Timing can have more than one meaning when it comes to fly fishing, and each meaning has its own importance.
For instance, you might hear a fly fisherman exclaim that they took the fly right out of the fish’s mouth. This is an example of timing the strike of the fish to the setting of the hook. If the line is drawn taut too quickly, you may pull the fly out of the fish’s mouth before the fish has the chance to actually bite the fly.
On the other hand, if you wait too long before setting the hook, the fish will spit the fly out the moment it realizes that it isn’t a real fly, and this happens extremely fast.
Proper timing allows the fisherman to set the hook just as the fish closes its mouth on the fly. This sort of timing is so important that especially for the beginning fly fisherman, a lot of time is usually spent just learning how to properly time the strike. This is made more challenging when you consider that it is entirely one thing to time the setting of the hook in crystal clear water, when you can see the fish actually rising to the fly, and it is another to do the same thing with the current is too swift or the water too murky to see the fish.
Still, the fly fisherman that masters this type of timing is almost guaranteed to catch more fish than the one who hasn’t.
Timing can also refer to the cycle of the moon. You might hear a fisherman say that it was just bad timing, in this instance. What they are referring to is how hungry the fish are. Hungry fish rise to a fly more easily than those that just fed. On nights when the moon is full and bright, the fish have virtually all night long to feast on insects that are also drawn out into the bright light. The result is that the fish aren’t very hungry. Normally it is easier to catch fish during a new moon than during a full one.
Timing could refer to weather. To a bait fisherman, wind and rain or snow are not very welcome. To a fly fisherman, they are cherished. A nice little ripple on the water and caused by a breeze, hides our form from the fish, making them less wary and easier to catch. A sudden down burst is even nicer, as fish learn early on that this knocks insects into the water, and again the raindrop splashes are breaking up our outline so the fish aren’t as wary.
There is also seasonal timing that is related to fish ‘runs’. Fly-fishing for steelhead or salmon is a thrill. But if a river has a spring and fall run, meaning that this is the time that the steelhead or salmon are actually moving upstream, fly fishing for these fish in the summer is often fruitless.
Insect hatch outs can also be related to timing. Fly fishermen catch more fish on average by matching the insects that are hatching out to the fly they are using. But if the timing is off, the insect hatch out for any given species of insect could be in the middle or nearing the end of the cycle. The best idea is to begin fishing just as the insects are beginning to hatch out. It isn’t easy to do as it requires a bit of luck and just the right timing.
There are other things that are related to timing as well. Still, as can be seen by the above, that regardless of what kind of timing we are referring to, timing is important, and in some cases it is essential. It can make the difference between coming home empty handed, and having a wonderful repast of cooked fish.
Is timing important to the fly fisherman? You’d better believe that timing is important!