Spent the last few nights watching Oliver Edward's Fishing Essentials.
I started fly fishing last year thinking there is not much to this game.
Chuck it out and catch the trout-- easy as that.
How wrong I was-- so much to learn—too little time to fit it all in.
I have and probably will always be in the 90% of anglers who don't catch fish.
But if- in the next few years, I can learn a bit about this great sport and
maybe occasionally be in the 10% who do catch fish----I will be happy.

Hi

Ive been fishing over 20 years and i still blank , Its not easy and takes some serious knowledge to be very good. Theres a vast ammount of information on here.

Tight lines for yor fishing ventures.

If you enjoy the whole journey from 10% all the way to 90...thats all that matters....

Hi Morrisdancer,
And I even blank and I have had it happen to me when guiding. The point of all of this is to take it step by step. Becoming an overall experienced fly fisher takes time and practice. It all means learning from each experience you encounter and trying to work out what happened.
Fly Fishing is a wonderful sport and there are so many ready to help you.
I take it that you fish rivers (given the OLE comments). Well that is a good place to start. Pick a technique and stick with it for a while until you are ready to tackle another. Experience will build up.
Now at this time of the year we are in a perfect place to concentrate on dry fly. And, don't try too many different flies. Size is more important so have a few flies in a few sizes.
Now people will give you heaps of advise but you can't go past a Grey Duster or Adams in a parachute style.
Don't be afraid to ask other anglers you meet. Ask them: How is it going today for you? what have you been catching on? I bet you end up with a few flies which you can use. Also sit down and watch them for a while, try and work out what they are doing different to you. You will find that it is not too much but they are more confident.
It is all about confidence and that comes from practice and experience.
So don't settle for just being one of the 90% because in reality anyone can learn and be successful.
Oh, by the way, ignore those that catch heaps. One or two a day in the beginning is a major achievement.
So go to it with confidence and I bet you will improve each time you go fishing...

__________________
"A traditional wet fly addict"

Uk representative and Instructor for Fly Fishing Masters - www.flyfishingmasters.co.uk

Distributor for Terenzio Silk and Artificial Silk Fly Lines - Pay distributor retail price.

Morris, here's the way I see it. The people who get the most out of fly fishing are those who love first and foremost just being out there. Seeing the rivers and the lakes, standing there alone at dawn fishing, still being there as dusk falls. Being a participant in nature rather than just a voyeur as most people are these days.

The people who get into this game only for the thrill of catching never last long because everything else is a letdown to them. Being out there, at all times of day and night, in all weather, to them it's something to be endured, not enjoyed. No one will last long in this sport if they're counting the seconds between takes as if their life was draining away.

I don't know anything about what makes a "great" angler or what it takes to become one. I also don't care if anyone ever mentions my name after I'm gone and says, "He was a great fisherman."

But what I would like, is for people to see and remember that nobody loves being out there more than I do. I love the good days when the fishing all comes together and I laugh at the bad days because I don't believe such a thing really exists when we're talking about fishing.

As part of learning to be a better angler, I hope you find joy in some part of fishing that's beyond catching fish.

Grouse

My most memorable nights fishing last year was the night I ended up in the water to get a trout out of the reeds, it was badly tangled up, While I stood there dripping wet, with my arms stretched wide open( crucifixtion style) dealing with a tangle, a stag Roe deer came down to the bank opposite for a drink about 20 feet from me, I kept dead still as it looked me up and down and kept drinking.
The most memorable night the year before was having a couple of grass snakes swimming around and around me when i was wading.
Year before that having a blank night when the wind and rain got up to missery level no 9 and as i got to the car. from a solitary tree by the track in the howling wind I heard my first ever nightingale giving it the whole repetoir (unless you have heard one you just wouldnt understand).

Year before at the same spot Seeing a log floating down at dusk , which then had two smaller logs and turned out to be a family of otters playing in the pool just under the bridge i was stood on.
year before that while wading by some reeds hearing a monster from hell snorting away then the reeds going crazy and then parting right next to me and the striped nose of a badger sticking through to slurp up some water from the stream...... are you getting a pattern here?
Who cares if your in the 10% or the 90%, fishings just an excuse for messing about by a river.

One of the best posts I've read on this forum.

No-one likes to blank but that's just one small part of it.

It's the learning that does it for me. As you say, so much to get to grips with. Rome wasn't built in a day though. If I learn one new thing on a day out, whether it be a little tip to help my casting, a suggestion of a fly to use, a new knot or something similar, I'll soak it up and store it (and quite often make a note of it when I get home so I don't forget).

And then of course, there's all that stuff whingingpom mentions. I've seen owls, kingfishers and snakes amongst the local wildlife. Awesome!

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