Tips to Catching Rainbow Trout when Fly Fishing

Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Introduction

Fly fishermen spend most of their time pursuing trout, and particularly rainbow trout. It is easy to identify rainbow trout – they have a rainbow band which runs along their sides from their head to tail. Rainbow trout are a beautiful fish. Rainbow trout fly fishing is popular because rainbow trout is a delicious fish to eat, and also provide great sport due to their fighting abilities. Unlike other trout species, rainbow trout can also be tempted to take properly presented flies as well as streamers and nymphs, and are therefore the ideal fish for fly fishing.

Today, rainbow trout can be found in many regions in the United States, but the rainbow trout species originated west of the Rockies. They prefer cool rivers, streams and lakes where the water temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and are found mostly in northern areas of the US. Plankton, immature and adult insects, crustaceans, worms and even small fish form the main diet for rainbow trout. Rainbow trout start their lives in small rivers in streams, where they live until they are 6 to 9 inches long. Then then migrate to larger bodies of water, such as lakes or the ocean. Here they live for years, getting bigger until they are ready to return to the small streams to start the spawning cycle. The name used for rainbow trout which have adapted to living in salt water is steelhead trout – steelhead trout are larger than rainbow trout.

Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Equipment

The fly rod used to catch rainbow trout varies depending on the size of trout you want to catch and the body of water you are fishing on. When fishing for medium to large rainbow trout in lakes and large rivers, use a 4 weight through to a 8 weight fly rod. When fishing for small to medium size rainbow trout in small streams and rivers, use a 1 weight through to a 4 weight fly rod. A recommended rainbow trout fly fishing rod for small streams is the extremely light Sage TXL fly rod.

The fly line used for rainbow trout fly fishing is typically a floating line if dry fly fishing on the water’s surface. When fishing below the water’s surface using a nymph or streamer, a sinking tip fly line is used. A fly fishing reel is not essential for rainbow trout fly fishing, and some anglers prefer hand stripping the line to using a fly reel. A fly reel is often just used to recover and store fly line and backing not in immediate use. To find out more about fly fishing reels, check out the following beginner fly reel guide.

Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Flies

Two basic types of flies are used for rainbow trout fly fishing, wet flies and dry flies. Dry flies masquerade insects are used with a floating fly line which floats on top of the water. Worms, bugs, minnows, drowned insects and small fish are examples of some of the water creatures that live below the water’s surface that a wet fly can imitate. A wet fly sinks below the surface of the water. Nymphs and streamers are classified as wet flies and are used normally with sinking tip fly fishing lines.

For rainbow trout fly fishing, different types of flies are used in different regional areas. It is a good idea to find out what flies, nymphs and streamers work best from local fly shops or local anglers for that particular region. A good technique when fishing for rainbow trout is to start out with dry flies on the water’s surface, which causes less water disturbance. Continue with dry fly fishing, and if you have no success, then move onto the wet flies which sink under the surface of the water.

For more information about saltwater fly fishing gear, take a look at the news feed for Fly Fishing Elite (Feedraider.com).

Fly Fishing Casting - Overhead casting

The art of fly fishing casting may look extremely difficult to the beginner angler, but with a bit of practice it is not that difficult to become a good fly caster. With fly fishing, you are wasting your time unless you know how to cast properly – even if you have the best fly fishing equipment and the perfect fly collection. It’s important to be able to land a fly fishing fly on an exact location on the water’s surface when fly fishing casting. This guide explains about the fundamental fly fishing casting skills required by the beginner fisherman.

It is recommended that the beginner learn fly fishing casting from a fishing instructor, but there are plenty of books, DVDs, and online guides that teach fly fishing casting. The two main fly fishing casting techniques used today are the overhead cast, and the roll cast, and all other fly fishing casting techniques are variations of these two techniques. The beginner will start with the basic dry fly fishing method where a floating line is used which floats on top of the water. With dry fly fishing, it is easier for beginner anglers to see the line, and to detect a strike on the line. Also, using a bulky fly fishing vest can impede your casting stroke, and beginners are advised to use a smaller fly fishing chest pack or lumbar pack – there are a wide range of Fishpond pack models to choose from for the beginner angler.

When practicing fly fishing casting it is important to ensure you practice in a location with enough clear space, such as a open field. You need to have 45 feet of open space in front and behind you if you are practicing 45 foot casts, and for this distance also ensure that you have 20 feet of space on either side of you. It is recommended that you wear protective goggles/glasses and also a hat to be safe. It’s also recommended that you use a fly with no hook (called a yarn fly) on your fly fishing line. For your fly casting practice sessions, place targets out in front of you, then you must try to hit these targets when fly casting (hula-hoops can be used).

Overhead Cast

This is the most commonly used fly fishing casting technique, and most beginners should start using this technique. This technique has two sequences, the back cast, then the forward cast. With the back cast, you are lifting the fly line off the water in front of you, and up over your head until the fly line is behind you. Before the fly line touches the ground behind you, initiate the forward cast sequence. With the forward cast, you bring the fly line back over your head, and land the fly line on the water with the fly landing on the location you were aiming for.

Roll Cast

The roll cast is used when you have obstructions behind you, such as bushes or trees, that prevent you from doing the back cast using the overhead casting technique. This technique is also useful in strong winds where you don’t want to lift the line too high into the air. In order to perform a roll cast, lift the fly rod up slowly until it reaches the one o’clock position (just past 90 degrees). This will cause the line to slide backwards on top of the water, without the line lifting off the water’s surface. From this position, you do a firm forward cast to complete the roll cast.

For more information about saltwater fly fishing gear, take a look at the Feedcat.net news feed for Fly Fishing Elite.