‘Tis the Season for Fishing, Sun, and, in Some Cases, Being a Tourist in Another State on Another Trout Stream or Bass Pond

And because all fly anglers are magnetically attracted to every fly shop within a 100-mile radius, this means visiting new fly shops too.

After many years working in and guiding out of a fly shop, I compiled a list of the do's and don'ts of fly shop patronage to help you make your trip more successful.

1. Don't expect the shop to have the exact version of your pattern that "caught every fish you ever landed in '84-'97," but do expect them to offer to tie you some.

I understand the sentimental value of flies. I have some that worked 25 years ago on Pass Lake in Washington better than anything.

I also have a pattern that worked so well on Lake Lenice at one time that I made $125 in 5 hours of fishing by selling them to other anglers on the lake who kept kicking over to me and asking to buy some.

Do these patterns still work? Rarely.

Every once in a while I find a dumb enough fish to hit one, but considering those fish have seen everything (word spreads like wildfire when it comes to patterns that are working), I'm better off trying something they haven't seen every day for the past 25 years.

Flies these days darn near fish themselves and can contain rubber legs, propellers, and everything short of dancing ladies that pop out when you cast.

Try something new and exciting. Throw out your preconceived notions on what "should" work, and enjoy your day on the water.

And if you simply must have exact copies of your favorite pattern, ask the shop staff to tie some for you. After all, that's what specialty retailers are for. But don't be surprised if it's a woman who ends up tying them for you :).

2. Don't say, "I've taken this week-long trip to 'XYZ' every year for 8 years, so I know what I'm doing."

Was it wise to guide in 25-mph wind? Nope. Between the wind, releasing salmon in 3- to 4-foot surf, and constant pouring rain, this was one of the most challenging yet rewarding days I've ever guided. It was worth it!

Shop staff don't get commission, I promise; I would've been much nicer if I had. They're offering help because they want to.

And because compared to your 56 days on said water in the last 8 years, they've likely fished it 56 days in the last 3 months alone.

Listen to their advice.

You don't have to agree and you don't have to buy everything they suggest, but listen out of courtesy. They might introduce you to the one bug that ends up becoming your next go-to pattern.

3. If you find a female behind the counter, don't ask, "do you fish?"

It's the 21st Century. Women can vote, work, and, believe it or not, even work in a fly shop.

While it's easy to assume that they're there because their "boyfriend owns the shop," it's actually highly unlikely that's the case these days.

Having been fly fishing since 1988 and working in a fly shop for almost 12 years, I can say you need to be tough as heck and know your stuff up and down to spend one day working in a fly shop. 

4. Don't say, "It must be a defective rod, because it keeps breaking at the same spot."

Yes, the fly shop staff will agree with you and send it in happily for repair because they want to keep you, the customer, happy.

But they know the reason it breaks at the same spot every time is because you're fishing the same creek from the same side doing the same roll cast with the same beadhead nymph hitting the rod in the same spot day after day.

This weakens the graphite in that one spot. Then, "It just breaks" the next time you're overhead casting, leading to the obvious conclusion that it's a defective rod.

It's generally not. Rod performance is greater than ever before. Rods of the 90's could generate high line speed, but they're nothing compared to the 130 mph that flies have been clocked at on certain rods today.

As a colleague (who shall remain nameless) has explained: "You wouldn't expect to hit a rock on the highway and shatter a car window driving at 50 mph, but you would expect it to shatter driving at 130 mph."

5. If you're using a shop rental rod in a class or on a guide trip, don't feel bad.

As a guide I know that my rods will break annually. All of them. And generally when a client has the smallest fish of the day on.

That's why I always bring backups.

Do I blame the rod? No. I know that I watched a cone head bugger hit that rod 6 times in 4 days. Do I blame my clients? Not at all.

That's why I do what I do. I love teaching, and teaching includes hitting the rod some days.

An 8-year-old broke one of my rods recently by "poking a slug". Did I blame the rod? Nope. Did I learn a lesson? Yup, slug 1, rod 0.

6. Don't say you need to have 300 yards of backing (unless you're fishing for marlin, GT's, or sailfish).

Any fish that gets that far into your backing (if it's not a "big game" fish) has already won. You're never seeing that fish again.

Now I'll tell you, I've had a fish darn near spool me once before. The fish that did it was not a GT, a tarpon, or even a trophy king salmon. My experience came from accidentally foul hooking a 20" brown trout in the dorsal fin on a five-weight rod while sitting in an anchored-up pontoon boat on a lake.

Cheers fish, you win.

7. Don't say "I've been tying flies for years, so I don't need help finding materials."

Case in point: why I don't do live tying videos on my Instagram.The video was going great, was educational, and was rated somewhere between G and PG... Until I realized I'd forgotten the eyes. Oops.

Guess what, I've been tying flies for year too, and I can safely say NOBODY can truly keep up with every new fly tying material at the rate they are showing up in fly shops.

From the new Fish-Skull Faux Bucktail to new dubbing colors, there are new fly tying products created monthly. Even if you know all there is to know about tying one pattern, there may be a new material available that could give your fly the edge that sets it above your fishing buddies' version.

Most fly shop staff love talking fly tying. If you ask nicely enough, some shop staff may even break out a vise and show you a trick or two.

On that note – may you all have a great summer season! Tight lines to all.

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About Brita Fordice:

Brita grew up on the banks of the Stillaguamish river, one of Washington state’s “big five” steelhead streams. It was there that she learned to fly fish at the age of 8, and taught herself to tie flies at 10. Following college and a few years in Alaska and then Idaho she began working for a fly shop in Seattle in 2004 and began guiding shortly thereafter. Brita began working for RIO Products in 2016 as a Product Developer and began designing Signature flies for them. She is an ambassador for the American Museum of Fly Fishing, a pro for HMH Vises, J Stockard, Deer Creek, and has been featured in Southern Culture on the Fly, Loon Live, and frequently on the Flymen Fishing site. You can follow her on Instagram at @seafly907.