One thing that every fly fisher looks forward to is that bonus strike. One way that you can get a bonus strike when you're at the end of drift with a dry fly or nymph is to let your fly swing around. Then let the fly lie in the current for about 30 seconds to see if you get that bonus hit.

Most of the fish that you catch when you're fly fishing will have sensitive areas such as their mouths and gills. Handle them gently when you remove the fly so that you don't damage them. And remember that some fish have sharp teeth so avoid putting your fingers inside the mouth.

If you're looking for success try to find some white rocks to fish near. White rocks in a dark streambed can provide you with a lighter background. This will allow the fish to see a dark colored insect or lure as it drifts over the contrasting colors of white rock and dark water. This can often end in a good strike for you.

When you mix a large predator fish with low light levels you end up with a fish that exercises less caution and is more aggressive than when the light is high. Great days for fishing for large predators are at sunrise, at sunset, when there is stormy weather, and after the sun goes down.

As a beginner fly fisher you'll want to focus on becoming more experienced. Following are some of the top tips for fly fishing from the experts:

• Using two lures on one line: If you're fishing in deep, clear water you may want to put two lures on one line. This is particularly good if you want to make a "vertical" presentation. You'll want to use a bell sinker as the weight for added impact. Make sure that you tie two hooks onto the fishing line a few feet apart from one another.
• Using a small spinner: There will be times when you want to attract fish by using sound and sight. At these times a small spinning blade is your best bet. Attach a small spinner to the end of a light weighted jig. This can be a very effective technique in colder waters.
• Two-handed pitch cast: When you're fishing in close quarters you might want to try a two-handed pitch cast. Holding the lure in your left hand, pull on your rod so that you bring the tip down just a bit. Give the rod a small tip flex and then swing up the tip at the same time that you let go of the lure. You should find that the lure moves in a low movement towards your target area
• Minnow-shaped plugs: Try fishing with a small minnow-shaped plug which will float above the bottom and will dart just like a fish when you twitch the line.

When you're fly fishing you should keep in mind that you'll be noticed more by the fish from "sound" than you will by sight. When you're walking or wading make sure that you walk softly and gently. You'll want to wear shoes that have soles that don't make loud noises against bottom gravel and rocks.

The more you know the language, or lingo, of fly fishing the more fun it will be as you fly fish with your friends and family. Some of the language that you should know includes:

• Fly: The fly is light weight lure that is used to attract a variety of fish including trout and salmon. The most common fly is the mayfly.
• Leader: The leader is attached to the end of fly line since the fly line is too thick to hold flies. The leader can be identified as a tapered clear piece of monofilament.
• Plug: The plug is a lure that looks just like a bait fish. It will have one or more hooks that hang down from its body. You can use different plugs and jerk them around to look like a fish that has been injured.
• Spinners: A spinner is a small oval-shaped blade that is attached to the end of a lure. A spinning hook will be trailing off the end of it.
• Tippet: The tippet is a clear piece of monofilament. It is attached to the end of the leader so that the leader's end taper is preserved.

Woolly Bugger: The Woolly Bugger is a fly that has a very simple design with a long tail feather on the end. This fly is very popular among experienced fly fishers.

There will be times when fish will take anything that you give them no matter if it's similar to the insects and foods that they are feeding on or how the bait behaves. Then there will be other times when no matter what you give them, they won't strike at all. There is a famous quote that fits in well here:

"It is possible to fool all of the fish some of the time, and some of the fish all of the time, it is however well nigh impossible to fool all of the fish all of the time".

If you're going to be smoking your fish it's important that you don't smoke it right after you've salted it. Let the fish sit overnight is a place that is cool and dry, allowing the surface to dry. This will seal in the flavours when the fish is smoked.

When you're ready to smoke the fish follow these directions:

• Line the base of the smoker with foil, placing wood shavings on top of the foil.
• Smoke the fish for about eight hours for maximum flavour.
• When the smoking is done wrap the foil with the ashes and any of the juices that have dripped. This will leave your smoker clean and ready for the next use.

Don't just spend your day casting. Beginners often make the mistake of spending the whole day casting at every riffle, undercut bank, and other likely looking fishing spot without ever achieving success. And the end result is usually that the fly is taken away at that moment that they are looking at their fly box for their next cast off. This is time to step back and think so that you can get a strike or two.

Take some time to think about what your fly is doing, what the fish are doing, what the weather is like, and what type of fish you think you might find!

Fly fishing can be either very good or very bad. Even when you have a great strategy in place there will simply be times when the fish won't be biting. These are the days when you have to work even harder on your technique so that you take home that prize.

There will be those days when you've planned to fish in shallow water but the weather is just too calm. You'll find that in this situation the best time of day to fish is either during the low light of the morning or the low light of the day when it is harder for the bass to notice you. Change your strategy if you need to.

Another reason why the fish just won't be biting is when the day is very bright and clear. These conditions bring about limitations when it comes to fly fishing such as (1) the fish being able to see you, and (2) the water becoming too hot, sending the fish to deeper depths. With these conditions present you'll have to be very stealthy in your pursuit of any fish. If you're going to making long casts you won't have to worry too much about stealth since fish in deeper water will be less distracted by the bright light.