I love to fly fish in Canada. From the spine of the Rockies to its boreal forests, the Canadian north rivals any fishy locale on the planet, and fly fishing is a great way to get to know the waters of this region.
The folks at The New Fly Fisher — anglers like Mark Melnyk, Bill Spicer and Colin McKeown have decades of angling expertise under their belts, and they know Canada better than most. What’s more, they’re all accomplished fly anglers, and they have great tips to share with anyone who uses the long rod.
In the short video above, fly fishers in the U.S. who might be Canada-curious can take a few lessons from the New Fly Fisher team for casting to and catching some of Canada’s most-prized game fish. From proper rigging techniques for northern pike to how to skate dry flies for giant wild brook trout, this compilation of techniques will only serve to increase your interest in fishing in Canada.
But don’t think these techniques are Canada-specific. Spicer’s “skitter” tactic for making caddis flies dance over hungry brook trout works just as well on Idaho cutthroats. For the most part, these are universal tips that any angler can incorporate.
And, just maybe, when you do finally get up north to fish, you’ll have a little Canadian expertise to speed your learning curve.