The tactics that apply to dry fly fishing will he presented first followed by the wet fly, the nymph and concluding with streamer tactics. Some tactics will apply equally well to two or more fly types and will be discussed accordingly. For many fresh and saltwater species, the leader is relatively unimportant. however, in fly fishing for Trout your leader will become critical to your success.

You can catch bass and a host of other fish on many different leader designs but, when you fish for Trout your leader can be more important than your selection of fly, line or rod. If you don’t have a good understanding of leaders, review the material on the subject in the section on “equipment” before going on. 

Also a basic understanding of stream hydraulics and the anatomy of moving water will help in “reading the water” or predicting where Trout hold in streams. If you haven’t yet read ‘streamology” do so. This too will help in understanding what’s to follow.

There may be days on a stream when you will think that Trout are the most intelligent, finicky, perceptive, and frustrating of all Gods creatures. This would be the time to remind yourself of three truisms that govern the behavior of Trout. They are unable to expend more energy than they obtain through feeding; they will be hiding or have a place to hide close by when predators threaten and they must have a proper temperature in which to live and feed. Keep these three needs that motivate there behavior patterns in mind when planning your tactics to catch Trout.