9 proven ways to make sure you stay a mediocre fly angler

#1  Never work on your casting

Fly casting is easier than people think. If you can throw a frisbee, you can learn to fly cast in an hour. Once you’re able to bloop out 20 feet of line, you can catch fish in small rivers. If that’s your goal, congratulations—you’re a fly angler. But to cast instinctively and effortlessly, land flies where you’re aiming and fish bigger water for bigger fish, you’ve got to hone your skills. Decent casting isn’t everything in fly fishing, but it’s essential to move beyond the basics.

Raw distance isn’t especially important, but improving consistency and accuracy will get your fly in front of a lot more fish. There are a dozen problems and bad habits that stand in the way of this, such as poor timing, overpowering the forward cast, rod creep and false casting too much. If you really want to improve, take lessons from a pro. These experts can easily diagnose your difficulties, and show you how to fix them.

Once everything is working, you’ll be amazed to discover the power and grace that was hiding in your fly rod all along. But the fixes won’t stick unless you practise. Golfers go to the range and hit a bucket of balls because it’s fun and helpful. Fly casting can be the same. Simply find some green space, set up your rod and practise. Just 20 minutes every couple of weeks can do wonders. Plus, it’s fun to play with your toys.