!
Give David a call to book a class or trophy trout guide trip at Noontootla Creek Farms. We can make learning to fly fish easy and fun! You can make the switch.