Top Tips For A Novice

[sinkingtip]

Gentlemen - what would your top 5 tips for a novice be ?
mine would have to include -

1) Learn to tie a good turle knot. You might be fishing good water, have all the right 'kit', wetting yourself with anticipation and positively spewing confidence. If the fly is not swimming correctly your chances of connecting will diminish.

2) Try to make your last cast of the day as MEANINGFUL as your first. On a personal level, if I have achieved this then I consider myself to have had a successful day regardless of fish caught.....or not.

3) Learn to recognise "a braw flee min". Don't just look at the colours - look at the profile or silhouette - does it look 'real' or 'natural' ?. As an 'add on' to this I would suggest that you try to limit yourself to say a maximum of 5 patterns comprising tubes / waddingtons, big and wee doubles / trebles / singles and variations thereof. Why ? Because if your fly box, or boxes, contain a myriad of patterns then you run a serious risk of developing an angling affliction known as 'fly twitch' for which there is, at present, no known cure. The chances are you will spend more time worrying about your choice of pattern and wanting to change it (flea not in water). Fair enough if changing your fly will make you feel more CONFIDENT....then do it. Just try to avoid doing it every 5 minutes.

4) When the magic moment happens try to stay calm. Easier said than done - I know. PLAY your fish, don't "horse" it. Try to anticipate what its next move MIGHT be. Remember : if its a battle of strength between you and the fish, the fish will always win. After the initial furore of hooking your fish try to manoeuvre the situation where you are opposite the fish or, ideally, the fish is slightly upstream of you. Why ? They tire out more quickly. Try to avoid a situation where you are just simply holding a fish in the current 40 yds below you - why ?.... you might be standing there all day.

5) Take the trouble to learn the etiquette of fishing and field-sports generally. It can take what may seem like a lifetime to make 'good' fishing companions / connections which, once made, will last forever and be very much to your benefit BUT which can also be mercilessly ripped from you in a nano second for a variety of reasons...... some of which may SEEM remarkably trivial to you. Be warned !

Regards to all as always

STip

[lamson]

1) Don't scare the fish.

2) Usually ,fish a taut line.

3) Don't just cast a line , fish it.

4) Choose appropriate fly tyeing materials eg soft , crinkly hair for smaller flies.

5) Physical comfort is more important than expensive tackle , bear this in mind when spending your kit budget.

[neptune]

i found my best tip i was given was try what people tell you. MOST of them are trying to help

take home what you take with you. there is nothing worse than cans,bottles,crisp packets etc. left lying on the bank

SMALL STEPS when wading (this was found out the hard way)

try to fish a big stretch not just the pool you seen a few being caught in

enjoy it no matter what even if you dont catch anything. look around you people in the citys would kill to be in your shoes (or waders) enjoying the peace & scenerey

[speyghillie]

1. If you can afford it, get proper tuition.

2. Join a local club or Angling assocaition.

3. Try before you buy on Rods and Reels.

4. Enroll in Fly-Tying classes during the winter months - it's such a pleasure to catch fish on your own flies.

5. Buy a compact digital camera and throw away your priest.

[sinkingtip]

neptune said:

i found my best tip i was given was try what people tell you. MOST of them are trying to help

take home what you take with you. there is nothing worse than cans,bottles,crisp packets etc. left lying on the bank

SMALL STEPS when wading (this was found out the hard way)

try to fish a big stretch not just the pool you seen a few being caught in

enjoy it no matter what even if you dont catch anything. look around you people in the citys would kill to be in your shoes (or waders) enjoying the peace & scenerey

Good Zen-like philosophy coming through there Nep - nice one geezer

[gerryatric]

Find a good knowledgeable buddy is rule number one!

Gerry

[tweedsider]

Keep your line in the water

Tweedsider

[Willie Gunn]

1. It is better to fish a poor beat at the best time than a good beat at a poor time.
2. Take casting lessons although a good caster does not make a good fisherman, I have never seen a good fisherman who is a poor caster.
3. Buy the best tackle you can afford, buy cheap often means buy dear.
4. Remember you can have a good day out without catching any fish.
5. Don’t eat the brambles from behind the hut.

[conwyrod]

1. If fish are thin on the ground, cover plenty of water and concentrate on known lies.

2. Get to know your beat and the taking spots.

3. If what you're doing isn't working, try something different.

4. Think, and listen to advice from locals & successful anglers.

5. Get some good fishing - rather than investing all your cash in expensive tackle.

[John Gray]

1. Join an angling club.
2. Get to know its water thoroughly.
3. Arrange to be on the water on every falling spate, especially early in the morning.
4. Fish hard and long. You will eventually be rewarded for good attendance.
5. Learn to tie your own flies.

[charlieH]

1. Don't try to cast to the opposite bank. Work out what length of line you can comfortably cast and then reel in a couple of yards. Aim for consistent, well delivered casts, which cover the water efficiently, rather than pushing for distance and making bad casts.

2. Don't get too obsessed about tackle. The secret to catching fish isn't having the latest technology in rods or reels; many of the most successful fishers use older tackle. And certain flies are consistently successful because they are used more than others - if everyone starts out on Monday morning with a particular pattern, of course that's what will take most fish. Choose a few patterns that are tried and tested, and stick with them to begin with - you have the whole of your fishing career in front of you in which to over-complicate things.

3. Try to read the water. Look at the current, and watch how your line fishes round. Try to work out where fish might be and work out the best way to present your fly to them. Don't be intimidated by a wide expanse of water; focus on the important bit and fish it well.

4. Don't wade deeper than is comfortable. You won't fish well, and won't enjoy yourself either, if you're not comfortable. Remember, you're doing this for fun.

5. Keep the faith. Always assume there are fish in the river, even if you don't see them. You'll fish better if you think you might catch a fish at any cast, so try to cultivate that belief.

[G Ritchie]

Get a balanced rod, reel and line, suitable for the river you fish. Ask your fellow anglers for advice, while some are reluctant to reveal their secrets, most are willing to help a beginner. Stick with a small selection of flies to begin with rather than continually changing flies. If you are fishing an easily accessible association water (great grounding for a novice), put in the hours if you can, fishing the river at different heights, different conditions and times of the year. Experiment with different tactics to see which ones work best on which pools. You will gradually build up a picture of where the fish are caught on your beat and how the lies vary with the differing conditions and how to tackle them. Finally, fish with confidence, this can make a great deal of difference. Someone fishing away automatically not expecting to catch anything, more often that not doesn't.

[salmo]

It is hard to improve on the advice already given.

Some tips that I hold close to my heart and not necessarily in order or importance.

1. Start with a manageable rod length. 15ft is a great all round rod and not all that cumbersome in modern designs. For some rivers you could use a 12, 13 or 14 ft rod and my personal belief is that you can learn quicker. Some rivers simply do not need a 15fter and yet most fishers are using them.

2. Do not wade unless you have to. I have watched wading anglers on the Dee frighten the fish over to my side. There's an old saying 'wet your ankles on the first run on the first run and your erse on the next'

3. Learn to cast off both shoulders and get some lessons and go back each year for more advice. This is very hard in your first few years but as you get better and travel to a variety of rivers with varying wind conditions you will be very glad to vary your casting arm off of both banks. Squally wind is worse that catching no fish.

4. Carry a few flies in a few sizes. If you have 50 flies you will waste time worrying about which one is correct. I often use black and yellow, black and orange, orange and yellow or gold willie gunn, in spring. If heavy tubes fee awkward use plastic tubes and polyleader sink tips. When its overcast think about silhouette (bushy flies). In clear water get some lightly dressed flies. Seek advice from locals.

5. Listen to your ghillie, treat him as a friend rather than a servant and give him a respectable tip. Invite him to fish if one of your rods is absent. If he is too busy let him offer the rod to one of his friends and give them a glass of your best wine when they show up. Believe me he will repay you many times over with information, stories and reciprocal invites for fishing when other tenants have a spare rod.

Sorry if there is some overlap I was trying to think outside the box.

salmo

[charliethompson]

just to let you know there are novices reading and appreciating this thread

Cheers

[sinkingtip]

Your feedback is much appreciated Charlie. I am sure the 'list' will be extended and elaborated upon in due course.
Best regards
STip

[hornet]

My advice would be not to go on any fishing forums


Hornet

[G Ritchie]

Tag along with someone who has plenty of experience on the stretch you are fishing. You will pick up plenty of tips from them which will be relevant to your particular situation.

[Willie Gunn]

graham said:

Tag along with someone who has plenty of experience on the stretch you are fishing. You will pick up plenty of tips from them which will be relevant to your particular situation.

Just follow Graham down a pool, you will see where all the taking fish were!!

[sinkingtip]

As Graham says "tag along" - but chose your tag partner with care and choose someone, or a situation, where you will not interfere with the sport of others. You can learn just as much from being there, watching and listening as you can from actually fishing ..... and its free !

Try to find a couple of beats where you are known to the ghillie and he is OK about you showing up from time to time - but try to clear this in advance - a quick phone call will usually suffice. Try to avoid 9.am for obvious reasons and give the fishing hut a reasonably wide berth if it looks busy with paying guests.

DON'T, as I have witnessed on a few occasions, march straight up to the hut with the missus, bairn's and dog's in tow and ask, no matter how politely, if you can fish someones rod over lunchtime or after their departure - believe me, I have seen this happen and is generally regarded as extremely bad form.

If in doubt, make your presence known but keep a low profile initially.

[sinkingtip]

PUNCTUALITY - worthy of a mention in its own right IMO and should really go without saying - file under "Good Form".

If you are fishing as either a paying or an invited guest ALWAYS try to arrive at the appointed time - especially if it is a mixed party and / or you are new to the beat. There is nothing worse than a latecomer holding up the ghillie and the other rod's and punishable only by a slow, prolonged and 'orrible attack of hiccup's and leaking waders.

In this age of the mobile phone there is absolutely no excuse for keeping those who need to be informed - informed !.

This punctuality 'thang' applies equally to the picking up of buddies (if you are car sharing - carbon footprint and all that ) as there is REALLY nothing worse than standing at the end of a drive or busy street corner with a pile of kit and a piece bag 10+ minutes after the designated time (5 minutes I can live with - anything over that and eh'm biling ! ) - dinna worry Hornet, ah divna mean you bonnie lad ....... although there was once ...... nah ! leave it.
Regards
STip the Stickler