River fishing can be a fulfilling experience or frustrating day in the water. Unfortunately for many beginners, their first few hours in the river are usually torturous since they can’t get anything out of the river. But this only happens to beginners when they visit the river without any plans and fishing equipment they use are randomly picked or borrowed from the local shop.
Effective Fishing Planning
Before going out with your fishing equipment, visit the river first. You need to be familiar with the general surroundings of the river. One of the biggest reasons why a person can’t easily get a catch is because they are fishing in the wrong place. Determine where most of the fish goes through and you can do this by looking for deep and shallow waters.
Professional fly fishers often create sections or regions on where they have to fish. You can also do this by creating a “mind map” on which areas you think are best. It is important that you stick to your sections so that you can have specific areas to jump to in case you don’t have any catch.
Selecting the Correct Fly Rod
There are hundreds of fly rods for river fishing available in the market and they can be easily confusing for beginners. So you don’t just go out and ask for the best fly rod for river fishing in your local hobby shop. You have to consider your budget first because that will determine what you can get. A good fly rod for beginners is a rod that’s light enough for river fishing with quick recovery. This type of fly rod is perfect for beginners because it will not strain their arm and the quick recovery type of rod can easily help in casting without too much effort. Take note of the weight capacity of the fly rod – you don’t have to purchase something that can handle a 200-pounder if you’re only trying to catch medium sized trout and carps.
Finding the Perfect Fly Reel
A good fly reel for beginners is the one that they can easily handle while the spool is well protected from outside elements. For beginners, a large arbor spool is good way to start especially for river fishing. You need something that could quickly react to bites and a large arbor setting is very sensitive and you can easily pull the bait as it requires virtually no start-up rounds. Most of the fly reels today have holed casings – very open to outside elements. If you’re option is very limited, look for fly reels with stainless aluminum so that you can easily clean the reel. Like your fly rod, you have to match the reel for your intended catch. Your reel should match your fly rod in weight capacity to prevent the rod from breaking.
Fly Lines, Baits and Accessories
If it’s your first time river fishing, the best way to get the right accessories is to visit your local shop. Once you’ve choosen a good reel and rod, everything else will just come into place. The spool will usually come with the right fly line and you could easily work with live baits if you can get one. Your local hobby shop should give you some tips on how to handle these accessories to get your first catch.