Start in shallow water no higher than your knees. If one is used to fishing along the banks or from a small watercraft, it is a big change to actually be in the water as fly fishing requires. There is more than one story of how a person was lost due to currents pulling him off his feet, slipping on a rock and hitting his head, having the river or creek bed dissolve beneath his feet or stepping into a hole and having his waders fill with water.

Along with starting out in easy-to-access shallow waters, it is advisable to use a walking stick that floats and is attached to your body with a lanyard. Many a fisherman has been saved from a tumble into cold water by having a sturdy walking stick. There are plenty of collapsible varieties available at the sporting good outlets. Be sure it is rated to a strength to bear the weight it will have to endure.

Pick a place to fish far from trees. One of the most aggravating things for a new person exploring the wonders of fly fishing is to constantly have to pull line out of trees or losing that work-of-art fly to the branches and leaves of a tree. Those who have a bit of experience in the craft of fly fishing can maneuver their well-practiced casts under a canopy of trees. Wait until that level of casting expertise is gained before trying it.

Do not carry all of the new gear into the water. It is unlikely that a new fly fisherman will need all of that fancy tackle the first time out. Go lightweight with just the basics. Do not look like a tourist to the other folks fishing. And do not ever be embarrassed to ask for help or advice. One day it will be the new guy’s turn to laugh at the beginner he is trying to teach!

Practice that cast in a wide open area out of the water. Have a big back yard? Use it to practice that cast with dummy equipment that doesn’t have any hooks to snag Fido or the neighbor’s pesky eight year-old. This is the place to practice around trees too.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Everyone was a beginner once.