The principles of hydrology is an important course for students of hydrology and water resources engineering specialty. The teaching effect of this course will not only directly affect the learning of following courses such as hydrological forecasting, hydrological and hydraulic calculation, but also affect students’ professional quality. To solve the main problems existing in the teaching practice of this course and improve the teaching effect, we analyzed the problems and suggested that the course teaching should be reformed from aspects of the knowledge system, the theory and practice of teaching, teaching methods, teaching resources, teachers, and students. The study can provide a reference for improving the teaching effect of principle of hydrology.