Building Yourself A Database

Every day you spend on the river, though you may not know it, you learn something. I know I do, learn something that is, and I spend most every day on the river. If you're new to fly fishing, regardless of whether or not you catch fish in a given day, you start building a database so to speak. You can scout new areas to fish, try some different flies, or try to figure out the bugs that are hatching. I can't tell you how many folks don't know the difference between a stonefly and a caddisfly. For myself, if I encounter a fish that is difficult to catch, selective, whether I'm out fishing or guiding, I have a huge knowledge base to access. I'll know how to catch that fish because I've been in that situation before. Maybe I'll use a trick I used five years ago, or ten, or twenty. There are no Michael Jordans in fly fishing. You are not born with some god given fly fishing talent. It just takes a lot of practice and time on the water. Try to go out and fish as much as you can, that's the only way you get better. If you don't have the time, get some money together and hire a knowledgeable local guide. A good guide will help increase your learning curve. This is a clent photo from the other day on the Nevada side of the Truckee River, a run I have fished hundreds of times over the years.