You just drove hundreds, maybe thousands of miles from home.  You’ve made it past the screening process; proven not to be a hot-spotting, fish-counting, hole-burner through 100 posts or so on the board.  You’ve been sufficiently welcomed into the cyber-society and have ascended to cool status, and now you’re  getting eyeballed by perfect strangers.

Their lips move as the lean in towards one another, but you can’t make out the words over the stream gurgling enticingly just out of sight.  This is it.  Real estate agents call it the closing date, we call it fishing other people’s water.   It’s the fly fisher’s version of internet dating, and you’re wearing a red rose on your lapel.   It’s the all important, “Open Invite”. The, “if you’re ever in my area, here’s my cell, let’s fish.”  These can turn into some of the best trips of the year, local knowledge from other fishermen just like you who have belly crawled through that last briar patch, and climbed past the log jams to see what’s beyond.   These are the trips where lifetime friendships are made as you simultaneously  scratch some new water into the proverbial bedpost.

Fishing somebody else’s water is a lot like taking their sister out on a date. You find out that they trust you enough to do it, but there are rules and pitfalls to this plan.

The first rules are to be observed in the parking lot; starting out with the first impression.  No matter how sketchy the directions are, make sure you are not the last one to the rendezvous location. Nothing is more annoying than late fly fishers. Hung-over buddies who know where the group might be headed are one thing, they can be left high and dry to fend for themselves. Newcomers are usually given some extra time, annoyance levels rising with every passing minute.

Upon your on-time arrival, introductions are made, flies are sufficiently gawked over and traded.  Always give the best flies you’ve tied- remember, these guys are letting you date their sister.  The next thing is  important, gear up quickly but not in a hurried manner. Dress slowly enough to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything but don’t be the last one ready. Take extra care that all the necessary gear is accounted for. Make sure you’re ready for what’s coming.  Even if you’re not gonna be fishing ’til dark, bring a headlamp. Bring enough flies to be self sufficient.  You’re more likely to receive one of the hot, local patterns if you have full fly boxes rather than a bunch of throwaways from that swap you got jipped on.   If you are ready for anything, you can ask more questions about the fishing and how to properly drift the run instead of asking for more 5x tippet.   These guys invited you to fish, not babysit.

As you make your way from the parking lot to the first spot of the day, fall in line somewhere in the middle and match their pace.  Try to walk with the friendliest one; he’s the one who will point out places of interest as you walk along the river.  You can learn a lot just on the way to a spot.

Somewhere along the way, you may get “The Talk.”  The, “Make Sure This Spot Doesn’t Show Up On the Internet” Talk.  Here are the usual rules about this, unless otherwise specified:

• Pictures of Fish- ok
• Pictures of non-descript scenery- maybe
• Pictures of cool or distinct landmarks-  maybe they find a piece of you here and there, maybe not…kapeesh?

This goes for spots on big name rivers just as much as it does for whole streams.

Once on the water, common courtesy prevails. Thank each member several times for showing you the ropes, twice more on the way out, and once more before you get back in the car.  A follow up email thanking thenm again can go a long way towards showing them how much you appreciate their generosity.   Doesn’t matter if you caught fish or not.   No one can control the fishing.  Your hosts wanted to catch fish as much as you did,  and made their best guess as to where that would happen for the day. You would have made the same play at home if they had visited your water and followed the same rules.  Besides, if you can’t be happy with just seeing new water, hire a guide.

---

Geoff Schaake is a former Alaskan fly fishing guide, who now guides for Salmon and Steelhed on Lake Ontario’s eastern tributaries, as well as for Trout in Upstate New York.