This ran in the paper a couple of years ago.
No, I don't write like this on the forums.
If I start to, please drive over to Taylors Falls and kick my ass.
GETTING A START IN FLY FISHING
(Practical advice for first-time fly anglers)
You?re standing knee-deep in a quiet, remote river on a warm summer night, anticipating a Hex hatch that will signal the start of an exciting hour of brown trout fishing. This annual event compels the river?s largest and wariest browns to abandon the safety of their deep lies to feed greedily on the Midwest?s largest species of mayfly, the Hexegenia Limbata. The sun has set and the light is quickly fading. It?s getting tough to see anything. Suddenly, the smooth surface of the water begins to dimple and swirl everywhere as dozens of browns smack the emerging two-inch mayflies from the water?s surface. After two false casts to establish distance, your fly lands gently upstream of an active brown and drifts lazily into his feeding lane. As the hair and feather imitation is pulled downstream amid the countless natural flies, it suddenly disappears as the nose of the big fish breaks the surface to take your offering. You strip line as you raise the rod high overhead, and are justly rewarded with a feeling in your hand and arm that only a hooked trout ? a very large trout ? thumping in the current can make.
Sounds great, doesn?t it? But if you?re like most folks, you probably believe that fly-casting and the art of fishing with a fly rod is just too damned tricky to figure out in a short period of time. You?re convinced that it?s an elusive sport, reserved only for those who?ve spent a tremendous amount of money and a lifetime honing their skills. Well, as a casting instructor and guide who teaches others to fish with a fly rod, I?m happy to report that you?re assumptions couldn?t be further from the truth. Buying equipment and gaining basic skills doesn?t need to be a confusing, intimidating process. The following is some general advice that I hope will help you to begin enjoying a not-so-complicated, life-long sport.
The first order of business is to purchase some basic equipment. If you walk into a fly shop and declare that you?ve never fly fished before and are in need of equipment, well, you can?t say I didn?t warn you. A wide-eyed beginner is a fly shop owner?s dream, and he will soon have you convinced that a $500.00 rod and reel, $60.00 fly line, $300.00 waders and a $90.00 fly vest are ?necessary? items. The ?bait? they cast is high-end, expensive gear, and trusting neophytes invariably ?rise for the take.? You?ll leave the shop with your head spinning, wondering, ?What in the hell just happened?? Instead, look to a catalogue retailer (such as Cabela?s or Bass Pro Shops) for a modestly priced 8 - 8 ? foot, 4 or 5 -weight rod and reel combo pre-spooled with backing and weight-forward fly line, a few 5x leaders, rubber hip waders and a simple fly vest that won?t leave you with ?sticker shock.? A simple rule of mine is this: Initially, go with adequate, less-expensive gear; you won?t feel guilty if it sits in your closet for months, and, if you decide to pursue the sport more seriously in the future, you can always upgrade your equipment.
Once you?ve acquired functional, no-frills gear, I?d suggest that you take at least one lesson from a competent individual that takes a holistic approach to instructing. Look for someone who will not only teach fly casting basics, but also allow you to actually pursue trout in a stream. Good instruction should include ?reading? the water, where to look for likely trout lies, the various methods and fly patterns used to effectively catch trout throughout the season, as well as basic stream entomology. When interviewing prospective instructors, be sure to let them know that you?d like to cover casting only long enough to become somewhat proficient; no one becomes an ace fly caster after only one lesson. A very high percentage of the clients I teach are consistently able to execute both the basic and roll cast after no more than an hour of instruction, and are then able to spend a couple of hours actually catching trout. (I find it difficult to believe that taking a four-hour casting lesson in the middle of a football field can be entirely enjoyable.)
Finally, living here in east-central Minnesota means that you?re no more than a two-hour drive from a number of productive trout streams or rivers. Call a fly shop near a reputable trout stream and ask them to post a note on their bulletin board informing folks that you?re new to fly fishing and would like to meet someone on the water for some companionship and friendly advice. You might be pleasantly surprised at how many calls you get.
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Topic: Article aimed at new/beginning fly anglers... (Read 3108 times)
