At Gold Rush, we are committed to Mentorship and will partner you with a Mentor that has many years of experience in several areas of the sport as we think having a Mentor helps build confidence and lasting friendships. So don’t be shy and make sure you get your Mentor today!
Mentor Chair – Chris Sloan – ch***********@***il.com
Don’t forget your state fishing license and understanding regulations.
State Regulations
https://georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout
Online License Purchase Link
https://license.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/Licensing/CustomerLookup.aspx
Fly fishing is an amazing sport that one can do for many, many years. Several factors attribute to the appeal of the sport such as the tranquility of standing in the middle of a river on a beautiful fall day false casting to rising trout or building lasting relationships where the fishing stories never end. Maybe it’s that bucket list trip to a remote place in the wilderness that allows one to get centered with all thing’s life and mother earth. Perhaps you saw Brad Pitt in a River Runs Through It and thought man that’s so cool (couldn’t resist). Whatever the circumstance, the coolness factor can wear off very quickly when it comes time to get started!
We’re excited about this eGuide of basic information to help you get started with this great sport. Our goal with this eGuide is to provide you with the basics, show you that it doesn’t take a lot of money to get started, and get you outfitted and on the water as soon as possible. Through experience, we’ve found that getting started with what to buy gear-wise and how certain components fit together such as fly line and tippet, where to fish, and what flies to use is the most daunting task. But with a solid foundation and a connection to resources both material and human, we can cut the learning curve down quickly while creating an enjoyable experience for you.
Click this link below to get your free eGuide
Beginner Fly Fishing Guide – 2.0
The viewpoints and information provided in this eGuide are from the author and Gold Rush member, Chris Sloan as well as a few members that wanted to help new folks. As you gain knowledge and build relationships, you’ll find opposing views not only from yourself, but from others and that’s great! That’s what makes this sport so much fun and it won’t be long before you, the rookie, starts teaching some of us new and exciting things about fly fishing. Fish On!
In this presentation, featuring Jeff Durniak formerly the North Georgia Region Fisheries Supervisor of the DNR (retired), and founding member of the TU Rabun Chapter, we cover the four main life cycles of the bugs seen on/in water systems not only in North Georgia, but really anywhere in North America and beyond. We then match the real bugs to their artificial impostors to better understand how to match what’s going on around us when we approach the water to fish for trout.
Knots are always a complicated thing to learn especially for new folks to the sport. And trust me, you’ll get into some pretty heated debates about what’s the best knot and why. This page isn’t a debate forum for knots, but merely a few pointers to help new folks get acclimated to a few handy tricks that many of us have learned throughout the years. For me personally, old habits are hard to break, I use two knots almost exclusively, but there are some here that I need to learn myself as a somewhat proficient troutsman. So here we go:
This video is a great all-encompassing on how to tie the proper knots to set up your fly reel by Tim Flagler of Tightlinevideo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3mKbkMUs1c
There are two basic setups here that an angler should always have at the ready in order to attach your leader to your fly line. These days many manufacturers have made this process much easier for us by adding a welded loop to the end of your fly line and adding a perfection loop on your leader. The upside is it’s easy and fast, the downside is it can grab at your tiptop as your stripping in line or reeling in a big fish. But it’s very strong so don’t worry about that!
But what happens when you damage the welded loop or it gets cut off? Here are two specific knots that will get you back to fishing:
Perfection Loop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbTELsLXQJk
Nail Knot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJUXmde-Uz4
Again another area where many debates can occur and if you are around your best fishing buddy that happens to be old school, he/she will start teaching you a fantastic knot called the blood knot. But for me this is still more time and energy than I want to spend on a knot so I defer to two really simple, strong, and very fast knots!
Infinity Knot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeqn5602wL4
Double Surgeon’s Knot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoo4OQoHaz8
This can also be a triple surgeon’s knot, which I’ll use when fishing trophy waters.
So this is an area where all types of theories, debates, and you name it start to pop up in the sport. Have fun debating this topic! But for me, 99.99% of the time I use a basic clinch knot.
Clinch Knot
I like this video because the illustrator uses a large hook and large line to help you see what’s happening.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_oaApCY2SU
Hemostat Clinch Knot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQs-iL4gHJk
Davy Knot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NTVZAZ0xQA
3-N-1 Fly Tying Tool
This is my go-to tool on the water. I’ve been using it for about four years now and it’s just the best for me. And it has a nail knot feature built in so you reduce the amount of tools you need on the water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxZUptwiZgg
Remember this is a beginners section, so there are definitely more complicated and interesting setups especially on attaching your leader to your fly line that are not only cool, but are excellent ways to reduce resistance and more easily shoot your line. But we’ll leave that to campfires and more real-time learning.
We hope you’ve found this section helpful and if you have any questions, please post and we’ll get back to you.
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