Hello all. I just recieved my first fly rod from my grandfather. Other then casting i have no idea what I'm doing. I've gotten plenty of flies and other fly fishing supplies though. I don't live near any mountain streams, and the closest place with trout is a 2 hour drive away. So I'm just gonna be fishing lakes in a boat. I don't care if i get bream, bass or any other kind of fish. I just need any useful tips that will make me feel a little less stupid everytime I look at that fly rod my grandfather gave me.
    Thank you all for any contributions you add.

I do the majority of my fishing from my boat, and I fish mainly for bass, stripers, and channel/flathead cats.And I use my fly rod from the boat, as well as bait cast and spinning rigs.
Two instructional DVD's that you MUST have getting started fly fishing.
1. "Basic Fly Casting with Doug Swisher" from Scientific Anglers.
2. "Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish with Skip and Carol Morris" from Fly Fish TV.
Both are available from the Bass Pro Shops online catalog under "books/DVD's".
These will greatly accelerate the learning curve for you on the path to enjoying fly fishing. Enjoy, and happy fishing.

Just think of what the fish would normally eat. Match the colors and sizes of flies that the fish would eat. And make sure that when you cast that you make the flies look as real as possible.

welcome to the sport. another good tip is to visit some local fly shops if there are any. they can give good tips on whats hot for anything you may want to fish for. Bass or Bass has suggested some good resources to you and I highly recomend that you check them out. Just remember that most all of the fish in the country or elsewere can be caught on a fly.

Brian