3 amazing ways that fly fishing makes you a better all-around angler

#3 Be Sneaky

There’s nothing like fishing small waterbodies, where you’re limited to a 20- or 30-foot cast, to teach you the value of stealth. Being so close to your quarry vividly portrays you as predator and the fish as prey. Wade in sloppily and you’ll blow the pool, and have to hoof it to the next bit of fishable water.

To this day, I cringe when I’m in a boat that roars up to the hot spot and plunges down a Power-Pole or anchor. “The fish don’t care,” I’ve been told many times. But if you’ve never tried a quiet approach, how do you know? To me, there’s no downside to stalking fish like a hunter, especially when it takes only a minute to slow down and approach that spot on the spot more carefully.

The bottom line is that the limitations imposed by fly tackle force you to compensate by developing special skills, habits and knowledge. And taking these attributes back to the wider world of fishing will make you a sharper all-around angler.