FISH ON!
Ten Top Tips
by a Fly Fishing Instructor
1) PVC floating fly lines need periodic cleaning. Use soapy water, not detergent. Dry the line and polish it with a silicone furniture polish such as Mr Sheen. The line will float higher and lift off with minimal surface disturbance.
2) If any of your flies were at all damp when you stored them for the winter, the hooks may have rusted and become weak at the barb cut. New flies cost very little; rusty ones could cost you your finest fish of the new season.
3) When there is no obvious hatch, an aquarium net pulled through the weeds or among the stones will reveal which nymphs are near to hatching, then once a hatch does begin you can be ready with a matching artificial.
4) If the winch nut on your reel seat tends to jam, run the threads with candle wax. You should have no more trouble with it for the rest of the season.
5) Lost your scissors and can't break your 10lb nylon? Tie a single overhand knot at the point where you want the nylon to break; a moderate tug and it will snap quite easily. (Never fish if you know there is a wind knot in your leader!)
6) Dry fly stuck in a tree too high to reach? Pull in the line and leader until the tip ring of the rod reaches the fly. A gentle jiggle will often unhook the fly.
7) Want to add to your casting skills? Set a goal of learning one or two new casts each year. An hour or two with your REFFIS Instructor and you will soon master the roll cast, switch cast, Spey, double haul, steeple, shepherd's crook or snake roll - and there are plenty more useful casts!
8) Keep your sea-trout flies in tidy rows in your fly box, one pattern/size per row, so you can select the fly you want without using a torch and impairing your night vision. Try tying on flies with your eyes closed: it is possible ... with practice!
9) Double hook sea-trout flies have larger eyes than singles of the same size, and are much easier to tie on in the dark.
10) To check a multi-fly leader in the dark, listen carefully as you cast. A 'swoosh' indicates that the leader is tangled. (Time for a casting lesson to polish your technique?)