5 Tips Towards Becoming An Independent Angler
- Educate yourself. Whether a one day class or a dedicated friend, become a student of fly fishing. Learn the basics in a classroom setting or outside. Take notes, read and watch videos to review what you have learned.
- Be like George Michael, you gotta have faith, faith, faith. Go fishing and be confident that you are going to catch fish. Not everyday is easy, but don’t give up on a drift, your casting or the fish to come for a visit. Put the fly out there, get the best drift you can and get ready.
- Don’t be Insane. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result teaches you nothing. This may seem contractive to the previous tip. But you need to observe and analyze everything going around you. What are the birds doing, what is that nymph shuck on the rock, who was that shadow that just left the bank? I am very methodical in my approach to change. If what I am fishing isn’t working, I only change one thing, add more weight, move the indicator or change the fly, not everything at once. Every little thing is a clue towards success. Next time you go out you will have those past experiences to build upon and hopefully one step closer to catching a fish.
- Listen, don’t talk. You can learn a lot of information on the local conditions or a finer detail of fishing while listening to the chatter around you. In the parking lot, the coffee shop, or the fly shop. Quietly go about your business but have your radar on. You will learn something. Ask questions and be humble.
- GO FISHING, by yourself. Not a social outing, not what anyone else told you to do. Just go even if its the pond behind the mall or that little creek you saw on your way home from work. Even if you have to schedule it, only for 1.5-2 hours if that is all you can spare. Get out and rig up and figure it out yourself. No one there to tell you what to tie on or suggest your weight is too close to your indicator. Just get out there. The more you get your gear together and go, the easier it will become and the more you will figure out on the water.