Mindset Tips: How Good Anglers Actually Get Better Faster
These 22 mindset tips come from guests on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast — guides, photographers, magazine editors and business owners tied to trout, steelhead and warmwater fisheries across the country. They cover how anglers actually get better faster, how to handle a slow day, and how a fishing passion turns into something more, on the water and off.
Every episode of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast ends the same way: Christian Bacasa asks the guest for one tip, no matter who they are — a guide, a photographer, a magazine editor, a rod builder. Some of those tips are about fishing. A lot of them aren't. This article is about the ones that aren't, or that are about fishing in a way that has nothing to do with fly size or tippet diameter.
These 22 tips come from guests recorded between 2019 and 2024, spanning the show's earliest episodes through Season 5. Guides talk about how they actually got faster at reading fish. Photographers, magazine editors and small business owners talk about what it takes to stick with something past the point most people quit.
Each tip below is a card: the guest's own words, then Christian's take on why it matters and how to actually use it.
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How Do You Actually Get Better at Fly Fishing Faster?
Skill comes from paying attention to the right things, not from luck. These five tips are about deliberate practice — studying what doesn't work, paying for real instruction, and treating every trip as a chance to learn something you didn't know yesterday.
TIP 01 · LEARNING FROM MISSES
Study your missed strikes, not just your hookups
— Ryan Walker, Ozarks smallmouth bass fly fishing guide · Protecting and Targeting The Big Brown Trout and Bass of The Ozarks, S3E146
A missed fish will tell me as much or more than a fish that's hooked, because as fly fishermen we tend to pay more attention to what we were doing when a fish misses the fly than when we catch it. So you either figure out how to modify it, or you replicate it and try to get that fish to eat.
Why it matters. Most anglers stop paying attention the second a fish eats. That's backwards — a follow or a refusal shows you exactly what your retrieve, angle and fly were doing in that instant, information a clean take never gives you.
How to do it. When a fish shows on your streamer and doesn't commit, replay your last three strips before the next cast. If the fish backed off, slow down, change your angle, or drop a size. If it made a half-hearted swipe, throw the same cast again — you were close. Keep a mental log of what worked and what spooked fish through a session instead of only remembering the ones you landed.
TIP 02 · REPOSITIONING
Reposition a couple steps before you change your rig
— Zach Lassek, early-career fly fishing guide in Park City, Utah · How it Feels to Be a New Guide on High Pressured Water - Zach Lassek, S5E201
He put me in the water, showed me how to load my bobber and cast upriver, but I wasn't getting into fish. He said, take two steps forward, do the same cast, and that was the difference. Sometimes a couple steps is all it takes.
Why it matters. When the takes stop, most anglers reach for a new fly first. Sometimes the rig is fine and the problem is where you're standing — the drift, the depth, the seam all change with two steps.
How to do it. Before you re-rig, move a step or two upstream, downstream, or across and make the exact same cast. Work the whole run, including the tailout, instead of only the head of the pool where everyone else stops. Treat yesterday's hot spot as a starting guess, not a guarantee — fish shift position day to day even on water you know well.
TIP 03 · STAYING CURIOUS
Stay a sponge, even in someone else's boat
— Brett Lowry, Oklahoma smallmouth bass guide and boat outfitter · The Importance of the Captain's Position in Raft, Drift or Jet Boat, S5E253
You will never be really good or proficient at anything if you don't love learning, so you have to keep that love of learning going. No matter whose boat I'm in, I keep my ears open and want to be a sponge, because I can learn something from everybody.
Why it matters. The anglers who plateau are the ones who decide they already know how this works. Everyone you fish with, guide or client, more experience or less, has picked up something you haven't.
How to do it. Go into every trip assuming there's a technique or a piece of local knowledge you're about to learn. Watch how the other person rigs, casts, or reads a seam instead of tuning out while they talk. When you pick something up, say it back to someone else later — that's what actually locks it in.
TIP 04 · SKILL TRANSFER
Fish for other species to become a better trout angler
— Cris Jackson, fly-tying table designer and owner of Lone Bison · Fly Table Selection and Ozarks Fly Fishing - Lone Bison - Cris Jackson, S5E197
Try all kinds of different waters, anywhere there's a fish available, just see what you can do. I think you learn a lot that's going to make you a better trout fisherman by fishing for other species and learning what they do and what they don't do.
Why it matters. Anglers who only fish one species in one type of water build a narrow set of instincts. Casting to whatever's available — panfish, carp, bass — trains reading and presentation skills that carry straight back to trout.
How to do it. On an open day, go after a species you normally skip, with gear you already own. Watch how it reacts to your retrieve, your fly size, and how close you can get before it spooks. Take what you notice back to your home trout water — a slower strip, a stealthier approach — and try it there.
TIP 05 · GETTING INSTRUCTION
Pay your local fly shop for a quick casting lesson
— Spencer Durrant, news editor at MidCurrent Magazine and custom bamboo fly rod builder · Episode 78 - Spencer Durrant, from Mid Current Magazine, EP 78
Go to your local fly shop, give the guy behind the counter fifty bucks, and guess what, he's going to teach you how to cast a fly rod, even if they don't officially advertise lessons. If you're worried people will judge you as a beginner, just shut up and go.
Why it matters. New anglers stay away from fly shops because they're worried about looking like a beginner. That worry costs them real instruction they could get for the price of a leader and some tippet.
How to do it. Walk into a shop and ask if someone can spend twenty minutes with you on casting, and offer to pay for their time. Buy your tippet, leader and a few flies while you're there so the visit works both ways. Don't apologize for being new — shop staff want you to come back, and that starts with a good first visit.
What Should Your Mindset Be on a Slow Day?
Every angler has days where the fish don't cooperate. These four tips are about how the guides and guests in this list think about a day that doesn't go the way they planned.
TIP 06 · REDEFINING SUCCESS
Redefine success as progress, not just fish caught
— Heather Hodson, founder of United Women on the Fly and Orvis/Sims ambassador · Episode 36 - Heather Hodson - Fly Fishing Education and Empowerment of Women in the Sport, EP 36
There will be times you don't catch fish, but you can't catch a fish without your fly in the water. So keep at it, and know that even when you're not landing fish, you're succeeding by getting better, learning, and becoming a better angler overall.
Why it matters. Beginners quit or stay intimidated because they measure every trip only by whether they landed a fish. That standard punishes you during the exact stretch where everyone is still learning.
How to do it. Before each trip, set a learning goal next to any catch goal — a new cast, a new stretch of water, a fly you've never fished. Get around other anglers, a club, a group of friends who fish, because that pushes you faster than fishing alone. Keep your fly in the water as much as the day allows — you cannot catch anything with it in the box.
TIP 07 · STEELHEAD MINDSET
Measure a steelhead day by moments, not numbers
— Zack Walters, steelhead swing guide and publisher of Swing the Fly Magazine · Episode 89 - Zack Walters - Swing the Fly Magazine, S3E89
Don't get too caught up in the numbers of fish. If your day is made with one fish or two fish, consider stopping, looking around, and smelling the roses for a while. We all need to be asking ourselves what level of impact is okay.
Why it matters. Wild steelhead runs on the West Coast are under real pressure, and treating a day as only a fish count encourages anglers to grind water that can't take it. A day built around moments instead of a tally is both more enjoyable and more sustainable.
How to do it. Set a personal marker for a good day that isn't a number — one good take, one good swing, a place worth being in. When you land a wild steelhead, handle it fast and gently and actually look at it before it swims off. Every so often, ask yourself whether the pressure you're putting on a run is worth spreading out to somewhere else.
TIP 08 · STAYING FRESH
Treat every day on the water like your first and last
— Jeffrey Falardeau, Alaska fly-out lodge guide (Bristol Bay) · Alaska Fly Fishing Opportunities, S5E235
I treat every trip like it's my first day and my last day. Guides don't have their best day every day, and it's a lot of pressure to think you have to deliver someone the trip of a lifetime every single day. Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield.
Why it matters. Guides who fish every day, and anglers who fish the same water often, both start to go through the motions. Putting pressure on yourself to make every single trip extraordinary just sets you up to be disappointed.
How to do it. Before you head out, reset by imagining it's both your first time on that water and possibly your last. On a slow day, judge yourself by effort and attitude instead of fish count. Remember that even people who fish for a living don't have a great day every time out.
TIP 09 · RESILIENCE
Adopt "don't get up to give up" as your mantra
— Christian Bacasa, fly fishing guide and co-founder of Dupe-a-Fish · The Biggest Secret to Catching Trout, S4E164
My mantra when I was sick was: don't get up to give up. That got me through some pretty heavy stuff. Go out there, have fun, enjoy yourselves, chase every day, learn something new, drag a friend along, and just go have some fun.
Why it matters. A rough season, a health scare, or just a slow stretch on the water makes it easy to quit trying. A short phrase you can repeat gives you something to lean on in the moment instead of talking yourself through the decision every single time.
How to do it. Pick a short phrase you'll actually use during a genuinely hard stretch, whatever that looks like for you. Use it to trigger one more small action instead of stopping outright. Attach it to something concrete — getting outside, learning one new thing, bringing a friend along — so it isn't just words.
Mindset That Extends Past the Fish Count
Some of the most useful advice guests gave Christian had nothing to do with catching fish. It was about showing up for people, for causes, and for yourself.
TIP 10 · MENTAL HEALTH
Open up to someone instead of carrying it alone
— Ben Gerloff, guide and military veteran · Veteran Wellness, Targeting Fish at Their Level and Why You Don't Change Flies - Ben Gerloff, S5E198
If you're having a hard time, talk to somebody. My problem with PTSD is I never talked to people about it. When I opened up about it, all my problems seemed to fall off my shoulders. I'm a whole different person now because of it.
Why it matters. Veterans and anyone carrying something heavy tend to isolate instead of reach out, and the weight compounds the longer it sits. Talking about it, to anyone, is a bigger step than most people give it credit for.
How to do it. If you're struggling, say something to someone you trust before it becomes a crisis, even informally. Use time on the water or in a boat as the setting — side-by-side conversation is easier than face-to-face. If friends and family aren't enough, look for veteran-specific or general mental health resources built for exactly this.
TIP 11 · MENTORSHIP
Show up, lead with your heart, and stay present
— Chad Brown, Army veteran, fly fishing guide, and founder of a veteran-and-youth outdoor nonprofit · Chad Brown a Veteran and Leader for Environmental Justice in Fly Fishing, S3E136
You've got to show up when it's time for you to show up, and when you show up you have to leave from your heart, and allow your heart to show the love that you have for the youth you're speaking to, and be present and stay present in the moment with them. Period.
Why it matters. Mentoring programs load up on curriculum and technique while missing the thing young people actually respond to — an adult who's genuinely there. Fishing skill alone doesn't build the trust that changes how a kid sees themselves.
How to do it. When you take a young person fishing, commit to actually being there instead of running a lesson plan. Put the phone away and let your attention show your interest is real. Stay in the moment with them rather than rushing through an agenda — the fishing is the vehicle, not the point.
TIP 12 · CONSERVATION MINDSET
Turn conservation overwhelm into one small daily action
— Kate Williams, CEO, 1% for the Planet · Episode 40 - Kate Williams, CEO - 1% For the Planet., EP 40
Fall in love with a place, because we fight for what we love. It can be overwhelming to think about climate change, but we each can do something every day. Then you build on that: sign a petition, make a donation, volunteer.
Why it matters. Big problems like climate change feel too large to act on, so a lot of people freeze and do nothing at all. Breaking a commitment into small, repeatable choices makes it doable instead of paralyzing.
How to do it. Pick one place you genuinely love, whether that's a home river or a city park, and let that attachment be your motivation. Choose one small action you can actually sustain — carpooling, picking up trash streamside, a fixed donation — instead of trying to fix everything at once. Stack it over time: today's habit becomes this year's donation or volunteer shift.
TIP 13 · CONSERVATION ADVOCACY
Turn everyday small talk into casual conservation advocacy
— John Stallone, director of a hunting and fishing conservation outreach nonprofit · How Hunters and Anglers Play a Role in Preserving Wildlife, S5E262
We all interact with people daily, at work, in the breakroom, waiting in line for coffee. If there's an opportunity to interject what it is that you love and why, take it. Done right, that person leaves the conversation as a hunting and fishing ally.
Why it matters. Most non-anglers have no idea that license fees and gear taxes fund wildlife management, and every casual conversation is a chance to close that gap. You don't need to be an expert — you need a story.
How to do it. Learn the basics of how license and tag fees fund habitat and management — you don't need exact numbers, just the gist. Put together a two-to-three-minute answer to "what does fishing mean to you" that's personal, not statistical. Use ordinary small talk, a coworker, the coffee line, instead of waiting for a formal debate to bring it up.
The Mindset Behind Better Fishing Photography
Trying to fish and shoot photos at the same time usually means doing both worse. These three tips are about slowing down and being intentional with a camera.
TIP 14 · PHOTO MINDSET
Don't let the photo cost you the actual trip
— Luke Winkler, media relations for the Riversmith rod transportation system · Episode 26 - Luke Winkler, Media Relations - Riversmith Rod System, EP 26
I've been tempted by that a few times and taken trips where I really just wanted a picture of what I was there to do, and it detracts so much from the experience — the beautiful place, the relationships you could have built, the pressure of needing that shot to happen or it's a failure of a trip.
Why it matters. Treating a trip as a failure without a shareable photo shifts your attention away from the place and the people you're with. That pressure shows up on guided trips too, when a client chasing a selfie misses the strike.
How to do it. Before a trip, decide what would make it worthwhile even without a photo worth posting — new water, time with friends, a technique you want to work on. When a good moment happens, be in it before you reach for a phone. Notice when you're choosing a spot because it'll look good online rather than because you want to be there.
TIP 15 · STORYTELLING
Shoot the story and the people, not just grip-and-grins
— Tim Romano, photographer and managing editor of Angling Trade Magazine · Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
I've always just tried to tell a story rather than chase grip-and-grin shots, that's more interesting to me. I love fishing, it's totally an addiction, but I have more fun seeing new places, meeting people, and hearing their stories.
Why it matters. Grip-and-grin fish photos are everywhere and don't build a body of work that sets your trips apart. The people, the places and the story of a trip hold up a lot longer than another hero shot.
How to do it. Spend as much time photographing your guide, your travel companions and the landscape as you do the fish. Ask locals and guides about their stories and work that into your shots or captions. Give a few grip-and-grins if someone wants them, but keep building the narrative shots that actually last.
TIP 16 · DELIBERATE PRACTICE
Dedicate a rod-free block of time to shoot photos
— David Cannon, outdoor and fly fishing photographer · Episode 77 - David Cannon, An Industry Top Photographer., EP 77
I can't do both, fish and photograph, well at the same time. Dedicate a half day where you don't fish at all, don't even take your rod out of the vehicle, and just go photograph your buddies, the river, the fish, the bugs, anything and everything you see.
Why it matters. Trying to fish and shoot photos in the same stretch of time means doing both poorly, because each one needs your full attention at the moment that matters. Blocking out dedicated time forces the focus that actually improves your photography.
How to do it. On a multi-day trip, pick a half day and leave the rod in the vehicle entirely. Photograph your fishing partners, the river, the bugs, anything that catches your eye, not just fish shots. Afterward, look at the handful of images you actually like and ask yourself specifically why they work, then try to repeat it next time.
Turning a Fly Fishing Passion Into Something More
A handful of guests on this list turned a love of fishing into a magazine, a rod company, a hat brand, or a guiding career. Here's what they'd tell you before you try it.
TIP 17 · FUNDING YOUR FISHING
Get a steady job and fund your own fishing
— Courtney Boice, CEO, Blue Halo Rods (fiberglass fly rod company) · Episode 25 - Courtney Boice, CEO - Blue Halo Rods - Quest to Produce the Best, EP 25
It is so dang hard to run and to do all this. My advice to people for the most part is: get a good job, make money, and then go fishing. Don't try to get sponsored, just buy stuff and go fishing and love it.
Why it matters. Small fly fishing companies are grinding, low-margin work, and chasing sponsorship or an industry job as validation can turn your passion into just another job. Keeping steady income protects the thing you actually love.
How to do it. Keep a stable job and use that income to buy your own gear and fish as much as you can, rather than waiting on free product. Test any business idea on the side, nights and weekends, before you bet your income on it. If the idea keeps pulling at you after a full day of work, that's the signal it's worth pursuing further.
TIP 18 · PASSION FIRST
Let your passion for fishing drive the business
— Jen Ripple, Founder and Editor, DUN Magazine · Episode 22 - DUN Magazine & Jen Ripple - A Story of Empowerment for All.
If you have a passion and a desire to do something, don't let anyone stand in your way. Spend more time in the water, spend more time fishing, spend less time thinking about what your business is going to be, and something will grow out of that love for the sport.
Why it matters. People starting a fly fishing business often get discouraged by one skeptic, or get so buried in the business plan that they lose the love of the sport that started it. Pushback from someone experienced isn't proof an idea won't work.
How to do it. Keep your day job while you test the idea instead of betting everything on it right away. When someone tells you your idea won't last, weigh it, but don't let it stop you — plenty of good ideas got the same warning. Keep fishing, keep building genuine love for the sport, and let the business grow out of that instead of replacing it.
TIP 19 · LAUNCHING
Launch a minimum viable product instead of waiting
— Noel Fox, Founder, Hook & Vice (fly fishing apparel brand) · Episode 38 - Noel Fox - Hook & Vice Crew Clothing and Lucky Hats, EP 38
Regardless of what the business is, if you have an idea, the time is never going to be perfect to just jump in and do it. My recommendation is just do it. That's what I did with my wife — we produced 200 hats and saw what happened.
Why it matters. There's always a reason the timing isn't perfect — no website, no customer list, nothing set up. Meanwhile, plenty of people with good ideas never take the first concrete step, and that's the actual bottleneck.
How to do it. Identify the smallest version of your idea you can produce and sell — a small first batch, a basic landing page — instead of building the whole business before testing it. Set a short deadline to get that minimum version out, even without a website or a marketing plan. Treat the first run as market research: watch how people respond, then improve the next version.
TIP 20 · SIDE PROJECTS
Build the passion project on the side first
— Dylan Stewart, wood-burn fish artist, founder of Bold Coast Burns · Episode 112 - Dylan Stewart - Bold Coast Burns, S3E112
You can't take the plunge all at once — keep doing whatever job is really working for you, and do the thing on the side, but don't rule it out. It's not always consistent, and you have to become comfortable with that. Keep the intensity up and keep pursuing it, it's your passion.
Why it matters. People who hear "quit your job and chase it" either never start or burn out trying to go all-in too fast. Treating it as a side project first lets skill and income build gradually instead of forcing an all-or-nothing bet.
How to do it. Keep your current job as your financial foundation while you work the side project on evenings and weekends. Set a concrete signal for when it's ready to go full time — sustained income, a growing client base — instead of a gut feeling. Expect slow stretches; that's normal, not proof it's failing.
TIP 21 · KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Know your audience and let effort do the selling
— Peter, owner of a fly-of-the-month subscription box business · Episode 19 - Freestone Fly Company - Changing the Way We Buy Flys
Knowing your audience, who you're going to market to, is the biggest thing to think about and really pour effort into. People will really key in on whether you're delivering something you've put a lot of work into. It works in reverse too — if you're sending out something subpar, people are going to notice.
Why it matters. A small fly fishing business lives on repeat customers, and people can sense corner-cutting even when nobody points it out. Knowing exactly who you're serving before you refine your product keeps your effort aimed at the right thing.
How to do it. Before you invest more time or money, write down specifically who your customer is and what they actually value. Put visible extra effort into the details of what you send out — packaging, a personal follow-up, a small bonus touch. Treat any feedback that something feels off as an early warning to tighten up quality before it costs you the relationship.
TIP 22 · TRUSTING YOUR VOICE
Trust your own voice and write for the reader
— Louis Cahall, Founder of Gink and Gasoline (fly fishing blog and media brand) · Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
It's important to trust your voice, that took me a while to learn. That's not about being cocky, it's about trusting that you have something to offer and a point of view that's valid. Whatever you publish, just be sure it's of use to your reader.
Why it matters. New fly fishing content creators hedge their opinions out of fear they're not expert enough, which makes for bland, forgettable work. Content only connects when it's honestly useful to the reader and written with real conviction.
How to do it. Write from your actual point of view instead of softening every opinion, even on topics outside straight how-to content. Before you publish anything, ask whether it's genuinely useful to your reader, not just good for your own ego. Expect it to take years of consistent output before anyone notices — that's normal, not a sign you're on the wrong track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do guides say a missed fish teaches you more than a landed one?
When a fish follows or swipes at a fly without eating, you're watching everything about your presentation in real time, something a clean strike never shows you. Ozarks guide Ryan Walker uses missed strikes to replay exactly what his retrieve was doing, then either repeats the move or adjusts it on the next cast.
How do you deal with feeling intimidated as a new fly angler?
Pay your local fly shop for a short casting lesson instead of waiting until you feel ready. MidCurrent editor Spencer Durrant points out that most shop staff want you to come back as a customer, so a beginner's questions aren't a burden, they're the reason the shop exists in the first place.
Is it worth trying to turn a fly fishing passion into a business?
Several guests who did it agree on one thing: keep your day job first. Rod company founder Courtney Boice and apparel founder Noel Fox both built their businesses on the side before quitting anything else, using steady income to fund the fishing and the early product testing while the idea found its footing.
How should you think about taking photos while fly fishing?
Dedicate real time to it instead of trying to shoot between casts. Photographer David Cannon leaves his rod in the vehicle for a half day at a time so he can focus entirely on the image, and Riversmith's Luke Winkler warns against letting the need for a photo cost you the actual trip.
Hear the tips in the guests' own words
Every tip on this page came from the closing minutes of a Fly Fishing Insider Podcast episode. The full archive is browsable by region, species, water and topic.
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