How to Dry Fly Fish: Full Beginner to Advanced Guide with Erlend Vivelid Nilssen

Dry fly fishing is both the most classic and most technical form of fly fishing—and in this complete guide, you’ll learn how to master it with help from one of Europe’s top anglers, Erlend Vivelid Nilssen, a multi-time Norwegian fly fishing champion.

This in-depth school film covers everything from the absolute basics to advanced techniques for tricky fish in real-world river situations. It’s perfect for beginners who want to start the right way—and equally valuable for seasoned anglers looking to level up.

🎣 What You’ll Learn:

Gear & leader setup for dry fly fishing - How to choose right gear and how to build a good dry fly leader

Fly presentation and casting angles - When to cast upstream, straight across and downstream.

Reading rise forms and fish behavior - what is rising fish feeding?

Managing drag and controlling drift

Fly choice, stealth, and strategy

Real fishing footage with breakdowns and tips

Learn how to dry fly fish the right way—step-by-step, with expert insights you can trust.

📌 Featuring: Erlend Vivelid Nilssen, 12 x Norwegian champion in fly fishing | Long-time member of Vision Fly Fishing Pro Team | Founder and general manager of Veig.no
📍 Filmed in Norway | Presented by Vision Fly Fishing

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Gear ranges by price points / Rods:
Toka fly rods: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
Hero fly rods: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
Rivermaniac: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
XO III: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...

Erlend's choices for dry fly lines:
Feel 115: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
XO 110: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
XO 150: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...

Erlend's setup for building leaders:
Nano Mono tapered leader in 13.5ft: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
If you want to have shorter leader: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
Nano Mono tippet: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...
Tippet ring 12kg: https://visionflyfishing.com/products...



0:00 – Introduction
0:43 – Gear overview
2:30 – Perfect dry fly leader
6:40 – Advanced leaders setup
11:08 – Upstream reach in dry fly fishing
15:05 – Reading Rise Forms: What the Fish Are Eating
15:57 – Importance of long leader in dry fly fishing
17:25 – Casting angles and when to use them
18:24 – Casting across and high stop
19:50 – Casting downstream and high stop
20:55 – Upstream cast and conflicting currents
22:10 – Covering the water with dry flies
31:10 – Short casts
34:40 – How to Match the Hatch?