Tip #1: Where to Cast
Paul Weamer (an innovative fly fisherman and author) says more anglers should cast their flies downstream. "Trout predators--birds and humans--all approach them from above," he says. "When you're casting from below a trout [i.e., casting upstream], you risk spooking them with the line." When you cast down to a fish, they won't see your line. The fly--which is what you want them to see--will be the first thing in their line of sight. His second suggestion: If you fish nymphs, start using them the week before their mayfly is supposed to hatch. Example: Say the Green Drakes usually start hatching in early June. Their nymphs will start becoming active a week or so before that. You won't see them, but they'll be there.

Tip #2: Fishing Dry and Wet
Tom Rosenbauer's (author of The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide) tips: In the spring the fish tend to congregate in the slower sections of the rivers and not in the fast-moving (and colder) riffles. "If you want to fish a dry fly, you should target those areas," he says. If you want to fish underwater nymphs, "Remember that your fly will never be as deep or moving as slowly as you think because the water at the surface is always faster than water closer to the bottom," he says. "So be sure to add more weight, throw farther upstream, and use a reach cast to put an upstream hook into your cast."

Tip #3 Reading the Water
Springtime fishing might mean high and muddy river conditions due to rainy weather. Most anglers believe that blown-out rivers do not fish well, if at all. In a tip called "Love That Dirty Water," Kirk Deeter and Charlie Myers argue the opposite: Fish are nearly always feeding, even when the water is murky and high. In fact, say the authors, the fish may be even more active, given the fact that rains have undoubtedly washed more food into the water. The key: knowing where to look for the trout. The best spots are the seams in the river, where the really dirty water meets the more clear stuff.

Tip #4 Setting the Hook
Many anglers, particularly novices, have a difficult time setting the hook on a trout. Some do it too hard and break off the fish. Some do it too gently and miss the hook-up. Deeter and Meyers, in a tip called "Answer the Phone," have an easy and elegant solution: "Set the hook with essentially the same speed, force, and range of motion as answering a phone." Picture yourself lifting the receiver up and bringing it to your ear. "Answer the phone," they write, "and say hello to more fish."

Tip #5 Be Picky
Sometimes you reach a pool and it can seem that every fish in there is rising at the same time. The natural instinct for a fisherman is to try to cast to all the fish at once. In the sport of quail hunting it's known as "covey shooting." In a tip called "One at a Time," Deeter and Myers say you should deny that impulse. By trying to cast to every fish, you're spreading your concentration, effectively casting "everywhere and nowhere," they write.

Instead, they say, concentrate your energies on one fish at a time. You'll catch more fish that way

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