General Fishing Tips
Shorter leaders in moving waters on the average will produce more strikes and you will have much better control of your fly and leader. For some Steelhead, Salmon and Trout a four foot leader would be about right. If you notice that the water is very clear and the fish are moving away from the line, you will need a longer and maybe lighter leader. Experiment around with lines and leaders. This will help you to hook a lot of fish in different situations.
Wearing polarized glasses while fishing has helped me more than anything else in helping me learn the art and sport of fishing. Not only do the glasses protect your eyes from the sun and casting, but they allow you to see into the water when conditions are right. Polarized lenses are designed to remove the surface glare or reflection so your vision will penetrate the water. Sight fishing is my favorite way to fish when possible in both fresh and saltwater. You will learn more by seeing what you and your fish are doing, so you will be able to make better presentations of your fly to the fish. This ultimately will result in more strikes and hook ups. Another nice advantage is that you will save energy in casting because there is no reason to make a cast if the fish are not present.
I cannot stress how important it is to keep the tip of your hook very sharp. It is easy to put off a cast or two, but if that fish of a lifetime grabs your fly and you miss him because of a dull hook you'll be sick! I remember in years past I would sometimes reason that because I knew my hook was dull I would just set up harder! It just does not work that way, please trust me on this one!
Usually, I will carry some spare spools with me so that if the fish are at a certain level, I can get to them. Fly line choice is important if you are looking for lots of action. Floating line, mini-tip and a T-Series line will cover you from top to bottom. In addition to having a change of lines, also be willing to work with shorter leaders, longer leaders, lighter tippets, smaller flies, or just basically be willing to experiment until you find what is working well.
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