I remember standing in the small sporting goods section of the post-exchange and looking at the bubble-wrapped fly fishing rod hanging on the wall. When I was a kid, I read every book and magazine about fishing. I was fascinated by pictures of fly anglers with brightly-colored line flying through the air.
The fly combo hanging on the wall included line, backing and leader; everything to make me a fly fisherman. I saved my allowance and begged my mom to drive me to the exchange.
Do You Remember Your First Fishing Rod?
Once I had the fly rod, I realized I was as lost as a duck in the desert. Dad was a good angler and a great teacher, but fly fishing was out of his expertise. The military kept him away and I spent time alone honing my fishing skills.
My fishing grounds included the creeks and ponds on the local golf course. Weighted down with fishing gear, I could outrun any green keeper they sent after me.
My learning curve was slow and painful, but the plentiful bluegill and warmouth kept me working on my cast and retrieve.
That was over 40 years ago. In that time, I have made some progress as a fly angler. To fine tune my cast, I watched videos from great instructors like Lefty Kreh and Joan Wulff. Even though I have years of experience with the fly rod, I don’t consider myself a fly angler. That distinction is reserved for the River Runs Through It purists. I’m just as comfortable with a bucket full of crickets.
I just genuinely enjoy catching a fish on the fly, and if the catch comes on a fly I tied, it’s even better. There is something special about that gear that makes any fish feel better, no matter the size. If a person catches a hand-sized bluegill on the fly and doesn’t have a blast, they should take up golf.
Fly fishing has a slower pace and more methodical approach than bank-burning with conventional gear. Observing the water gives me time to spot current seams, bait movement and potential target species, then set up my fly and cast accordingly. The fly line drags through the current and pulls my bug; I have to learn to use the movement to my advantage. After the fly completes a drift, I learned to pick up the line and move the fly without reeling in and recasting.
The biggest challenges to fly fishing are wind and trees. Wind plays havoc with my cast no matter what direction the wind is blowing. Trees are another story, they wait until I am about to deliver the perfect cast and then jump out and grab my fly. I have decorated too many trees with my flies. Each one is a lesson learned.
Forty years of fly fishing has been a challenge since day one. But the image of colorful fly line sailing through the air isn’t matched by any other type of fishing. When I think back to the chunky kid with allowance money burning a hole in his pocket and the fly fishing combo hanging on the store wall, I’m glad I bought the fly rod.
“I was fascinated by pictures of fly anglers with brightly colored line flying through the air.” | Feature photo: Chris Funk
