You don’t need all of the latest gear and fancy equipment to be a successful fly fisherman. It actually takes very little to get started but beware, it’s addictive. Fishing with a fly rod is as easy or as complex as you want it to be. Start easy and buy a simple fly rod and start practicing out in the yard. I recommend taking a lesson or two to get the basics down and cut down on the learning curve and start taking your fly rod along when you go bass fishing.
If Bass fishing is a redneck sport and fly fishing is a purist sport, I quit. Get over it, it’s just fishing. You don’t need to learn a new language or buy a tweed coat, a pipe,k and a $2,000 bamboo rod to start fly fishing, just like you don’t need a fancy bass boat and 10 rods to catch bass. Anyone can learn to fish with a fly rod. All you need is one fly rod, a few flies, and some water.
If you’ve never tried fly fishing don’t let the image of the complete angler stop you from having the most fun you can have while catching fish. Have you ever held the line in your hand while a fish is on the other end of it? That’s one of the unique things about fly fishing; your line hand is in direct contact with the fish. You feel every wiggle of the tail every head shake.
Now, why would a certified casting instructor with the Federation of Fly Fishers tell you to chill out on all the fly fishing mystique and lingo? Because at the end of the day it’s just fishing or at least that is how it starts. Once you try it you tend to get hooked and then it becomes an obsession. You will end up with scores of flies, waders, tools and gadgets and too many rods until one day you do find yourself in one of those fancy stores trying on tweed coats while discussing casting arcs and double spey casts. My point is that you don’t need to be intimidated by what is just another way of doing what we all love to do – fish.
There is almost nothing better after a long day at work than to walk down to the lake behind my house with a fly rod in hand and cast until dark. Even if I don’t catch a fish I feel the freedom that comes from fishing, the pride of a fly caster making a beautiful cast and the joy of being outdoors at sunset. If you haven’t tried fly fishing, I invite you to join me in the sport that consumes my waking hours and my dreams, fly fishing is fun. Check back in future issues for tips to help you on the way to learning to fish with a fly rod.
Rene Hesse is a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor.