Although it is usually best to do everything you can do to avoid moving your dry fly on the water occasionally it works to break the rules a little.

Recently I was casting to cruising fish on a lake and found this to be the very best way to catch them. As the fish cruised, it was difficult to always get the fly right in front of them but if I got it close and then gave it a twitch the big rainbows would see it and come right over and slurp it.

This probably only works when fish are acting reasonably aggressive and probably isn’t the best tactic when fishing mayflies or other hatch matching bugs to rising fish, however, if you find yourself throwing hoppers or other terrestrials on stillwater or even on slow moving rivers or streams try giving them an occasional twitch and then hang on.

Everyone knows that the big boys come out to feed at night. Here are some of my favorite nighttime tactics.

Fish big - Lots of times fish lose all caution at night and just want to eat a big meal, not unlike myself. This is when I pull out the size 8 PMXs, Stimulators, Chernobyls, Mice, and other such patterns. Either fish these to visible risers, blind cast and listen, or skate them across the surface of your favorite big fish lairs and hang on.

Fish into the glare - When it is getting too hard to see position yourself so that you are casting into the glare left by the sunset or the glare of the moon. This way you can often pick out the silhouette of your dry fly or at least see the rise of a fish and try to get close.

Fish streamers - If seeing is just impossible trying fishing by feel with streamers. Cast across current and either strip or swing your fly through spots that you know hold fish. You may have to scout these spots in the light and then come back. The feel of a big fish grabbing your fly will be enough to make this worth tripping your way back to the truck.

Try these simple things the next time you’re out after dark and looking for the lunker that you know is in your favorite hole.

Sometimes fish hold in locations where the best angle of approach is very obvious, however, at other times there may appear to be several angles that might work. Most anglers are likely to take the easiest approach even if it might not be the best. There are many factors that can determine which angle is best; here are some ideas that may help you to determine the best way to approach fish in different situations:

1. Remember that fish face upstream and cannot see directly behind them but that they can see a line or even leader when it lands directly above them. For this reason it is often good to approach wary fish from behind but at enough of an angle to allow you to land your line away from the fish. This requires an upstream and across approach and cast and is the way to go most often when dry fly fishing in relatively even current.

2. In situations with uneven currents or very obvious pockets in slow water, evaluate the drift you can obtain from different angles. Sometimes casting across currents and getting a dead drift either isn’t possible even with lots of mending or curve casts. For this reason it may be best to position yourself directly downstream of the fish standing in the same current lane and casting with care not to land your line to heavily on the water above the fish.

3. Very picky fish in heavily fished waters can often see virtually any leader. The best angle of approach for these kind of fish is a downstream or down and across cast with enough slack to allow some dead drift. This makes it so that your fly gets to the fish before your leader. This angle does require some stealth and a little longer cast so you aren’t detected.

4. Fish often hold underneath banks, logs, and other debris. Approaching from across the stream is often a good way to ensure that you get the fly as close as possible to the bank but may require an upstream curve cast or mend to ensure a good drift. Another way to do this is to approach from the bank side and simply drop your fly from on top of the bank or debris and allow it to drift with little or no line in the water.

5. Remember to stay low when approaching fish. The higher you get in relation to the position of the fish the more likely it becomes that the fish will see you and spook. Use the refractive qualities of the water’s surface or use riffled or rough water between you and the fish to hide yourself.

6. Whenever possible approach in shadows of trees or rocks to hide your profile. The worst sun angle is at your back because it creates a dark shadow on the side of your body that the fish see. Even though the sun may illuminate you and cause a few glare issues it is actually better to approach with the sun in your face to avoid spooking fish.

This is probably a lot to think about when you’re planning your approach to a fish but practice and think about these ideas and you’ll become a lot more likely to not spook fish and to get effective presentations to them.

Many times on stream you’ll find yourself prospecting or surveying by blind casting, dries, nymphs, or dry-dropper rigs to likely looking spots. Remember when you are doing this that often the feeding fish aren’t always in the deepest and most likely looking spots but are closer to edges or in the shallower parts of riffles or tailouts of runs and pools.

I have a friend (who we’ll call Herbert to protect, sorry to the Herberts out there) who almost always approaches likely looking runs and pools and immediately casts over all of the marginal and even good looking water to hit the prime spot. In so doing he invariably scares most of the fish in the run.

Occasionally he catches a few which only seems to reinforce his bad habit. When someone else does this we call it “Herberting” up the run. A better way to handle this is to fish to the less likely but closer water first then work your way up to the prime stuff.

Don’t be sucked in and immediately boom a cast over all the other fish you could have caught. If you cover water effectively you’ll have the chance to catch far more fish and you’ll still get to eventually cast into that honey spot.

One of the great things about fly fishing is all the cool stuff. However, many fly fishers seem to struggle with where to put it all and then struggle in finding and using it effectively.

Over the last few years I’ve tried to decide which organization system for all this stuff works best. Even though I’ve been teased for wearing a necklace, I absolutely love lanyards. They are perfect for storing the essentials like snips, hemostats, tippet, floatant, and even a few flies.

Even better, all of this stuff stays right at your fingertips for easy access. If you set your lanyard up right you can get enough on it that it becomes almost the only piece of equipment you need other than rod and reel and, if set up right, you can still keep it light and comfortable.

If you haven’t yet found that perfect spot for all your stuff, try a lanyard. It isn’t just a necklace.

It seems like every year you here of some tragedy associated with high water. Luckily, it isn’t usually fly anglers involved. However, it is always important to remember wading safety, especially when the rivers are roaring.

Always make sure to wear the appropriate footwear - preferably studded wading boots, make sure your waders fit properly and that you wear a snug wading belt, carry and use a wading staff, and possibly the best advice I can muster is just to stay out of the water all together as much as possible. Most fish will be pushed to the banks so they don’t have to fight the heavy currents anyway, so it is best to stay completely out of the water and fish in protected spots along the shore.

High water is powerful. It will often roll boulders the size of Volkswagons down stream. It is best to simply stay out of the water, but if you must, wade safe!

Most of the time when you think of nymph fishing in high water you think of using large dark nymphs like black stoneflies or prince nymphs in size 12, 10 or even 8. While these are tried and true flies for high water, sometimes they just aren’t what the fish are looking for.

Lots of tailwaters and other streams simply don’t have many large invertebrate food sources so fish won’t be likely to key on them even when the water is high and dirty.

In these situations or when the big stuff just isn’t working it is good to go to smaller flashy nymphs like the Batman Nymph, Rainbow Warriors, Lightning Bugs, Copper Johns, or a Hot Wire Prince Nymphs in size 18 to 14.

Keep these drifting deep in slower pockets near the bank where fish will go to escape the current. High water fish are often hungry and strong so be ready for hard takes and tough battles in the heavy currents.

For many anglers stillwater fly fishing is a kind of ugly cousin to river and stream fishing. I admittedly used to look at it a bit that way. However, this time of year I actually itch to get out on the lakes.

When the ice comes off the fish feed like crazy and these are often much bigger fish than you might find in your local streams (my 6 pound brown this week being an example).

Stillwater fly fishing presents it’s own challenges as well. Lake fish feed at different depths at different times and on different food items. Locating them is sometimes more challenging than it is on rivers that have clearly defined fishy water. If you’re hesitant to try stillwater fishing just get out and try it during the runnoff this year when you have nothing else going on, and say “hi” because that’s probably where I’ll be.

One often overlooked category of flies are the terrestrials, especially beetles and ants. Most of the time you don’t see them on the banks or in the stream-side vegetation in great numbers so you don’t really think about using beetle and ant patterns.

Trout, however, are almost certain to know what they are. Many times when things have been slow I’ve tied on a Foam Ant, a Hi-vis Beetle, or even a Chernobyl Ant and have had them inhaled by hungry day-saving fish.

Beetle and Ant patterns seem to work especially well between major hatches when fish aren’t seeing and keying in on any one particular food item. Be sure to have several beetle and ant patterns in your box; you’ll be glad you did; the fish won’t.

For those of us that live and breathe fly fishing it’s sometimes difficult to remember when it was all new and a little confusing. Fly fishing has so many different fly patterns, types of gear, gadgets, and such that it is easy to get overwhelmed. Like almost every other sport though it is best to first learn and focus on the basics. If you’re just getting started or if you know someone that is here are the most important and essential items to get you in the game:

Fly Rod - If you intend to fish for trout, panfish, or similar size fish a rod rated for a 5 weight line is a great start and is really versatile. I suggest an 8 1/2 foot or 9 foot “fast action” or stiff fly rod. Although many fast action rods cost a little more they are much easier for most beginners to cast. We could go into why but trust me here. The Sage Z-axis, Winston Boron IIx, or G. Loomis StreamDance GLX are all great options.

Reel - Simply buy a reel that accommodates a 5 weight line. I suggest a reel with a large arbor but it isn’t vital. There are lot’s of great options from Ross and Lamson. If money is a little tight or you’re not sure about it you can save a little money here and spend it on the rod. As you progress you will shortly appreciate a good smooth drag but it also isn’t necessarily essential.

Line - Start with a weight forward 5 weight floating fly line. Scientific Anglers and Rio make great lines. In general, the more you spend the better your durability and casting distance is likely to be.

Leaders - Start with a 9 foot tapered leaders. This is simplified a bit but basically 3x is a good size for Streamer Flies, 4x is a good size for nymphs, and 5x is a good size for dry flies.

Flies - If you need to fill your first basic fly box I would choose a few dry flies like Parachute Adams and Elk Hair Caddis in size 18, 16, and 14, a few nymphs like Bead Head Hares Ears and Pheasant Tails in 18, 16, and 14, and Some Black, Olive, and Brown Bead Head Wooly or Crystal Buggers in size 10, 8, and 6.

This is really all you need to get out and catch some fish and have tons of fun doing it. Hope to see you on the water for years to come.