Presentation part 1

Drag is a Drag “Drag” is the number one problem in most presentations of flies to trout, whether fishing with dry flies, emergers or nymphs. Before changing flies, consider whether you are making drag-free presentations.

Ideas for Drag-Free Presentations Having trouble with drag? Changing to a lighter or more supple tippet material, lengthening your leader and tippet, and tying your fly on with a loop knot can all help reduce drag. And sometimes tying on a fly that is more visible helps you to see drag that you might otherwise not notice.

Leader Length Nine-foot leaders are the standard for both fresh- and saltwater fly fishing. But some situations — for example when fishing small dry flies on still water and spring creeks, or when casting to tailing bonefish — 12-foot and even 15-foot leaders are needed. Fishing streamers often requires no more than 7-8 feet of leader material, and shorter leaders make casting heavy flies easier.

Watch Fish Behavior When you spot a feeding trout, don’t immediately start casting. Watch the fish’s behavior to determine what it may be feeding on and the timing of its rises, so that you can put the right fly on the water and have it arrive as the fish begins to look upward again. In saltwater, learning fish behavior — especially the speed at which your target fish takes a fly — is often critical to success.

How Far From the Rise Ring? When casting to a rising fish, don’t target the rise rings. Put your fly at least 3-4 feet in front of where you saw the fish last rise, remembering to give yourself time to thrown an upstream mend into the line if needed. Difficult currents that quickly create drag may require you to throw close to the fish, however, so that the fish sees the fly before it begins to look unnatural.