Success in fly fishing is like solving a puzzle, and sometimes it feels like it takes a detective to put all the pieces together. So, how does one become a slinging Sherlock? From Virginia’s Back Bay to the California Delta and points in-between, we spoke to five fly guys with the skills and know-how to coax a bite from the finickiest of fish. Read on to target bluegill, trout, reds and more with expert advice on fly fishing techniques from the world’s best bug slingers.
Pro Techniques to Take Your Fly Fishing to New Heights
1 Popping for Panfish
For the past 15 years, Cory “Ruthless” Routh has been teaching people to fly fish and taking them fly fishing. Routh has brought countless anglers into the fold as author of Kayak Fishing: The Complete Guide and co-founder of Tidewater Kayak Angler Association. He is a spokesman for Temple Fork Outfitters, Hobie and YakAttack.
Routh’s beat is the fresh and salt of Southside, Virginia. When he’s guiding, he targets bass, redfish and sea trout. On his days off, he escapes to the backwaters to catch sunfish on poppers. “It’s so exciting to catch bluegill in Back Bay,” he explains. Routh looks for thick vegetation where the sunfish hide. “Walt’s Poppers were born in Back Bay and they are still my favorite fly to throw.” Poppers are a great choice for panfish hiding deep in structure. “The popper stays over the grass without getting snagged.”
Bluegill are abundant and voracious, making them perfect for beginners. Routh recommends a matched combo rod and reel designed for short casts and light bites. “Take advantage of the stealth factor in the kayak,” he suggests, “Get close and make short accurate casts.”
Pulling these fighters out of heavy cover requires a precise cast. Routh recommends a regular regimen of practice. “Clear out a space in the yard and practice casting every day,” he says. “Cast under trees, between bushes and into targets.”
He stresses accurate, quick casts. “That leaves the fly in the water more and the air less,” he laughs. “A wise angler once told me, ‘Never take the fly away from a fish,’” Routh recalls. Fishing is a waiting game and sometimes it pays to wait out a fish. “If you feel a bump and don’t hook up,” he explains, “let the fly pause, the fish may return.”
Panfish Tackle Box
Rod: 6wt Temple Fork Outfitters Mangrove
Reel: Blue Nautilus
Line: 6wt bass bug taper
Leader: 9’ of 8-lb test tapered
Flies: Walt’s Poppers, Flymen Double Barrel Popper
2 Delta Delicacies
Bill Beckett started fly fishing at eight years old. He grew up chasing local trout in the California highlands. Then, he turned to shuttling rivers for trout and chasing striped bass on California’s Delta. Last summer, he became a licensed fishing guide for Headwaters Kayak Shop. “I love that I can go bass fishing and catch largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass.”
To go deep into grass, kelp and rocks, Beckett recommends a fly with an up-turned hook like a Clouser. “If you’re still getting hung up, try a bendback streamer,” he goes on. The hook shank is curved to prevent the point from getting caught. “It’s about the most snagless fly I know.”
Beckett likes a shorter rod when targeting warm water fish. “A seven-foot, six-inch to eight-foot rod will throw a tighter loop to fire your fly into the narrowest nooks and crannies.” Match the rod to a shooting head line. “This line will turn over a big bass fly,” he explains, “and give you the ability to cast farther.” In fact, he encourages his anglers to practice skipping the fly under overhangs and tree limbs. “Master all of the casts, side arm, backwards and offhand.”
The retrieve is just as important as the cast. “Always pause the fly,” Beckett insists. He says some of his best bites come just as he picks up after a pause. “Fish can’t stand to see a bait get away,” he says.
For new anglers, Beckett recommends joining a fishing club. “Find a mentor or hire a guide,” he says. “That will vastly shorten the learning curve.” Still, nothing beats beginner’s luck. “Don’t be afraid to try something new just because you’re inexperienced.”
When it comes to rigging the kayak, Beckett keeps all of his gear behind him so he has plenty of open deck for fly line. To hold his fly rods, he switched out the rod tubes on a YakAttack BlackPak with Ram Rod rod holders on gear tracks. “I can adjust them and they hold the fly rods better,” he explains.
Striper Tackle Box
Rod: G. Loomis 9’ Long Handle Predator 9/10wt
Reel: Redington Behemoth 9/10wt
Line: Rio Outbound short 10wt
Leader: 20-lb Quigley’s HeavyWeight Furled Leader
Flies: Umpqua Pole Dancer in shad color, Haskins Gurgler in 1/0, Umpqua swim baitfish shad color size 2, Clouser minnow in all white or white/chartreuse in size 2-2/0
3 Transplant Trout
When Landon Mace moved out of Florida, he cried goodbye to sight fishing for redfish and sea trout. After transferring to Oregon, he dried his eyes when he spotted his first trout in the shallows. “Sight fishing for brown trout and rainbows is just as rad!”
Mace, who slings bugs for BOTE Boards, Yeti and Power-Pole, now spends his time prowling the shallow bays and banks of northwestern lakes and rivers. “Nothing is more exciting than seeing a fish, landing a fly in front of it, watching the fish eat and coming tight,” he exclaims.
For new anglers, Mace stresses patience. “Take your time,” he says, “the biggest mistake I made when starting out was rushing around all the time.” He recommends anglers paddle slow and scan the entire area looking for fish. That includes the fly presentation. “A lot of times we rush the presentation,” he points out. “Slow down and focus on where you want to put the fly and how you will work it.”
Another way to improve your fly fishing game is to share tips and secrets with other anglers. “We want to create a responsible, innovative, respectful and conservation-minded fly fishing community,” he stresses. That includes sharing info to get info. “There are plenty of fish for all of us.”
To target browns and rainbows, Mace looks for a 6wt combo with floating or intermediate sinking line. To maximize his stealth approach, he uses a nine to 12-foot leader. “Fish are smart; they can be wary of the smallest things.”
Two flies dominate Mace’s box: streamers and nymphs. “Leeches, wooly buggers and small baitfish patterns are the go-to when streamer fishing most lakes or ponds,” he says, then he adds that nymphs can pay off big time. “Chironomid patterns, pheasant tails, hare’s ears and similar patterns will produce under an indicator.”
“In my opinion, there is no right or wrong way to play a streamer,” Mace adds. He starts with a moderate strip of four-to-six inches each second, then speeds up and slows down. “Get creative and experiment with your retrieves to find out exactly what the fish want,” he says. In nymph fishing, setting the indicator is key to detecting the bite. Once the fly has reached the right depth, slowly gather line and watch the indicator. “When it disappears, set the hook.”
Mace spends most of his time fishing off a standup paddleboard. “I can’t waste any space, every tool has to have a purpose.” One of his favorite gadgets is the Power-Pole Micro. “Push a button on my key FOB and the pole sinks into the rocks or gravel.” Working a fly rod from a stationary position makes it easier to set up the best presentation. “Stopping on a dime with a push of a button gives me time to concentrate on landing the perfect cast.”
Trout Tackle Box
Rod: 9’ 6wt medium-fast to fast action St. Croix Avid
Reel: 6wt reel Nautilus Reels X-Frame
Line: Intermediate Rio InTouch Camolux Sub-Surface 6wt line
Leader: 9–12’ of 0x–2x Rio Powerflex Trout
Flies: Wooly buggers and leeches are the two most popular
4 Fly Outta Here
If you’re a SUP angler, your dream job is to jet-set around the world, fish the most exciting places for the most exciting fish and get paid for it. You’d be dreaming of Damon Newpher’s job at SUP On The Fly. As resident pro for the SUP fishing outfitter and a world-class guide, Newpher has put some miles on his passport and his boards.
“Travelling to new water and targeting new species improves my fishing back home,” he explains. Packing an inflatable fishing SUP gives him the flexibility to explore waters that might be off the tourist track. “I can travel anywhere in the world and fish spots that wade and boat anglers can’t reach,” he says. “The fish rarely see an angler.”
Newpher packs his gear in a 35-quart cooler and checks it with his luggage. On the water, the cooler serves as storage, seat, casting platform and fish box. “Use a SUP that can carry a lot of gear,” he suggests. “That way you don’t have to leave anything behind.”
The rest of his gear is packed in compression sacks that are packed in larger compression sacks. Choose gear that can be broken down for travel. “Four-piece rods and three-piece paddles can travel as carry-on luggage.”
Before he packs, Newpher arranges all his gear on the floor of his garage and goes over each piece with a checklist. Then he uses a hand scale to weigh each piece so he stays within airline restrictions.
Travel Tackle Box
Rods: Four-piece rods
Bags: Smaller compression sacks to organize gear inside a larger compression sack
Boards: Guide SUP On The Fly board and travel case
Paddle: Three-piece Werner paddle
5 Bucketmouth Beauties
According to Hunter Harlow, he holds the unofficial record for most time spent in dirty Texas rivers. Although we couldn’t verify this accomplishment, flipping through the BOTE pro’s photos of giant bass on his Instagram feed, we have to give him credit. “If I wanted to catch a lot of fish, I wouldn’t fly fish,” he jokes. “And if I wanted an easy day of fishing I wouldn’t paddle 10 miles on a flooded creek.”
For Harlow, an inflatable standup paddleboard is the only way to access isolated creeks and navigate rocks, dams and deadfalls looking for giant largemouth bass. A SUP also offers the most stable platform to stand and cast a fly rod.
In the spring, he finds big bass on the beds. “I can pick out five-pounders and put a fly right over them,” he says. During the rest of the year, he takes his SUP through low water to isolated pools and pockets where the bass hide. “That’s where I downsize my tackle.”
For the spring spawn, he relies on a 7wt rod and floating line with various poppers. After the spring fling settles and the bass escape to the deeper pools, Harlow breaks out a 5wt set-up and various crawfish flies. “The important thing is to understand how the fish’s behaviour changes through the year,” Harlow says, “Tying my own flies gives me the ability to match the current menu with incredible accuracy.”
He also suggests reducing the amount of time the fly line spends in the air. “Quickly pick up the fly line and make the next cast with little or no false casting to avoid making course corrections.” Minimizing false casts will also keep you from spooking fish.
Bass Tackle Box
Rod: Orvis Recon 9’ 7wt
Reel: Orvis Hydros IVBacking: 30-lb Rio Dacron in Chartreuse
Line: Orvis Hydros HD Bank Shot, WF 7
Leader: 9’ of 10-lb Rio Bass
A Few Key Flies: Size 1 Gartside Gurgler, Size 4 Circus Peanut
Essential Gear: I like to carry a 10’ detachable sinking line and some split shot
Try these pro techniques to take your fly fishing to new heights. | Feature photo: Cory Routh
