As a beginner I have been surfing the net looking for advice - I copy below the response to the question "I use a 4lb flurocarbon leader but have"nt had a lot of success with it.Just wondering what everyone else would use?"

I just like the commentary and I certainly found some good tips in it. Anyway enjoy..


"In my younger days, I used floating line, green, plus a 8 or 9 foot long tapered mono filament leader line. Some days I would use the 4 pound tip for smaller trout, greyling. And if I began to loose to many fish while still attached to my fly,( size 16 to 18 work better than the size 14 found in many stores ), I would continue tying flies to my line anyway as tying back always provided me with stronger line. Being frugal has it's limits though. Once the line would not thread through the fly's eye, I would retie another tapered leader, but with a couple pounds stronger end for tying on dry flys.

The tapered leaders present dry flys easier than using straight mono line. Mono is cheaper to use, but takes a bit more work to learn how to present on water in a straight line. It can be done. All you have to to is practice/learn.

I mentioned using the smaller and more expensive dry flies. Trout and greyling at least in Alaska take these flies more readily than the size 14 flies. Buy/try different flies/patterns. Some have interesting names and histories! And most mimic insect hatching's that happen spring, early, mid, late summer, early, mid. late fall.

Dry fly imitations of insects are only a portion of what fish attempt to feed on. There are a number of wet flies that imitate insects in their larval form living in the water column or on the gravel surface.
Buy wet flies that best match the color of the gravel or mud where you fly fish.
Some bottoms are brownish, tanish, greenish. Some have Mud. Some are gravel.

Then there are the fish egg imitations, single egg, egg clusters.
Streamer flys. Etc.

Fly presentation may help you also. Making the line/fly land upstream and letting fly either float downstream naturally, by following fly with rod tip and/or stripping out fly line at the same time to match current flow works.
Or let line straighten out and then fly leaves a awake as it is pushed by the current down stream
On lakes or very slow moving bodies of water, you supply the flys movement by stripping in line. That is grasping fly line near the nearest line guide ring nearest to the reel. Or by lifting rod tip up and in the direction you hope fly will take.

And there is working the fly line smoothly in a classic "s" pattern over head. With practice you will have your fly still attached to the line as it lands just where you wanted it to! Even in winds! I did mention practice? As in lots of. And patience. And learning from mistakes.

Then there is fly fishing styles dictated by the kind of foot gear you use. Shoes, knee rubber boots for onshore fishing. And rubber hip boots, chest waders for fishing attempts nearer fish.
I have found fly fishing works best a bit farther away from what you want to catch. Something about fishes personal space and preserving its feeling of just another beautimous day to be alive, eating good food, having the waters all to itself and its friends. And not being scared of some big animal nearby that may try to kill/eat it. Or at least make it hide with the idea of feeding later and getting along with its life once the big"it" goes away."