5 Tips for D.I.Y Fly Fishing in New Destinations
Written by: Tuva Bjerketvedt
Fly fishing offers a unique blend of tranquility, challenge, and adventure. For Tuva Bjerketvedt, an avid angler from Norway, it's not just about the fish but the journey and learning along the way. In this interview, Tuva shares her experiences, tips for planning successful fly fishing trips, and the lessons she's learned from fishing in some of the most challenging destinations.
Top 5 Tips for Fly Fishing in New Destinations:
Talk to people at the location! Fishermen, not fishermen, anything. Often you will be guided into some useful information in the end! Everyone knows someone who might know where to find fish.
See if there’s any local fishing groups for that area on Facebook. There you can be able to get in contact with the right people and read about the fishery.
YouTube! You can learn a great deal about a new destination when looking at fishing videos on YouTube of that area. It doesn’t really matter if it’s an old video, good or bad quality, as long as I can get a picture of how people approach fishing in that area and what made them succeed.
Google! Is there any blog post or forums that’s writing about the fishery in the area you’re traveling to? That’s also useful to read through.
Check the rules and regulations for fishing in the area where you’re traveling. This is of course one of the most important things to know about before traveling to a new destination. Are there any prohibited areas? Places where you’re not allowed to wade or fish or places that are dangerous?
About : Tuva Bjerketvedt
Q: Where are you from, and what do you consider your home waters? How have these places influenced your approach to fly fishing?
A: I’m from an island in the Oslo fjord in Norway, and my home waters are definitely the ocean surrounding the island. I grew up fishing with dead bait and bobber for garfish and an occasional sea trout and mackerel. In the summer, my family always went up in the mountains fishing for brown trout. After I got into fly fishing 4 years ago, the focus turned to sea trout fishing and sea bass fishing, both from land and shore. It’s not the most action-packed of fishing, but it’s a great opportunity to get a couple of hours out on the water. Since my home waters can be difficult fishing-wise, it’s taught me a great deal of patience which has come in handy in many fishing situations.
Q: When you’re planning a fly fishing trip to a new destination, what’s the first thing you do to prepare?
A: It’s such a difficult question because it depends so much from destination to destination. Normally it would be to get in touch with someone who has fished the destination before! I usually fish without a guide, so it’s important to figure out if it’s possible to fish the destination on your own. This requires a lot of preparation when it comes to the possibilities to get out to the fishing spots. Can we rent a kayak or canoe somewhere? If that’s not available information, well then Google Earth is often the first meeting with a new destination where I’m trying to get as much information about the area. Some of the coolest trips are definitely the ones where you cannot know what to expect, and many of these exploratory trips can be done in your home waters!
Q: How do you keep your gear organized and safe during long travels, especially when flying?
A: Normally things go okay when flying. Of course, keep the rods in hard tubes, like you always would. Be careful when packing reels in soft bags, and make sure the winding knob will not take any hard impacts—they bend easily. Keep as much of the valuable fishing gear in the carry-on. I always have my wading boots in my carry-on when traveling to a tropical place, together with a rod, reel, and 5 flies. This is okay on most airlines and will assure you that you can fish the first days of your travels even if your luggage gets lost. Because that’s often the biggest risk when flying.
Q: What are some essential items you always pack for a fly fishing trip that others might overlook?
A: I would say a first aid kit! It’s a bit boring maybe, but it can save a day of fishing! Anything like a pike/shark tooth or even sharp corals can ruin a day if you don’t have a way to protect the wounds and go on!
Q: What’s the most challenging destination you’ve fished in, and how did you tackle the obstacles you faced?
A: I would say the outer reefs on the atoll Aitutaki, an island southwest of Hawaii, part of the Cook Islands. We were fishing for GT, big GT, and to keep them out of the reef was an extreme challenge. This time bad preparation of gear was the factor that made us fail in the long run. Never have I regretted more not bringing a type of fishing equipment from home, and this time it was a 100lb core fly line. To keep those GTs out of the reef is a whole new level of fly fishing. Even though I was poorly equipped, with a reel that broke fighting a tarpon a couple of weeks earlier and not strong enough fly line, I still had to keep trying. I broke off many GTs that went down in the reef but ended up seeing my boyfriend succeed after countless hours fishing for those beasts. That was a big highlight.
Q: Looking ahead, what destinations are on your fly fishing bucket list, and what’s the next adventure you’re planning?
A: On the top of the bucket list—bump head parrot fish for sure! I love the look of these crazy fish! It’s more about the fascination of the species itself than the actual fishery. But fishing shallow reefs and flats surrounding tropical islands is some of the best! Farquhar in the Seychelles is an obvious candidate. The next trip is a weekend trip fishing for autumn pike! The next adventure outside of Norway is probably going to be fishing in Iceland.
