PFF staff member, Maveryke Hines, with a beautiful rainbow from a local river near PFF's location in western Washington state.
Your Complete Fly Fishing FAQ Guide
Fly fishing comes with a lot of questions — and that’s exactly why this guide exists. Whether you're brand‑new to the sport or looking to sharpen your skills, this Top 25 Fly Fishing Questions Answered guide breaks down the essentials in a clear, practical way. From choosing the right fly rod and leader setup to understanding trout behavior, casting techniques, fly selection, and seasonal strategies, you’ll find straightforward answers backed by real‑world experience on the water.
At Pacific Fly Fishers, we help anglers make confident decisions about their gear and their time on the water. This FAQ guide is designed to save you hours of searching by putting the most common fly‑fishing questions in one place. Whether you're gearing up for your first trout trip or refining your stillwater tactics, you’ll walk away with the knowledge you need to fish smarter, catch more fish and have more fun on the water.
Getting Started & Gear
1. Is fly fishing expensive?
No. Like any sport, fly fishing CAN be expensive if you get top-quality gear but you can get started in fly fishing for a minimal investment. In addition, it doesn't cost anything to actually go fly fishing, unlike most other sporting activities like skiing, golfing, or even bowling!
The cost of equipment for someone getting started can be very reasonable. Don't get the cheapest thing you find on Amazon because you're just going to end up replacing it. Or, even worse, you're going to hinder your ability to learn because your gear is of too low of quality. Check out some of the less expensive outfits we offer here for some great rod/reel/line outfits that won't break the bank but get you started with quality gear that won't let you down. Also, see this blog post on How to Choose the Best Rod & Reel Combo to gain some knowledge going in.
2. What gear do I need for fly fishing?
Usually, the first thing someone purchases to get started is the fly rod, and a reel, and a fly line. This will get you the equipment you need to start casting and a little practice is worth the time before you head out for your first day on the water.
3. What is the best fly rod for a beginner?
Nearly all fly fishing experts will tell you the same thing. Start with a 5-weight fly rod with a length of 9-feet. The 9-foot 5-weight is the do-it-all trout fly rod. It is big enough for larger rivers and pretty big trout, but small enough for smaller streams. A 9ft 5wt is super versatile, which is what you want for your first rod.
4. Do I need waders for fly fishing?
Eventually you will, but to start, you may be fine without waders for the warm summer months. We call this "wet wading" where you just where shorts or quick drying pants and wade into the stream. You will quickly find out two things, however. First, that water gets pretty cold even when the air temperature is warm. And second, regular shoes don't offer much traction on mossy rocks in a river. So, keep some bucks set aside to get a pair of waders and wading boots as soon as possible.
5. What do I wear under waders?
This is a good question to ask. Nearly all waders these days are made of lightweight, breathable and waterproof fabrics that keep you dry but there will still be condensation and perspiration inside the waders. Also, modern waders don't offer much to keep you warm by themselves. So, we wear pants underneath the waders that wick moisture away from your skin and also provide insulation for warmth. These baselayers and insulation layers will keep you dry and either cool or warm, depending on how much insulation you choose. For example, in the hot months of summer, just wear very light baselayer bottoms under your waders to wick moisture away from your skin but keep as cool as possible. In the cold months, wear much thicker, insulating bottoms to still wick moisture but also add insulation from the cold water. Never wear jeans under waders. The cotton in jeans doesn't wick and doesn't provide much insulation. Clammy jeans under waders is terribly uncomfortable in either hot or cold situations.
6. Do I need a fishing license?
I believe every state (except Hawaii, if you are a resident) requires you to purchase a fishing license. They usually don't cost too much and can be purchased at most stores that sell fishing equipment or they can be purchased online from the state where you are going fishing. In our state of Washington, you can purchase them here.
7. What is a leader and a tippet?
These two are confused all the time. In our classes, I try to get people to say, "tapered leader" and a "spool of tippet". This will help you keep them separated in you mind. So, here is the difference between the two...
A tapered leader is a monofilament line we attach to the end of our fly line. Tapered leaders are purchased or hand-made at set lengths, usually between 7 to 12 feet. They are tapered from very thick diameter where it attaches to the fly line to a fine diameter where the fly (or tippet) will be attached. They are tapered so that as you cast, the energy transfers from the taper of the fly line and continues down the taper of the tapered leader. This transfer of energy down the tapered leader helps turn over the leader and fly, allows us to make more accurate casts, and more delicate presentations to the fish.
The thicker, stiffer portion of the leader we attach to the fly line is called the "butt" of the leader. The thin end of the leader is called the "tippet" end of the leader. This is not to be confused with the "spool of tippet" we will talk about next.
Check out this article to learn more about tapered leaders and how to know which size: Choosing the Right Fly Fishing Leader - Part I
Tippet refers to the fine end of a tapered leader but also refers to spools of tippet we purchase and add to the end of our tapered leaders. These spools of tippet typically have 30 yards on each spool and you can pull off what you need as needed. We use these sections of tippet for a few reasons.
1) To mend or replace the tippet end of our tapered leader as we continuously cut into it while adding and replacing our flies throughout the day.
2) We use lengths of tippet added to our leader to change how our fly is presented or for specific techniques.
3) Tippet can also be used to change the leader size. If your tapered leader is a 9-foot 3X leader but you need a lighter leader for fishing a small fly, you can add tippet to the 3X leader to reduce the tippet diameter for the smaller fly. Since the leader is tapered, we can taper down the leader from a thicker diameter like 3X (0.008") to 4X (0.007") or 5X (0.006) and the taper continues down the leader from the fly line to the fly as it should. We generally don't want to add heavier, thicker tippet to a thinner leader because it ruin the taper. We want it to taper down to the thinnest portion down at the fly.
Most anglers will have a few tapered leaders and a selection of sizes tippet on them during the fishing day. We recommend having a few 2X leaders and a few 4X leaders on hand. In addition, have tippet spools from 2X to 6X to cover most trout fly fishing scenarios. Now, you can add some tippet to your leaders and essentially cover 2X all the way down to 6X during your day on the water.
8. How do I choose the right fly?
This is a tough question to answer without writing a book so we're going to thin down the topic to just trout fishing in a river, rather than trying to answer for saltwater, bass, lakes, salmon, etc.
Some tips for choosing a fly for trout in a river environment, I would first think about any resources I could reference prior to arriving at the river. If it is a well-known location, there may be lots of information about the food items and fly patterns known to be successful on that river. Books, websites, information from a local fly shop, or websites with fishing reports can all be a helpful first start.
Once on the river, using your observations is critical. Look for both fish and insect activity. Are fish rising to the surface with regularity? Do you see bugs on the water or in the trees? Most of the time, the best fly is the one that matches what the fish are eating so finding a fly that looks like what they are eating, or "matching the hatch", can payoff big time.
If you don't see insects on the water or fish feeding activity, it is time to start experimenting. In rivers with low angling pressure, lots of fish, and during warmer times of the year, starting with dry flies makes sense. If these factors don't apply, I'd start with a general nymph pattern like the Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail, which imitate lots of different food items. Choose the pattern that most closely matches the color of the stream bottom. Remember, when nymphing, we need to add weight or fish a fly that has enough weight built-in to get the fly down close to the bottom!
If you're not getting fish yet, try a streamer. Change you leader to a sinking RIO VersiLeader to help get some depth with the fly. Then, choose a general streamer pattern like the Sculpzilla Jr. to imitate a variety of small fish the trout may be feeding on. Cast the fly across the river, let the leader sink a few seconds, and begin stripping the fly across the current. Usually, with streamers, the fish will let you know pretty quick if they are into it or not.
Knowing a little bit about insects, you may have a good idea what the fish are eating without actually having to observe it. Once you know your bugs a bit, you can make assumptions on what the fish are feeing on based on time of year, type of water, and even collect bugs with a nymph net and begin matching the hatch simply based on your knowledge of their available food items.
Where to Go Fly Fishing
9. How do I know where I'm allowed to fish?
Every state has rules on when and where you can fish. These will be available online and will be called something like "Fishing Regulations". Some states, like Washington, may also have supplemental regulations in addition to the standard regulations. These should be easy to find where you find the standard regulations. If in doubt, visit a nearby fly shop close to where you'll be fishing. Pick up some flies and ask them about local regulations where you plan on fishing.
For Washington anglers, check out our resources on Where to Go Fly Fishing in Washington.
10. Do I need a boat to fly fish?
No. Most rivers offer decent "walk-in" access. If you don't know the river well, start with places where there are boat ramps or parks on the river. Find these places online and put together a plan for the day with multiple locations to try. Usually, you can wade you way up or downstream from there and explore lots of good water.
Boats are certainly a nice way to cover lots of water throughout the day and get to fish places where other walk-in anglers aren't reaching. There are also rivers/states where you cannot wade along the river if there is adjacent private property. The landowner may own the river bottom in that state or area. If this is the case, the only way to fish that river is to float down it in a boat.
For lakes, fishing from shore can be much tougher while fly fishing. This can certainly vary from lake to lake, but on most lakes, it is a good idea to have a float tube, pontoon boat, or some other kind of boat to truly be effective.
Techniques & Skills
11. How do I learn to fly cast?
There are many ways to begin and learn fly casting. Books, videos and hands-on instruction will all provide everything you need to begin. To do so, however, you'll need your first fly rod. Taking a class, for example, is a great start. But, it will not be enough to gain the muscle memory need to become a proficient caster. Time with a rod in your hands will be the key after any kind of instruction.
Once you're ready to roll, watch this video as a great start. Then, go practice what you learned. After practicing, watch the video again while you can still remember the feel of the cast in your hand. Keep doing this! If you can practice casting just a few minutes once or twice a week, you will get it down quickly.
12. What are the different types of casts to use? (e.g., Roll cast, overhead)
Begin by learning and practicing the overhead cast. This is the cast you will use almost all the time and almost all other casts are variations of the overhead cast.
The roll cast, however, is a different animal and is the other cast to learn right out of the gate. The roll cast must be learned on water because it requires the "stick" of the water to work properly. Doing the roll cast on grass doesn't work because the line simply slides across the grass without the "stick" necessary to properly roll cast. We use the roll cast for a variety of reasons, such as:
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- To straighten the line out to do an overhead cast
- To get a fly or a sinking fly line up to the surface so you can overhead cast
- When you don't have enough room to do the backcast portion of the overhead cast. (Think tight, narrow, brushy trout stream).
13. What is a "match the hatch" in fly fishing?
Matching the hatch means to choose a fly that looks as much like the natural bugs the fish are eating as possible. An additional part of this would also be to present your fly as much like the naturals as possible. For example, if the fish are eating those natural bugs on the surface, we'd probably choose a dry fly, which floats on the surface. If they are eating bugs just under the surface, we may want to choose a fly that sinks just under the surface. Think of those fish out there just munching on french fries and you want your fly to just look like another french fry on their plate. Don't throw them asparagus when you can see them eating french fries. Fish can get really locked-in on a specific food item when it's available and not want to eat anything else. Plus, who wants asparagus when french fries are right there?!
14. How do I choose a fly for a specific time of year?
The best way to apply seasonality to your fly selection is to know a bit about the natural insects the fish feed on. This knowledge is incredibly useful. If you are wondering about a specific river (or lake), you may be able to find all the information you need on a "hatch chart". This is a listing of food items on a chart which shows which months they are most available. Find a hatch chart for the river you're fishing and then just apply some observations on the water to tweak your fly choices.
If you're not looking at a specific river and looking for more of a generic knowledge of what to fish and when, then learning about the natural insects will be the ticket. Get a good book like, Handbook of Hatches by Dave Hughes. This will give you a good fly angler's level of knowledge (focuses on what we care about when it comes to bugs) and discusses various mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, midge, and others and fly pattern attributes to effectively imitate them in their different lifecycle stages.
15. What is mending?
Mending is one of the most important parts of fly fishing and is worth some concentration when you're on the water. Anyone that has spent a day on a river with a fly fishing guide knows the word, "mend" very well because the guide probably said it a thousand times.
Mending is the angler's act of lifting and repositioning the fly line on the water's surface. We do this to keep the fly presented with a natural drift by minimizing drag as much as possible.
Natural Drift - When your fly, either on the surface or below, is drifting with the current as if it isn't attached to anything. It is drifting "naturally" or "drag-free".
Drag - Drag is when you fly is unable to drift naturally because your fly line or leader is stuck in a current of a different speed. Drag is happening when you line and/or leader are either pulling the fly downstream faster than the current or keeping it from flowing downstream and holding it up from flowing downstream at the speed of the river's current. The result is a fly that moves unnaturally in the water and looks artificial to the fish.
Mending helps us get the fly flowing naturally with the current again. We may mend multiple times (or none at all) during a single presentation to the fish. Watching your dry fly, or your strike indicator if nymphing, concentrate on the fly to make sure it is drifting in the currents like it isn't attached to anything... like a little flower you just picked off the bank and tossed into the water. If your fly starts to drag upstream, it means your fly line is stuck in a slower current and not allowing your fly to drift down as fast as the current. To correct this, you would mend by lifting your rod and flipping the fly line downstream. You would mend upstream if your fly is dragging downstream. When you make a mend, you're fly will probably move a bit but then it should start a natural drift again if the mend was done properly.
It takes many days on the water to get good at mending but try and keep your fly drifting drag-free as much as possible. You're not fishing if the fly is dragging when you are fishing dry flies or nymphing. Over time, you will get good at mending even before the fly begins to drag simply because you recognize what is about to happen.
If you've ever fished with a very experienced angler and they were catching all the fish but you have the same fly on, this is why!
Anglers fishing the Wind River in Wyoming as it winds its way through a beautiful canyon section.
16. How do I catch fish in windy conditions?
Fly fishing on a very windy day can just suck, unfortunately. But, there are certainly a few things that can help and some other good things to know.
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- Wind can keep bugs from hatching so it can certainly slow down fishing and it can ruin a good dry fly day. The good news is, it can also make things like fishing terrestrials (grasshoppers, beetles, ants) pretty good because they are getting blown onto the water.
- If your casting isn't up to par, keep practicing. Being able to cast with tight loops will enable your casts to penetrate into the wind much better than an open loop.
- On lakes or rivers, often just moving around the next bend can substantially reduce the amount of wind. Also, these areas behind some kind of wind block (like a bend in the river with a bunch of trees on it) can concentrate food items on the surface. So, just a quick move up/down river or into a cove on a lake could be much better for the casting and the fishing.
- Fish a shorter leader. Reducing your leader length may get you back to casting accurately and with fewer tangles. The fish may not care because there is already a ton of activity on the water's surface from the wind.
- Cast shorter. Fish areas like choppy or deeper runs where you can wade closer to the fish without spooking them. Often, nymphing riffles and deeper runs allows you to only cast with a rod-length of line out. Put some split shot on your nymph rig and just lob it out there instead of trying to shoot 70-foot laser beams and getting killed by the wind!
17. What are the basic knots I need to know?
Here are the knots to start with and get good at. If you're just starting, crack a beer and turn on the game. Grab your fly fishing gear and practice these knots. It will payoff when you're on the water! The last two are the most important to be comfortable with - the Surgeon's Knot and the Improved Clinch Knot.
Uni-Knot - Use the simple Uni-Knot to attach you backing to your fly reel. Wrap the backing around the arbor of the reel twice. Then, tie the Uni-Knot and slide it down to the arbor until nice and snug.
Albright Special - Use the Albright Special to tie your backing to the fly line (if you don't have a loop in the back end of your fly line). If you do have a loop on the back end of your fly line, use the Surgeon's End Loop to create a loop in your backing. Then, loop your entire fly line through the Surgeon's End Loop to connect the two. If you want an even stronger, but much more challenging knot to create a loop, you can also try the Bimini Twist.
Nail Knot - We don't use this one as much anymore because most fly lines come with a loop built-in to attach the leader, but it is still important to know. Use the Nail Knot in a pinch if the pre-built loop fails. The Nail Knot is used to tie a leader directly to the end of your fly line. Because the two materials are so different, it requires a specialized knot and it is ideally tied with some kind of tool.
Perfection Loop - Use the Perfection Loop to tie a loop on the butt end of your leader. This is the same knot that comes pre-tied on most tapered leaders when you purchase them.
Surgeon's Knot - Use the Surgeon's Knot for attaching tippet to your leader. This is another one you'll use frequently so it's good to be fast at it. It is super easy but strong and reliable. TIP: If you're right-handed, start with the tippet in your right hand and your leader in you left.
Improved Clinch Knot - The basic knot for tying flies on. We obviously do this one quite often so it is nice to be good at it and not loose fish because your knot failed.
18. How do I fish with nymphs?
Nymphing isn't difficult but is slightly more involved than fishing dry flies or streamers. It is slightly more difficult because we need to have enough weight to get the fly down close to the bottom of the river. Then, we need to make sure the fly is drifting naturally with the current even though we can't see the fly. Here are some tips to get you rolling:
Rigging: Attach a 7.5 foot 4X tapered leader to your fly line and then tie on 3-feet of 4X tippet. Attach a strike indicator to the middle area of your leader. Tie on your nymph. If if your nymph is on the larger side (like a size 8 or larger), use a heavier leader and tippet size. If it is a smaller nymph (like size 16 or smaller), go to a lighter tippet size. Next, add a one or two split shot, the number and size depending on the water you're fishing (see next paragraph).
Depth Adjustments: You may fish nymphs in a foot of water or eight feet of water just depending on the water you encounter. We will adjust the strike indicator and the amount of split shot throughout the day as you fish different locations. Adjust the strike indicator up the leader and add more weight for deeper and faster water. Slide the indicator down the leader closer to the fly and reduce the amount of weight for slower and shallower water. The goal is to get your fly drifting just a few inches to a foot above the bottom. This is very important to consistent success and you will get fast at making indicator and weight adjustments as needed.
Getting a Drag-Free Drift: Once your nymph is in the water and getting down close to the bottom, we want the fly to drift at the same speed as the surrounding current. The water near the bottom of the river is slower than the current we see on the surface. So, often our strike indicator will drag our nymph downstream faster than it would naturally drift like a natural bug. To fix this, you'll need to mend the line and indicator upstream on occasion. (See Question 15 on Mending). If you can get good at keeping your nymph close to the bottom and drifting naturally, you will hook lots of fish!
Setting the Hook: Set the hook immediately when nymphing. If that strike indicator moves, goes down, twitches, or even just pauses, set the hook. Sometimes it will be the bottom. Sometimes it will just be the current. But, often it is a fish that has had the fly in its mouth well before the indicator moved, so set the hook quickly with a fast upward lift. Fish on!
19. What kind of fish can I catch?
Most of the answers in this article are assuming you are trout fishing on a river. However, you can fly fish for all kinds of fish. Any fish that feeds by sight (vs. smell) and doesn't live too deep can be a contender for the fly rod. Bass, pike, salmon and steelhead, panfish, carp and lots of saltwater fish are all good target species on a fly rod. If you're looking for more extreme challenges, billfish, tuna, tarpon, dorado, musky, walleye, stripers, and a whole host of other species can be taken on fly rods and flies.
20. What time of day is best for fly fishing?
Usually, the most pleasant time of the day is the best time to go fly fishing. In the summer, this would usually be the early morning and late evening, when it is cooler. In the winter, this would be the afternoon, when it is warmer. Fish can dramatically respond to small temperature changes so a few hours of warm sunlight or cool shade can get otherwise difficult fish to begin feeding.
21. Does talking or noise scare the fish?
The short answer is, sometimes. On a river, if there is a choppy surface and quick current flow, those fish usually won't spook with just normal talking. But, your shadow on the water or kicking around rocks while you wade may spook them. If the river is slow and shallow, those same fish will be much more sensitive to noise and movement because they feel exposed in that shallow water with no cover above them in the form of surface chop. Approach those fish with more stealth and longer casts than you would for the fish in deeper, choppier water.
On lakes, noise can be a bigger factor, especially noise that easily penetrates into the water... like dropping something on the bottom of the boat. Noise travels very well underwater so when you clang something on the boat, it is easily heard by the fish. If you've ever been underwater in a swimming pool while someone tapped on the bottom of the pool, you know how well sound travels underwater.
22. When is the best fly fishing season?
This really depends on the exact river, lake or saltwater location you are going. Generally speaking, however, many trout rivers fish well from roughly March through October. Many rivers in the West experience a "runoff" period when they run very high and even dirty. This runoff is from the winter snow melting and the river may not fish well or be fishable at all during that period. In addition, some rivers may get too hot during months like July and August, so a little research may be helpful to get the true answer for the river you want to fish.
If runoff or warm water temperatures are an issue where you wanted to fish, look for another river that originates from the outflow of a dam. We call these rivers, tailwater rivers. Because there water originates from a dam, the river probably doesn't experience runoff issues. Also, the water probably stays reasonably cool all year long (at least close to the dam) because most dams release most of the water from deep within the lakes depths where the water is cool.
23. Can I fly fish while it's raining?
Yes. The fishing can actually be quite good while it is raining. There are lots of factors here, but often times the dry fly fishing isn't as good during a hard rain. But, nymphs and streamers may be crushing it. Also, there can be a big difference fishing-wise, from a hard rain vs. a light rain. A little rain can be just the ticket to trigger a bug hatch that gets the trout going. So, get yourself a good rain jacket and go hit it.
24. How do I safely unhook and release a fish?
This is a good question to ask because one angler can have a big impact on a small trout river if they are killing fish intentionally or unintentionally. To minimize the harm to a released fish, begin by not fighting them too long. Having a net really helps with this, especially with larger fish and in swift water.
With a net or without, gently cradle the fish instead of gripping it tightly... or don't touch it at all if it is in a net and you don't have to. With a pair of forceps (clamps), carefully remove the fly making sure not to touch the gills and being careful around the fish's tongue. Removing hooks without a barb is much nicer on the fish and if you are practicing catch and release, there is no need for a barbed hook. Use you forceps/clamps to pinch down the barb on any flies you have that have barbed hooks.
Try to not have the fish out of the water for more than a few seconds. When you prepare to release them, hold them in the water until they swim off on their own. Done properly, releasing fish has very low fish mortality. I've even caught trout before (with very identifiable, distinguishing marks) and caught the same fish 20 minutes later. That fish was already back to feeding again in just that short period of time.
25. What is the difference between fly fishing and spinning?
Fly fishing is different that other kinds of fishing because we rely on the weight of the fly line to make the cast. In other types of fishing, you're casting a lure, or a sinker, or something with enough weight to make the cast and the line just follows behind as it travels through the air. In fly fishing, our flies don't really weigh anything so you can't cast them by themselves with a spinning or casting setup.
Fly fishing uses specialized fly lines that have enough weight for us to make a cast. This is why the line is different in fly fishing. It also means the reel has to be different, as well as the rod and the casting technique too. Because we cast the line, now we can cast flies that are nearly weightless and imitate natural bugs, which also hardly weight anything. In fact, the easiest thing to cast in fly fishing is a tiny little fly. The hardest thing to cast in fly fishing is a big fly with a bunch of weight on it.