Until I fished in an international rules fishing competition I had no idea that netting fish actually required any thought or practice. However, once I watched some real masters with a net I was convinced. Many fish are lost just before they are landed and a big reason for this is that the angler just doesn’t have a net or doesn’t have the netting part down. Here are a few net things to think about:

1. When placing the net slip it straight into the water, almost with an easy jabbing motion, just under the fish instead of trying to sweep it through the current up to the fish. The resistance of the net bag against the water makes sweeping the net in this manner very slow and inaccurate and will give the fish more time to become unhooked.

2. Carry a net with a large opening and large relatively shallow bag. This will make it hard to miss the net with the fish. The wide shallow bag will also help you to reach in and remove hooks easily and get the fish back to the water safely.

3. In order to release fish unharmed, always use a net with a soft rubber bag or rubberized coating on the netting material. The old green or black fishing nets with knotted netting material are brutal to the protective slime and scales and fish with damaged scales or slime will often contract diseases that can later kill them.

4. Work the fish to the surface and even slide it across the surface into the net. A fish at the water’s surface will become far easier to control than one that is deep and can still use the current to its advantage. Many fish are lost because the angler tries to net them when they are still too deep.

Using a net, if it is the right net used in the right way, will actually help you to land more fish and will help you to release the fish with less stress and potential for harm. Practice netting just as you practice other fishing skills and you’ll be surprised at how much easier landing and releasing fish becomes.

One of the very most interesting, rewarding, and potentially frustrating aspects of fly fishing is the problem solving that is required to match mayfly hatches. Sometimes getting into a fish’s head is downright difficult, but, when it all works out it can be sweet. Here are some things to think about when matching mayfly hatches.

1. Remember that most species of mayflies hatch in relative abundance. This means that fish see a lot of them and get really good at identifying them. Match your flies as exactly as possible to the hatching insects according to these 4 factors in this order of importance:

* First match the shape/silhouette of the natural insects.
* Second, match the size of the insects with your fly. This is vital in most situations. In a few hatches with large numbers of naturals, fish will actually key on a fly that is a size larger than the bugs on the water.
* Third, match the movement of the naturals. 95% of the time with mayflies this means a perfectly dead drift in the right current seams. 5% of the time, usually only with large mayflies like drakes, a slight twitch in the feeding zone can draw a strike.
* Fourth, match the color of the insect last. Usually light and dark are enough but very picky fish will key on certain shades.

2. Remember to study the hatch times of the hatches on your river. Different species hatch at different times of the year and different times of the day. It is often very tough fishing just after a hatch. Use a hatch guide book to determine approximate times and try to get there early so you can be ready when it starts.

3. Don’t overlook emergers. Many, if not most, of the visible rises during a mayfly hatch are actually fish feeding on emergers that are stuck just under the surface film.

4. Don’t underestimate cripple patterns. Many hatching mayflies get stuck as they try to shed the exoskeleton or get blown over and partially drowned as they dry their wings. These crippled mayflies are easy pickings and the fish know it.

Don’t miss your local mayfly hatches this season. Get a hatch chart or some local info and get out there and match the mayfly hatch. When it all comes together it can simply make grown men giddy.

Technology creates some interesting and funny situations these days. A few days ago a friend of mine was giving me real-time fishing updates as I sat at the computer. The fishing was “off” at the time so we talked about tactics. There had been a hatch earlier in the day but once it ended the feeding had pretty much stopped. He tried a few different unconventional tactics just short of TNT and luckily found some things that worked. Here’s some things to try when the fish are off.

1. Cover way more water. Even when most of the fish are not feeding a few will be. Increase the pace at which you cover water and you’ll be more likely to get you fly in front of a few fish that are feeding.

2. Go big and bold. Sometimes even fish that seem to be full can’t resist the chance for a big meal. Try big dries, big bright nymphs, or even big streamers.

3. Go small. I know I just said go big but, I’ll admit, it doesn’t always work. Especially on tailwaters and spring creeks, go tiny, very tiny. Size 24 midge larva patterns on 7X tippet are a favorite of mine when the fish get ultra picky.

3. Move your offerings right as they get into the fish zone. A twitch or a lift can entice a strike, even from fish that seem completely satiated.

4. Bump them in the nose. Especially where you can see fish, work on getting the perfect drift so that your nymphs get exactly in the fish’s face. You’ll either scare them or they’ll give in. However, once you get your fly on the fish’s nose once, if it doesn’t take it, revert to number 1 above and cover a lot of water until you find another fish.

Hopefully, the fish are always in a furious feeding mode for you, but if you happen to have an “off” day, at least give these things a try. You don’t have much to lose.

The term Blue Winged Olive refers to small mayflies that generally have an olive body and blue-grey wings in the adult stage. In actuality, there are many many species of mayflies that fall into the BWO category and they can range from dark grey to light green in body and can have dark gray to light gray wings. Most though are olive or medium grey bodied with medium dun wings.

Springtime is known as BWO time on many waters. Hatches are most frequent from March to May and the most common sizes are 18 to 22. Here are a few of my favorite Spring Blue Winged Olive patterns:

1. Parachute blue winged olive - This classic BWO pattern rests low in the water to mimic a hatching insect but offers great visibility to the angler because of the visible parachute post.

2. Blue winged olive sparkle dun - This pattern utilizes a hair wing for good floatation and a z-lon tail to imitate the trailing shuck of a hatching BWO.

3. Blue winged olive bunny dun - The excellent floatation properties of rabbit fur combine with a realistically slim tapered profile to closely imitate adult BWOs.

4. Blue winged olive Barr’s emerger - This nymph and emerger imitates the BWO in mid hatch stage and is perfect to use the morning before a hatch and in the early stages of the hatch, or even as a dropper during the middle of the hatch.

5. The micro mayfly nymph - Both the olive and brown versions of this nymph are excellent imitators of the BWO nymph.

Get out on the water and cast some BWOs this Spring. Even though they are small, they hatch in abundance and get the fish and the fishermen excited.

Years ago there seemed to be an unwritten code of conduct that went along with outdoor sports like fly fishing. While there’s always been those that were difficult, most simply understood that out on the river you don’t get too close to fellow anglers, don’t jump in and fish in front of someone, and try to be, at least outwardly, very courteous upon meeting. Today, most of us have stories about discourteous encounters on the water; I know that I do. Although fly fishermen are far better than most others at sticking to etiquette, it doesn’t hurt to have a few reminders.

1. Always allow plenty of space. This amount of space will vary according to location. Some busy tailwaters may only require 50 to 100 yards and on some uncrowded streams you may want to allow 1/2 a mile or more. Be mindful to leave plenty of space on small streams where the other angler will have to cover more length of water to find the same number of fish they might find in a short length of a big river. If you’re in a boat, simply keep your distance.

2. Don’t hog holes. If you find a great pool or run it’s certainly OK to fish it hard but if others seem like they’d like to try it then move on. It can be frustrating when drifting a river to encounter someone who continually rows back up river to fish the same spot over and over forcing you to drift by them and not be able to fish the spot at all.

3. Allow the angler fishing upstream the right of way. This is an old notion, but one that we should all stick to. If you’re moving downstream as you fish and encounter someone, allow the angler working up to stay on the water and leap frog around him. This way once you’ve passed each other you’ll create distance faster as you fish away from each other.

4. Be very respectful of the river and it’s surroundings. Clean up, take care of your business in the right place, practice catch and release, and make as little negative impact on the resource as possible.

5. If you fish in a state that allows access on private property then do everything possible to protect fences, livestock, and property. Be respectful of high water marks and landowner wishes. Once again, take care of your business in the right place, not on someones property. It’s better to develop good relationships with landowners even when the law allows you to fish through.

Like it or not, we’re all representing all fly anglers in our conduct on the water. Let’s be cool to each other.

AnimatedKnots.com - is a great website to get step by step guide to tying perfect knots.

This was recommended to us by several of our readers so we thought we’d share it to everyone.

Thanks for the tip guys!

Occasionally I’ll talk with someone who loves fishing only one place or one time of year or day because that is a place or time where or when they are confident and more successful with a certain technique that they have developed. One of the great things about fly fishing is that it can bring satisfaction in so many ways and, when someone is satisfied with this scenario, I am pleased right along with them. However, some people in this situation only fish one place or time but really wish that they could fish lots of places and times and enjoy success. Here are a few tips for developing all around skills.

1. Research techniques, rigs, and flies. Sometimes an article, a DVD, or a chapter from a book can bring those “ah ha” moments. There’s also a wealth of info on the internet, like our repository of RiverBum tips on our blog, The Ripple. In researching and studying these sources of info you’ll often learn or notice something and won’t be able to wait to get on the water to try it out. Approach fly fishing research like you would approach school or professional development and you’ll have a higher likelihood of success.

2. Hire a guide to fish where or when you’d like to learn more. The kind of specific knowledge that guides develop and can teach you come from years of studying their craft and the locations they fish. These skills and knowledge can’t be acquired in any other way than by a guide imparting it to you on the water. Sometimes it just takes doing things a little bit differently, or fishing a size smaller fly, or approaching from a different angle, and, all of a sudden, you’ll have it.

3. Last but not least, experiment and practice. I actually learned to fish this way, basically by trial, error, and occasional success. I remember not being able to catch a single fish on what is now practically my home river for the first 5 or so trips I went there. I kept trying new things and eventually I started to get it and I started to catch fish. Make sure to try things that you aren’t comfortable doing, whether it is a new rig, new kinds of flies, or new techniques. You’ll be surprised how many fish you can catch doing things that seem out of the ordinary and then you’ll also surprise yourself with how fast a little practice and success can help you hone your new skills.

If you feel like you’re in a bit of a fly fishing rut then try these things to break out of it. You’ll be a more rounded and, best of all, a more successful angler.

Sometimes when a fish breaks off we assume that we tied a bad knot. That’s possible, however, many times we probably just tied the wrong knot. Here’s a few functional knots and some of the applications they are best for:

Clinch Knot or Improved Clinch Knot: This is the old standard “fisherman’s knot” that is still widely used. It works well as a connection from tippet to fly and is fairly easy to tie. There are other knots that probably retain a little more of the tippet strength but this one is fast and still relatively strong. I’ve found the Improved Clinch Knot to be better for larger hooks and the standard Clinch Knot perhaps a little better for light tippet and small hooks.

Trilene Knot: This knot is essentially a Clinch Knot with the added step of passing the line twice through the eye of the hook. This knot is a strong connection between tippet and fly and is much better than the Clinch Knot for large hooks such as those used for Bass Flies, Steelhead/Salmon Flies, and Saltwater Flies.

Blood Knot: I generally prefer this knot over the Double Surgeons Knot for joining two sections of tippet or leader to tippet. It has the added advantage of tag ends that protrude from the knot at 90 degree angles from the main tippet/leader. When left long these tags a better for droppers than the tags of the Double Surgeon’s Knot since they don’t tangle as easily. The Blood Knot is generally stronger than the Double Surgeon’s Knot when used with two leader sections of similar diameter.

Double Surgeon’s Knot: Although I generally prefer the Blood Knot, I still use this knot for joining leader material when the diameter of the two leader sections differs more than one or two sizes.

My advice on knots is to just learn one or two knots for every application. Basically, you need to know how to tie a few of them fairly quickly and know when to use them. There are probably hundreds of knots out there that work, but I find that if I know the basics pretty well then I’m able to fish more and avoid wasting a lot of time thinking about tying knots.

Winter is still gripping most of North America but Spring is in sight. This is the perfect time to go over gear to make sure you’re ready for fast and furious fishing this season. One of the most important things to check is your fly line. A new fly line will float better, mend better, cast farther, and come off the water easier, and with less splash, so you don’t scare fish.

I like to get out all of my fly lines this time of year and evaluate them. Some of them may just need a good cleaning, while others just need to be tossed and replaced.

To check your lines, run your fingers down them feeling for cracks, rough spots, and places with inconsistencies. Also, look closely at your lines for dirt and other things that will worsen the line’s performance. If I find just a little dirt, I’ll clean the line, either with a soft clothe and water or with a fly line cleaning kit. If there are visible cracks, roughness, smashed sections, or missing line coating, then I will replace the line.

You don’t realize how much a new fly line really helps your fishing until you try one. The smooth zip of the line as you cast and the overall better performance of the line on the water and in the air is a great way to bring in a new fly fishing season this Spring.

Winter brings a lot of things to the trout stream. Snow, ice, and cold are a few of them, luckily, so are fewer anglers and many midges.

Midge hatches hone an anglers skills more than almost any other kind of fishing. The flies are tiny, the tippets are light, and the presentations are delicate. This kind of fishing might sound difficult. It is. However, it can also be very rewarding. Here are a few things to remember when midging.

Think Small - There are thousands of species that fall into the “midge” category that range in size from barely visible to inch-long behemoths of the insect world. However, most midges in rivers and streams are between about size 24 and size 18.

Think Light - These small flies require light tippets. I like to use 6X or 7X standard tippet when I’m fishing midge dry flies and usually 5X or 6X flourocarbon tippet when I’m fishing midge nymphs. Remember that a light fly rod like a 3 or 4 weight will offer more tippet protection for these light tippets.

Think Soft - When trout begin to key on midges they notice even the smallest details. Summer time fish will sometimes rush to check out the plop of a hopper pattern but slapping your midges down in front of winter fish will send them into hibernation. Your midges must land soft and drift perfectly or fish will likely ignore them.

Luckily for us, most midge hatches are quite large in terms of numbers of bugs. Fish have to eat a lot of them to make a decent meal which means more opportunities for strikes. Get out there and toss (softly of course) some midges. The Winter weather is actually not all that bad when you have fish on the line.