There are two important things to remember to stay safe. If you get in trouble, don’t panic, and make sure that you have the right stuff. So, what do you need to stay safe?

My List, from the top, with feeling!

• Always wear a hat. A hat with a wide brim will not only help protect you from the Sun’s radiation, but it will also protect you from flying fish hooks. Better to embed a hook in your hat, instead of your scalp or your ears. Speaking of flies and fish hooks, always mash down the barbs. If you do get stuck, barb-less hooks are much easier to remove. Also, during hunting season, wear a hunter-orange hat. It’s much better to spook a few fish, and not accidently get shot.

• Always wear polarized sunglasses, even on cloudy days.Sunglasses protect your eyes from the Sun’s rays, and from flying flies. Polarized lenses not only allow you to see the fish, but they also allow you to see structures and holes on the bottom.

• Always wear sun screen, even on cloudy days.Skin cancer is a constant danger, even on cloudy days, especially when you are surrounded by the reflective surface of the water. The higher the rating the better. Re-apply the stuff, every few hours, too. And don’t forget the back of your neck, and the back of your hands.

• Wear a wading belt.A wading belt is a belt that goes around your mid-section, on the outside of your waders. If you do take a fall, the belt is designed to keep your waders from filling with water. If you fall without one, your waders may fill with water before you can escape, creating a life threatening situation.

• Use a wading staff.A wading staff essentially gives you a “third leg,” that can help you keep your balance in strong current. You can also use it to poke around the bottom, looking for rocks and holes. If you can’t afford one of the fancy collapsible ones, you can make one from a bamboo cross country ski pole. Just cut off the basket, and you have a nice wading staff.

• Wear waders with felt-bottomed boots.Avoid cheap waders with rubber treads on the bottom of the boots. They provide no traction in fast moving water. Felt-bottom boots are much safer, although there is some controversy about whether they spread disease or invasive species. There are newer technologies out there that do provide traction, so avoid cheap, old-fashioned waders. But be careful, if you fish in winter, felt-bottomed boots provide no traction in snow.

• In winter, stay warm.If you fish in winter, hypothermia is a constant danger. Dress in layers. Use the thickest neoprene waders that you can afford. Keep an extra set of dry clothes in your car, just in case you do get wet.

• If there is lightning in the area, get off the water as quickly as possible.Graphite fishing rods conduct electricity. So waving one around in an electrical storm is a very bad idea. And don’t wait for the rain. If you hear thunder, or see lightning, get going.

Remember that you will be spending the most of your day under the sun. You need the sunscreen to prevent sunburn and a hat as well as polarized glasses to prevent permanent vision deterioration. Always wade carefully with the right sole of your boots and move carefully across banks and rivers. It would be good not to wade to any water deeper than your waist. 

So, why did I have a much easier time escaping from the Muskegon River?

Well, that time I had the right equipment.  I was wearing polarized sun glasses, so I could see where I was going. I used my wading staff to help me keep my balance in the strong current. Fortunately, I didn’t fall, but I was wearing my wading belt, just in case.

And finally, my waders had felt-bottomed boots. I was able to get enough traction, so that I could walk against the current without slipping. And of course, I kept my wits about me; I did not panic.

Fly-fishing is my favorite sport. It’s a lot of fun, but always, you need to stay safe.

Some years ago, when I first took up the sport, I was on the Ontonogon River, in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was about 15 feet out in the stream, in water up to my knees. The bottom was strewn with small, round gravel stones, disbursed among a number of larger, flat rocks. The situation hardly seemed dangerous. But when I tried to walk against the current, to get back to the shore, I could not move.

Actually, all of the stones were covered with algae, and when I moved against the current, I could not get any traction at all; a couple of times, I came close to losing my balance. The sun was shining, and because of the glare on the water, I could not see the bottom. So, I could not see where I needed to step, to walk safely.

A few years later, I was fishing on the Muskegon River, near Croton Dam, in western Michigan. A fisherman had told me that he had fished all of the great rivers of the western United States, he felt that the Muskegon was more dangerous of any of them. After that day, I was sure that he was right.

Next up!

What you need to stay safe. There are two important things to remember to stay safe. If you get in trouble, don’t panic, and make sure that you have the right stuff.

Finally, there are thousands of lures available. If it flies, crawls or swims, and fish eat it, there’s a fly pattern that mimics it. Surface lures include dry flies, foam spiders, poppers and sliders, and terrestrial surface lures, like grasshoppers. Subsurface lures include wet flies, nymphs, and streamers.

These lures mimic bugs and bait fish. For a beginner, a foam spider is probably the easiest surface lure to use. It’s easy to cast, and floats high on the water. For fishing below the surface, any nymph pattern will do. You can also try a streamer pattern that mimics a leach, worm, or minnow.

And there you have it, everything you need to know to get the right equipment so that you can start fly-fishing. As long as you stay safe, fly-fishing is a lot of fun and it’s a great way to catch fish.

Our Recommended Fly Fishing Baits for Beginners :

1.     Montana Fly Copper John – Per Dozen

Regular Price: 

$11.99

2.     Cabela’s Black Woolly Buggers – Per Dozen

Regular Price: 

$11.99

3.     Brown Elk Hair Caddis Dry Flies – Per Dozen

Regular Price: 

$11.99

4.     Bechhold Hootchie Mama Flies

Regular Price: 

$3.49

Sale Price: 

$2.99 – $3.49

5.     Howie’s Howie Fly

Regular Price: 

$5.99

Sale Price: 

$3.99 – $5.99

Leaders are tapered monofilament lines attached to the fly line. Lures are attached to the leader. Tapers are rated by number; large numbers are thicker than smaller numbers. A 71/2 foot, 3x leader will properly cast most of the lures that a beginner will start with.

Our Recommended Fly Fishing Leaders for Beginner’s :

1.     Umpqua SuperFluoro Leaders

Regular Price: 

$10.99

2.      Scientific Anglers Bass Leaders

Scientific Anglers Bass Leaders

Regular Price: 

$3.95

3.     Umpqua Trout Taper 10′ Leaders

Regular Price: 

$4.50

4.     RIO Powerflex 12 ft. Knotless Leaders

Regular Price: 

$4.95

5.     Gamma Frog Hair Muskie Leaders

Regular Price: 

$9.95

Lines come in different colors, weights, and tapers. You need a fly line that you can see in the water. Yellow, or orange is best. Again, a five-weight line is good for a beginner. Finally, most outfits come with a line that is has a weight-forward taper, the easiest line to cast. Some lines taper on both ends. When one end wears out, you reverse the line, and use the other end. Avoid “running line.” It is the least expensive line, since it has no taper at all, but you cannot cast it with ordinary fly casts.

Our Recommended Fly Fishing Lines for Beginners :

1.      Cabela’s Prestige Plus No-Vis Fly Line

Regular Price: 

$39.99

2.     Cortland 444 Clear Creek Fly Line

Regular Price: 

$62.00

3.     Airflo Supple EX Fly Line

Regular Price: 

$59.99

Sale Price: 

$39.88