Advise for fly fishers who are new to the sport or thinking about giving it a try.
The first thing is not to believe everything you hear. Some people come to me with preconceived ideas of how fly fishing is done. They have ideas they got through reading or from someone that has told them things are done a certain way. A lot of what I hear from them is right, but it is only a small piece of the big picture. As an example I have had students that were told a dry fly is fished by casting upstream. I tell them that is correct, but you can fish them up, down or anywhere in between. Also dry flies don't have to be fished dead drift with the current. A lot of time they need to be twitched or skated and that can be done up, down or anywhere in between. You can dap them on the surface of the water as they hang off your rod on a very short line. Occasionally you will find a sunken dry fly will catch the fish. I suppose it's technically a wet fly at that point.

What I have just said about dry fly fishing is just one tiny aspect in a vast sport. The people who get real proficient at fly fishing question conventional wisdom. They prove to themselves what works and what doesn't. They are constantly observing and experimenting. They think outside the box. Experience teaches them what to do.

How can a beginner acquire this knowledge? One way is to fish your butt off. You'll learn eventually. A quicker way is to find people to help that really know what they are doing and are willing to share that knowledge. Talk to as many people as you can and you will get a picture of who really knows what. Everyone has a different level of experience. This includes professionals in the sport. Not all guides, teachers, sales people or shops are created equal. If you dig deep enough you can find certain people that even the pros confide in. These people are not always pros themselves. Some don't want to be in the "Loop" or got out of it.

If you get the idea that I think everyone should be proficient at the sport, then I will tell you otherwise. Some people are happy to dabble just a little. For some it takes them places where they can get away and relax. They just like going through the motions and could care less about how big the fish are or how many were caught. I can relate to all of these things because I have had those mindsets at some point in my life.

Lastly don't believe what I tell you. Find out for yourself what is true. Walk your own path.