My journey into Fly Fishing

I was down in Florida last summer on a family vacation. My oldest daughter who was 7 at the time loves to fish so we bought her a rod and reel while we were down there. One afternoon while her and I were fishing I noticed two guys fly fishing the flats a few hundred yards away from us. One hooked into a fish, a rather large redfish. It was amazing to me to watch him fight this 40+" fish on what seemed like a rod that should have snapped in two. He was obviously a veteran fly fisherman as he played that fish like it was a radio controlled toy. Well my interest was peaked to say the least. I had always pictured fly fishing as some little man hunched over in a tiny stream flicking little bugs at little fish but seeing this giant snook that I doubt I could have landed on my spinning gear come in on the fly was amazing. I just had to learn how it was done.

I didn't have the chance to start learning until the following spring. I started researching, trying to learn what I could off the internet before jumping in. Well, it wasn't much help. There is just too much info and too many conflicting points of view. So I went out and bought a cheap fly setup, fired up YouTube, watched a lot of WFN's Fly Fishing Tuesday and headed out to my back yard to try and cast.

My first outing was a total failure. I couldn't get the line to roll nicely, my fly (just a piece of yarn) was crashing to the ground and I was quickly getting frustrated. So back to the internet to search for more answers.

I found a few videos on YouTube that I hadn't previously watched and had a couple more pointed out by some forum members on sites I frequent. With the casting stroke broken down and a firm idea of how to make it happen I tried again. It was still sloppy but the fly was turning over and I see the loops forming. With a week or so of practise I was pretty comfortable and could even shoot a little line. Time to hit the water.

My first outing was to a small quiet bay just outside of Port Colborne, Ontario. The bay was full of large carp and a few spotted gar. I figured it would be a great place for my first fish on the fly. I wasn't disappointed. While I didn't manage either of the species I was targeting a nesting bass snapped up my fly. The rush was amazing. I felt like a kid at Christmas. The fish wasn't very big maybe three and a half pounds, but the fight was just awesome. I fished a little longer but I didn't catch any others. Still it was a great day.

My limited success was a bit disheartening but I wouldn't let it stop me. The rush when I hooked the fish was more than enough to keep me going. I went back out to the same area a few days later and tried again for carp. I couldn't seem to get anything interested in my fly. In fact I seemed to be spooking more fish than anything. It was time for some professional help.

I contacted Rick Whorwood at http://www.flycastingschool.com/ for some casting lessons. I met up with Rick at his house on a Tuesday evening for my two hour lesson. I wasn't sure what to expect but I figured lessons early would break any bad habits I was forming before the got too engrained into my casts. Rick was a wonderful instructor. He quickly had me casting better than ever. He took me through proper setup and maintenance of my rod all the way to some advanced casting techniques including the Belgian cast and double hauling. I'm sure it would have taken me months to try and figure it out on my own, if I ever had. For all you beginner fly anglers casting lessons should be very high on your list. Most instructors will have a rod and reel setup for you to use so you can grab some lessons before you plop down the money on a fly kit. If you live in the Southern Ontario, Canada region I highly recommend you contact Rick. He really is an excellent instructor.

So for now I am back to practising, trying to keep my loops tight and working on all the things Rick taught me. I'll be back on the water soon. Hopefully with some more fish to write about.