I love the outdoors. I’m sure you do too, that is why you’re here. I have so many fond memories of being out on a blue line trail listening to the birds, smelling the fresh air, watching big game, and looking at everyone’s garbage. Wait a minute, looking at everyone’s garbage? We’ve all been there sadly, you’re out enjoying your favorite trail, fishing hole, or hunting spot, and you see garbage someone carelessly left behind.

I don’t know for sure what it is about August, but when it comes to blue line fly fishing, it is almost magical. This time of year, the little blue line fish seem more aggressive, perhaps eating when the bugs are plentiful. The terrestrials are all around, you know the creeping, crawling, and splashing bugs that come from the shore. I always have a blast while fly fishing in August.

Having all the right gear doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. However when I started blue line fly fishing, I soon realized that I needed a different set of gear than than was regularly discussed in fly fishing circles. I found that the right fly rod helped me keep my flies from getting stuck in trees. I found that having lightweight gear helped make my hikes more enjoyable. And having some basic outdoor essentials helped me when I run into sticky situations.

I finally made it out this August. My wife and I just bought a house, and I’ve been spending a long time this summer working on our unfinished basement. Last Saturday I finally took a break from the basement and chased some small trout. I love big bug season. You know, the time of year that you can tie your biggest, most buoyant flies onto your line. And attract the smallest fish in the river with them.

When I started fly fishing I was on a tight budget. I wanted to make the best decision that I could about which fly rod to buy. So I went with the best all purpose, middle ground rod, that I could. I bought a 9 foot 5 weight rod. The 9ft-5wt is good for overall fishing. Maybe you’ll be out on a river fishing for decent sized fish, or on a lake where you’ll need the ability to make longer casts.

It seems that everyone has a secret to their success. We’ve all see it on T.V., someone out there has their lucky socks that they never wash, ever. Well fly fisherman can be the same way. “I’ve got my lucky pattern.” “I’ve got my favorite hole, it always has fish.” “I always catch fish, if I just go at the right time in the early morning.” Perhaps you’ve heard something like that as you’ve started talking about your introduction into fly fishing.

When I first started fly fishing I felt that I had to have a good deal of money, time to plan big trips to exotic destinations, and have a desire to chase the biggest fish ever. I found out for me that that just didn’t fit the bill. I was going after fish, in the rivers that everyone else fished. Because hey they caught big fish. After trying this for a little while, I realized that it just wasn’t my speed.