Book Review Pt 2: 1001 Fly Fishing Tips

How do you keep your dry flies dry longer?  Do I really need a hook hone?  What's the best way to get your fly unsnagged?  Keeping your equipment safe and functioning properly is vital to catching fish.  No matter how long we've been fishing there is always advice or a tip someone may have that will make our day on the water less frustrating.

This week is part two of the tips and advice from 1001 Fly Fishing Tips, edited by Jay Nichols.  There are enough pieces of great advice that I felt like I needed more than one post to do the book justice.  Part Three of the book has to do with Hatches and Seasons.  We'll talk about that next week.

So here are the tips on equipment with some comments...

Book Review Pt 1: 1001 Fly Fishing Tips

When I received my fly fishing rod & reel for my birthday last year I also received the book "1001 Fly Fishing Tips: Expert Advice, Hints and Shortcuts From the World's Leading Fly Fishers."  I had a month before my first fly fishing trip.  So I started reading.  Great book!  I think I read it three times in that month.  The book is a collection of short tips on a large variety of fly fishing topics from casting to finding fish to picking the right lure to how to care for your equipment.  It's edited by Jay Nichols with wisdom from Lefty Kreh, Dan Blanton, Bob Popovics and more.

There are enough nuggets of wisdom in this book that I'm going to break this into two posts.  Next week I'll post the tips on equipment and more.  For now, here are some of the fishing tips with some comments from the novice...

Rod, Reel & The Kitchen Sink

So you've decided to start fly fishing.  All you need are some flies and a rod and reel, right?  Then you start looking at fly fishing gear.  Yes, you need a rod and reel.  But you also need to get the right fly line, leader and tippet material.  And you'll need a some strike indicators so that you can tell when the fish are taking your fly.  And if you'll be nymphing it might be a good idea to have some weight so the fly gets down in the water more quickly.  You must have a a line/leader straightener.  A tippet holder is essential.  And a Ty-Rite Jr or Clinch Tool Knot Tyer will make knots simple and easy.  And you have to have thermometer otherwise how will you know how cold the water is?  And how will you know how many fish you've caught if you don't have a fish counter?  And the list goes on and on and on...

There is a lot of "stuff" out there for fisherman.  A lot of gear and gadgets that make themselves out to be invaluable to fly fishing.  But what exactly do you need?  Besides your rod, reel and line what do you really need in order to go fly fishing?  So from someone who just started fishing, and is definitely fishing on a budget, here is my list of the basic equipment that will get you fly fishing without having to buy the kitchen sink.

Fly Fishing Etiquette

As a general rule, fly fishers are among the nicest people I have met. I've had complete strangers offer suggestions on casting and presentation. They've shared with me what flies are catching fish on that day. I've even been given the last fly someone had that they knew was catching fish. But I have met some rude fisherman...


I've mentioned a couple of times how another fisherman cut a fly off my line at Bennett Springs last month. He and another fisherman were facing downstream casting toward the dam. I waded out until I was about 20-30 feet upstream and 10-15 feet past them into the stream. Figuring that this was enough space where we wouldn't be hitting each other with our lines I began casting across the water.  For about thirty minutes I was right.  And then on a back cast our lines got tangled.


He gave me a dirty look as our tangled lines landed on the water. The tangle was closer to him so I let him pull it in to separate our lines. And a few seconds after he had pulled the lines in he tossed my line free. I thought to myself, "That was quick," and started to reel in my line.  And then I noticed that I was missing a fly.  

Fishing Apps For Your Android Phone

One of the gifts I got for Father's Day this year was the Orvis Fly Fishing App for my Android cell phone.  And I have to say that it's one of the best Father's Day gifts I've gotten.  More about that later.  But the Orvis App got me thinking.  This was the only App that I've paid for on my phone. (Yes, it was a gift.  But it's still the same bank account.)  Are there any other free Apps for my Android phone that would be worth having?  So I figured I'd download some free apps and find out.  I downloaded Fishing Knots, Pocket Fisherman, and My Fishing Advisor.  And so, taking into consideration that these three Android Apps are free, here's my humble opinion on them and the Orvis Fly Fishing App...