Often I hear the question from those who want to learn, “Is it difficult to learn fly fishing?” While it may look difficult to the person that has never tried it before, with a good casting instructor it is not hard to learn the basics.

Many comment that when they have watched a skilled angler fly casting, the word “beautiful” came to mind. Some do consider fly casting as an art form when it is done correctly with precision. Truth be told, it does not have to be strenuous to learn. Having good instruction is important though.

The hardest part of learning to fly cast is in getting the timing right. Improving technique by catching mistakes early before they become habits is best done under the watchful eye of a casting instructor.

The very first casting technique you should be learning is called the roll cast. The roll cast is a very useful cast in a number of different situations and is not difficult to master. Ian Scott writes that “this is an essential cast to learn and perfect.” Before commencing with the back and forward cast, the roll cast is often used in order to lay out some line and use the friction of the water against the line for an effective back cast. Where a back cast cannot be made, it is helpful to be skilled with the roll cast in order to be able to still get your fly to where the fish are.

The back cast can be learned after, and this sets up the forward cast in conventional fly fishing. In most situations, “false casting” is really not necessary if you have perfected your back and forward cast.

The are other advanced fly casting techniques that are included in what is called “spey casting” which you may want to learn after you’ve got a solid grasp of the basics. You will though, need to make sure you are very confident with performing a basic roll cast in order to advance at spey casting.

The sport of fly fishing is no longer dominated by men. More and more women are heading out to the water with their fly rods. Even children can learn to cast fly rods with some good instruction and patience. Interestingly, quite a number of new fly angers go on to learn fly tying and enjoy it even more than catching fish on the river!

You can learn more about this sport at this site about fly fishing.

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