Well, based on the number of emails I get from people who tried fly fishing and gave up because it was too complicated, I'd have to say yes, we are making fly fishing too difficult for beginners. I'm not sure who the "we" is (probably plenty of blame to go around) but there is definitely a perception among beginners that they have to know all about the bugs, have to buy lots of very expensive equipment and definitely have to take casting lessons. Even several people on this thread who say it doesn't have to be too difficult do say they should take casting lessons.

I would suggest starting beginners with a tenkara rod. It just doesn't get any simpler. Most people seem to pick it up within about half an hour on their own with minimal (if any) instruction. Beyond the ease of casting, there is no emphasis on matching the hatch and no emphasis on expensive equipment. The emphasis is almost entirely on presenting the fly (traditionally a wet fly) to the fish in a way that (A) doesn't scare the fish, and (B) makes the fly look like it is alive and therefore food. Not everyone catches fish their first outing, but many do. In addition to being very easy to learn, tenkara is also extremely effective.

The negative comments about tenkara on a number of forums (including FAOL, but thankfully not for some time now) suggest that some of the "we" seem to be pretty threatened by a method of fly fishing that really isn't difficult to learn.