There’s an old joke: In New York City, a man jumps into a taxi and asks the driver: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The driver replies, “Practice.”
This philosophy should be applied to anglers who want to learn how to fly fish.
Fly fishing is like anything else in life. If you want to get good at it, you have to practice.
Nothing beats repetition for gaining confidence and competence.
I began fly fishing when I was 12 years old. I wasn’t wading pristine trout streams casting to rising rainbows. I was fishing the lily-pad-covered lakes and ponds of Northern Florida, angling for bass and bluegill which we called “bream.”
We used “popping bugs,” small floating lures bedecked with feathers and rubber bands. Bream swirled on the bug, grabbing it off the surface. Sometimes huge largemouth bass would swirl on the hooked bream, inhaling and stealing both the fish and the bug.
Casual anglers can be reluctant to take up fly fishing and, indeed, the craft may seem complicated to novices. The basics of the technique are actually simple — it’s the mastering of the technique that takes work.
Another reason, at least in my experience, is that there can be an elitism surrounding the art of fly fishing. Fly anglers often think of their sport as the only pure way to catch fish. I once confessed to a fly enthusiast that I like to bass fish, to which he replied, “That’s easy, bass will hit anything.”
Anyone who has skunked on a dawn-to-dusk smallmouth expedition knows this to be an inaccurate assessment.
Finally, outfitting for fly fishing can be perceived as expensive. By the time you purchase the accessories — a rod and reel, vest, flies and waders — you can easily drop a thousand dollars.
But you don’t have to spend a fortune to give it a whirl. Fly rod kits can be found in the sporting goods departments of most big chain retailers. They can also be ordered from online providers such as Cabellas, Bass Pro Shops or L.L. Bean.
The kit usually features a balanced rod and reel set, corresponding line, leader and a few flies. A beginner’s outfit can run as low as $50 before taxes and/or shipping fees.
Fly rods are rated by numbers ranging from 1-15. The smaller the number, the lighter the rig. A No. 1 weight might suffice if you’re only fishing for brook trout. Ten or above serves best when pursuing saltwater species such as blue fish, stripers or tarpon.
The ideal rig for novices are Nos. 6 or 7 weights. These sizes can handle just about any fish encountered in Upper Valley waters.
Learning to cast is the biggest challenge for an angler new to the sport. Fly rods do not cast a lure —they cast the line. This is the most difficult concept to embrace. The best place to get started is not a lake or a stream. Practice, instead, in the backyard. If you find your yard to be too small, try any open area like a local park or ball field.
Grip the butt of the fly rod with your casting hand. Next, strip off line with your control hand. Raise the rod tip to about 2 o’clock, keeping your arm close to your side, and pull the rod tip firmly to the ten o’clock position.
This will draw the line backward, creating a loop.
Repeat the motion, 2 o’clock to 10 o’clock, without breaking your wrist. Keep stripping out the line to make the loop longer.
On the backward motion the loop should stretch all the way out behind you. Then bring the rod tip forward so that the line shoots out in a straight path. Point the rod tip at the place where you want the fly to land.
As simple as these directions sound, they are by no means meant to be considered comprehensive. It wouldn’t hurt to engage a professional instructor to develop the right touch.
Once you’re comfortable with casting, it’ll be time to go fishing. Don’t hit the river or stream on your initial foray into the field. That’s an entirely different phase of the process to be attempted later.
In the beginning, the best place to fly fish is a boat. Facing the shoreline allows for plenty of room behind you to prevent getting snagged on a tree or bush.
Using a surface fly, like the aforementioned popping bug, lay your cast close to the shoreline. It shouldn’t take long for a sunfish to strike. This will get you used to setting the hook.
A handsized sunfish provides a decent fight on a fly line.
Be forewarned — once you’ve caught a three-pound smallmouth on a fly rod, there may be no going back to spinning tackle.