Dry fly fishing is one of the easier ways of catching fish on the fly, simply because you can actually see the fish take. A dry fly just floats on the water’s surface and, hopefully, imitates hatching flies around it which are attracting the attention of the fish. So you tie on a fly that resembles the naturals, cast it into a place where you see fish rising and, with luck, they will be fooled into taking it. Job done. Or not. Of course, in the world of fishing, there will always be snags. So, how can you make your dry fly beginnings just that little bit more successful?

Matching your fly
Fish can be a bit picky when it comes to taking a dry fly. With a nymph you’re likely to get away with not being quite as accurate with your imitation. So look carefully at the size, color and shape of flies that you see on the surface and try to replicate those as closely as you can from your box. Take with you a selection of Adams, along with CDCs, olives, sedge patterns and mayflies. These don’t just hatch out in May and June; you can sometimes see them later in the summer. Daddy-long-leg patterns are also a good idea in late summer and early autumn.

Floatant
Always use a floatant of the same brand to keep your fly perky on the surface film. It pays to spray or dab this on your lingers rather than onto the fly itself. Now massage the floatant into the fibre of the fly.

Tippet
It’s also a really good idea to make your tippet – that bit of line that leads to the fly – sink. You can buy material from a good tackle shop to do this. If your line floats right up to the fly, the fish will see it and become wary.

Casting
Most dry fly fishing is done by casting upstream and retrieving line as the fly floats back downriver towards you. Approaching from behind the fish like this means that you are better concealed from the fish, which is facing upstream. If you are targeting a rising fish, try to cast your dry fly 90cm or more upstream from it; not on its head, which will only alarm it. Retrieve your line at exactly the same pace as the river is flowing. You need to do this to avoid drag – that is, making the fly skate across the surface in an unnatural fashion.

Striking
Let’s say the excitingly unthinkable happens and a fish comes up to intercept your dry fly. It¡¯s all too easy in the thrill of the moment to strike too quickly and pull the fly out of the- fish’s mouth. Try to wait until the fly has been engulfed and the fish is turning down from the surface to eat it. This is particularly important if you are using a big dry fly like a mayfly. When using a mayfly, it’s often a good idea to count to three before tightening.

Practice
Good dry fly fishing is almost always entirely dependent on accurate casting. It’s a great idea, therefore, to spend some time practising either on water or on your back lawn. This is not time wasted, I assure you.

Take your time
When you get to a river or lake, it pays to spend time simply watching the water around you. Try to pick out individual fish, where they are lying and where they are rising, look at the flies in the air and look at the flies on the water’s surface. Have you got anything in your box that looks somewhat similar? Look, too, in spiders’ webs. They will be catching what is most common around the waterside.

resources: Fly Fishing Advice For Beginners | Fly Fishing Tactics