9781422273197

The Basic Skills for Every Kind of Fishing Deep Sea Fishing Fishing Careers Fly Fishing Kayak Fishing Preparing and Enjoying the Fish You Catch

Elizabeth Dee

MASON CREST PH I L ADELPH I A | MI AMI

Mason Crest PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2022 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4492-0 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4497-5 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7319-7 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Jacqueline Havelka - Inform Scientific Cover and Interior Design: Torque Advertising + Design Layout: Priceless Digital Media Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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CONTENTS Chapter 1: The Equipment You Will Need. ................... 7 Chapter 2: What Kind of Fish Will You Catch?............. 23 Chapter 3: Casting Techniques................................. 41 Chapter 4: You’ve Caught a Fish! Now What?............. 57 Series Glossary of Key Terms. .................................. 74 Further Reading. .................................................... 76 Internet Resources & Educational Video Links........... 77 Index..................................................................... 78 Author’s Biography & Credits................................... 80

K E Y I C O N S T O L O O K F O R : Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

casting method: throwing a fishing line out over the water using a fishing rod fly rod: a fishing rod that’s more flexible and usually longer than the average rod fly line: a heavy fishing line used in fly fishing

Fly Fishing

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The Equipment You Will Need

What Is Fly Fishing? Fly fishing is a unique type of angling that uses a long, thin, lightweight rod, a heavier fishing line, or fly line , and a very lightweight lure called a “fly.” The weight of the fly line when cast carries the lure out over the water. Fly fishing uses a very distinctive casting method , and it takes a lot of dedicated practice and patience to cast a fly correctly. The casting method imitates the movement of insects on or under the water’s surface, which attracts the fish’s interest and entices them to bite. This sport is known as “fly fishing” because the bait used to fish resembles flies or other insects.

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Fly casting is definitely an art! It takes lots of practice to get those wrist movements just right. Professionals are so good that they can make the fly land in an exact location.

Watch a Professional When watching an experienced angler who’s fly fishing, you can’t help but notice their graceful and fluid movements as they cast out the fly line. They know just how to flick their wrist or use their armmuscles to make the fly land exactly where they want it. Watch some videos online of fly fishing. Study the movements of anglers and how they hold their body when fly casting. Learn to imitate these movements as you learn the art of fly fishing, and it will help you improve your technique.

Fly Fishing

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The Bait or Fly Fish like to eat two types of insects. These are aquatic insects, such as midges, aquatic moths, dragonflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and mayflies. The dry land insects include crickets, beetles, and grasshoppers. Being able to identify these insects and their larva helps you to pick the right lure. You want an artificial fly to resemble the real thing as closely as possible. Before beginning to fly fish, spend a few minutes observing the fish in the water. What are they eating? For example, if you see a swarm of mayflies over the water, use

Artificial flies closely resemble real flies that fish love to eat. Flies range from larvae stage to adult flies to mimic what fish love.

The Equipment You Will Need

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an artificial fly that closely resembles a mayfly, and you’ll catch plenty of fish. Choosing a Fly Rod Picking the right fly rod requires knowledge of the rod and the fishing line. Since the weight of the line is important to the angler’s ability to cast correctly, you must match the weight with the size of the rod. For example, a six-pound rod needs a six-pound fishing line. Longer fly rods are heavier and not a good choice for a beginning angler. You’ll need both hands to cast a longer rod,

Fly fishing starts with a great fishing rod. In fly fishing, a special fishing rod called a fly rod is used.

Fly Fishing

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CREATING YOUR OWN UNIQUE FLIES

which can be more difficult and awkward to handle. Also, a heavier line means a stiffer rod, which is harder to cast. A shorter rod is better when fishing in small rivers, brooks, and streams and more useful for the beginning angler just learning how to fly fish. Since fly fishing involves a lot of casting action on the part of the angler, you want to make sure you choose a weight of rod and fishing line with which you feel most comfortable. If you use a rod and line that are too heavy, they'll work against you when fly fishing, tiring you out too quickly. Martin, a company that has made fly fishing gear since 1884, sells complete kits for anglers who want to try fly Some anglers like to craft their unique flies, using a variety of materials, some natural and artificial. Natural materials include bits of animal fur, tufts of hair, beeswax, and feathers. Artificial materials includemetal, glass, wire, thread, foam, or bits of colored plastic. Anglers carefully fashion thesematerials into fly lures that closely resemble real insects or sometimes, no insect ever seen on this planet! Amazingly, either design makes a fish bite. If you are interested in creating unique flies, you can find plenty of instructional videos on the Internet. Like learning to fly cast, making flies takes practice and patience, but both are valuable skills that you’ll be glad you took the time to learn.

The Equipment You Will Need

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fishing for the first time, or for beginners starting out with fly fishing. The kit comes complete with a reel and a rod you put together from several pieces for ease in travel. The reel is already pre-tied with the necessary knots and is ready to go. Also included in the kit are several flies and plenty of fly fine. Printed on the back of the package are clear instructions on how to tie the necessary knots used in fly fishing. The kit also includes a detailed booklet to provide tips and hints for the beginning fly fisher. Choosing the Fly Line Traditional fly fishing advice says to match the weight of the fly line to the reel and the fly rod. Fly rod manufacturers print the recommended weight number on the handle or on the fly rod itself for easy reference. However, some fly fishers like to use a slightly lighter line, about a pound lighter, because it makes a smaller splash when it hits the water. Experienced anglers know that in calmwaters, some fish, especially trout, won’t bite the lure if the fly line splashing the water spooks them. However, when using a lighter line to fly fish, you may need to cast with more of the line pulled out of the reel than you usually would use. Casting with more fly line helps compensate for the lack of weight of the line itself. When fly fishing in small areas, such as a narrow creek or brook, you may want to use a heavier line than suggested for your rod. A weightier fly line makes casting in short distances a lot easier for the angler. Experiment with different weights of fly lines, and see which one works the best for you and your situation.

Fly Fishing

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Fly fishermen choose fly line depending on the fishing conditions. The weight of the line must also match the size of the fly rod. For example, a six-pound rod needs a six-pound fishing line.

The Leader, Tippet, and Fly If you are using a colored fly line, such as red or orange, to help you visually keep track of your cast, you’ll need to tie a leader, or a clear piece of line onto the end. The leader tapers on the end so you can tie on your tippet. At the end of the leader, you’ll attach another, even thinner piece of a special line called the “tippet.” The tippet is smaller and clear in color to make it harder for the fish to spot the line in the water. The end of the tippet is where you’ll attach your fishing lure, or fly. Each fly attracts a certain type of fish.

The Equipment You Will Need

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Tying the Knots You’ll need to study and practice tying the different kinds of fly fishing knots you’ll need for attaching the leader and tippet to your fly line. The number of knots used for fly fishing can be overwhelming to the beginning angler at first. Figuring out which knots you should use can take time, so don’t get in a rush. Be patient, learn the purpose of each knot, and how to tie them. You can also make or buy tools to make tying the knots easier. Sporting goods stores sell fly fishing knot-tying

Practice makes perfect when tying a fly knot. Different knots are used for different flies.

Fly Fishing

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