As guides, we understand that the concept of fly fishing, when you’ve never been before, can be a daunting endeavor. Everything from where are you going, is the water going to be dangerous, what gear do you need to bring, are you going to be walking/hiking a long way, etc. can simply be overwhelming. Of course, the most obvious problem of all is, HOW do you fly fish to catch fish? More importantly, HOW do you cast to get it out there?

If you’ve ever driven in the mountains along a river, you’ve likely seen people fly fishing. Or, you may have seen it in movies or on TV.  It looks like they’re simply standing in the middle of the river and whipping a rod and line around. The fact of the matter is, it’s a little more sophisticated than just whipping the line around. It’s also much more challenging than casting a worm and bobber out and waiting for a fish to come along and eat it. The point of fly fishing is that it IS more challenging to catch the fish. It’s also more rewarding when you fool and catch them. 

The good news is that you’ve booked a trip to go fishing with one of our professional guides and they will teach you “the how” of the sport. However, if you have a rod and reel already and you want to get a head start on learning, or if you just want to see what fly fishing is about so you can become a little more familiar with the process before meeting your guide, you can watch the short series of videos from Orvis provided below. These videos describe the types of casts you may use and how to do them as well as the different methods you may use to catch the fish.

These videos are a great start to learning the basics of fly fishing. However, your guide will expand on the topics in the videos. The main thing we want you to remember is to relax and have fun with the process. After all, fly fishing is supposed to be a fun hobby. Your guide knows you’re not an expert and they’ll help you through the first steps of learning what could potentially become a lifelong passion for you, like it is for all of us at 5280 Angler.

CLICK TO VIEW THE ORVIS “HOW TO FLY FISH” VIDEO SERIES