Going back to school is an exciting time—you’re either getting to see your friends and start a new year or you’re meeting all new people on a completely new campus. Aside from getting in the swing of things academically, the next important thing on your mind is fishing! Whether you’re a senior or starting your first year in college, here are some helpful tips to help get you fishing this fall season.

Find a Community within your Community:

The easiest way to get on fish quickly is to find other people who fish. If your school already has a fishing club, involve yourself and be active—attend events, meet fishermen in the group, and start a group chat. I cannot stress how important it is to be active because, speaking from personal experience as my fly fishing club’s President, no one wants to fish with or give their honey hole to that guy who shows up for one meeting, event, etc. each year and then disappears with free gear and information. Being an active member will guarantee you to become a part of that community and maybe eventually find yourself as an officer of the club!

If a Community doesn’t Exist, Start One:

Take initiative, you have the power to create a fishing community on campus. To start out, just put yourself out there! Whether that be talking to other people about what you enjoy doing, posting pictures of fishing on social media, etc., if market yourself as a fishy person, inevitably people will put you in contact with another fishy person and/or people. Trust the process, it works. Even if you have three people in your little group, start a club! At most schools, starting a club is easy and there are excellent exterior programs that offer amazing support for college anglers like the Trout Unlimited Costa 5 Rivers College Program which creates an extensive network of anglers nationwide from other college clubs, gives your club creditability, and allows access to exclusive Pro Deals.

Other Ways to Find Fishing Spots:

If you’re struggling to find/create a community, that’s okay, there are still plenty of other ways to get started with fishing around campus!

• Become friends with your local tackle/outdoor shop owner.
• Go on a local guided trip.
• Go to a local Trout Unlimited or Fly Fishing Group Meeting.
• Meet people out on the water, get phone numbers, be friendly.
• Just explore: use Google Maps, it is your friend. Sometimes you’ll find yourself hiking 2 miles through a swamp only to find that the body of water you saw from the satellite images no longer exists and that’s okay. Eventually, you’ll find some awesome fishing, but it all comes down to time on the water and dedication.

Getting started in a new or familiar environment can be tough, but as long as you take initiative and put yourself out there you’ll find yourself catching fish in no time. Stay tuned for the next College Angler articles that will cover fishing gear hacks and tips for successfully running your club!

It’s hard to find time to run to the fly shop to pick up essentials when you’re trapped on campus, so sign up for a Postfly Subscription today, and get everything you need to fish in a month, delivered!

https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/10/18/invest-in-what-you-love-equity-crowdfunding-and-why-were-doing-it/

https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/09/10/the-college-angler-packin-it-up/

https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/09/17/4-essentials-for-fall-fly-fishing-success/

https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/10/02/pfb-beginners-guide/

Matteo Moretti