If you’re a beginning fly fisherman the first thing you need to accept is that the term “fly fisherman” encompasses both the male and female gender. The next thing requiring your acknowledgement is that you have no place being here at the Unaccomplished Angler, where only seasoned veteran anglers and obsessed hacks hang out. In other words, if you’re a fly angling noob and you are reading this then you are in way over your head, which is something no fisherman (or woman) ever wants to experience.
So, beginners take note: please leave. But not before clicking over to the Redington website. Check out the New To Fly section where you’ll find, among other things, a series of helpful videos. Redington is a company in the fly fishing industry that is really making a concerted effort to attract those who’ve yet to wet a line and provide quality gear at reasonable prices for those who’ve already been on the water. For many beginners the myriad choices of gear and information to get started can be daunting. The information provided by Redington should go a good ways toward helping you make some sense of all this fly fishing madness.
The guy in the Redington videos may be no expert fly fishing guide like Hank Patterson, but the videos cover important topics and will aid you in your quest for compleat fly fishing comprehension. Or at least the information contained therein may get you started on the right foot so that you avoid the multitude of mistakes that often plague new fly anglers.
One thing Redington didn’t cover on their website is photo etiquette. When you pose for a photo with your first fish, don’t put your rod in your mouth. There’s no reason for this.