Flying fishing is a great outdoor activity, but beginners can find themselves in uncharted waters, so to speak, because they don’t have a lot of experience with what is, admittedly, a specialized sport. With that in mind, here are two common mistakes that beginners should try to avoid:
One of the toughest parts of fly fishing can be tying knots correctly. A poor knot can result in losing both flies and fish. Tying strong and reliable knots, however, can be challenging for a beginners. To keep things simple, one should only focus on learning how to tie a clinch knot (for the fly) and a surgeon’s knot (to attach the tippet) as these make up the majority of all the knots one will need to know as a fly fisherman.
Secondly, beginning fly fishers can sometimes get a bit overzealous with their casts, putting a little too much effort into them. Trying to maneuver the ball where one wants it to go through sheer force is often counterproductive. The fly rod and line will do the work for you. Do not be overly assertive with the false casts, but instead let the rod load the line naturally at the tip, while allowing enough time for the loop to build before unleashing the cast in smooth motion.