10 Fly Fishing Tips
by Gary Scavette

Here are some tips to help you this season:

Two flies are better than one
Next time you tie on a tippet leave one of the tag ends long instead of clipping it. Place a fly on the section of tag and another on the end of the tippet. Try this simple "dropper system" you may like it.

Get the whole picture
Polarized glasses are a must for serious subsurface fishing. You can often enhance the filtering effect of polarized lenses by tilting your head from side to side while gazing at the target. This changes the orientation of the polarizing lenses and may help eliminate unwanted rays and give you a better view of the fish.

Be a mayfly magnet
Entice newly emerged mayfly adults to land on you by wearing an article of white clothing. They are attracted toward the sun after emergence (or anything bright). This can assist you in matching the hatch. In addition look for adults on the undersides of leaves and in the air high above your head.

Your final approach
Consider the position of the sun when approaching a fishing opportunity. Fish don't live to be large unless they flee for safety when shadows are cast on the water. Keep this in mind. Keep your shadow off the water.

Tuck it
The tuck cast involves getting the fly to rebound backward on the forward cast so that the leader tucks under the line. This technique is useful in assisting the fly to go deep. The best way to learn the cast is to use a bead head or other relatively heavy fly and simply overpower the forward cast allowing the fly to rebound in the air and fall to the water. Once this starts to work for you, you can try it with other flies. It is worth your time to master this cast.

Check your form
If you have a video camera or know someone who does shoot a few minutes of your own casting. Focus on not only your rod hand but also the path of your line in the air. You would be surprised how much you will learn from this. Few people have a perfect casting form and this is a great way to improve. You must first see what needs to be fixed.

Fish close
Beginners often fixate on a potential fish holding spot and neglect all water between where they are standing and that spot. It is easy to do. Force yourself to present the fly close and progressively work further and further out toward your spot. You will spook less fish that way.

Hide the leader
As the sun rises and changes the angle of light on the water fish may become ever more aware of your leader. This can make dry fly fishing a challenge. You may combat this in a variety of ways. The first is to switch to a smaller diameter leader. Another is to make the first few inches of your leader in front of the fly sink so that is not leaving distortion on the water's surface. You can do this by rubbing it with Orvis soft lead or other leader sink material. Finally, if you have not tried fluorocarbon leader material you should. It can really improve your success.

Slack off
It is possible to get a good natural drift with a full downstream presentation. Just be sure to throw plenty of slack into the cast and let it end with your rod tip high. As the current takes your fly drop the rod tip with it to get a natural drift. This technique will allow you to fish much water that could not otherwise be fished with the traditional upstream presentation.

Write it down
Record weather, water and air temp, flow conditions, what was caught and how. This information can help you decide where and how to fish in the future. Most importantly it makes you take careful note of the environment around you and analyze the conditions. Ultimately, a journal will help you to learn more about fly fishing.

You may contact me with additional questions regarding this article or fly fishing in general at Northeast Anglers Inc., 1-800-558-7658 or e mail me at gary@northeastanglers.com .

Gary Scavette is a registered Maine Guide, USCG licensed captain, and the president of Northeast Anglers Inc.