This times a hundred. I never claim to be an expert caster. I can't throw an entire fly line and don't need to. I can get by nicely, thank you and have never had a lesson. I've got maybe 1500 tied up in everything I own. Oh, and I don't know crap about bugs...Originally Posted by CM_Stewart
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." - John Gierach
I think this thread is very representative of the best point to be made, but the excerpt I pulled from your post is not.
I believe that what we need is to strike a balance that accurately represents the truth of fly fishing to the non-fly fishing public. And we're not very good at it at all.
When you go to teach introductory fly fishing classes it is inappropriate to take anything other than low-end consumer rod/reel combos and inexpensive fly tying stuff (unless you're teaching at some high-end country club or similar environment). Media outlets need to balance their coverage of the sport and lifestyle better, representing all aspects of fly fishing (unless they are a specialized publication). How many articles do we see on rods and reels that cost $500-900 each? Yet, rods and reels that sell for $200 and less outpace those items in terms of units sold by a huge margin year after year! It would be a far better service to the consumer public to inform them about which products are best and for what reasons in the price ranges that they actually buy in the highest volume than it is to focus on the purchasing elite, but they're chasing the quick ad dollars. Well, if their reader base was a lot bigger they would attract more ad revenue. Readers don't read irrelevant publications. The media is making itself increasingly irrelevant by taking this short-term "ad agency" approach to profitability instead of taking a longer-term and more professional approach to journalism. Instructors (certified or not) need to make sure we stay student-focused instead of allowing our egos and our own current predilections to get in the way of their learning experiences. We have to put ourselves in their waders (so to speak) and remember not to "over-teach." But the single biggest thing every fly angler can do to make fly fishing seem more accessible to non-fly anglers is to invite people to join you. Take a buddy fishing! Teach a kid or disabled person to fish! Keep it light-hearted, simple, and fun.
Chapter 1 is how my mentor got me started. It worked.
http://www.hatofmichigan.org/uploads...lies_ebook.pdf
Godspeed,
Bob
Hello all,
A very interesting thread!
The question I ask myself, is...do 'we' make fly fishing difficult, or does the person thinking about trying it perceive it that way?
Which comes first?
When you try anything for the first time, the learning curve is HUUUUUUUGE; a mountain you can't climb. There are so many things you've never heard about or considered. But once you get started, bit by bit, things become clearer, and all the things you are scared of or don't know, aren't so imposing. However, this realization only comes AFTER you've decided :
" Hey, I WANT to learn more about this." That's the part of this hobby that is the difficult part (or any pursuit for that matter).
Yes, you CAN learn anything on your own. HOWEVER, it suuuuuuuuuuure is a heckuva lot easier when you have someone showing you!
Do we make it difficult? There may be times when we make it SOUND difficult, but that's just because we're all a part of this kinda fraternity, and because we love this thing called flyfishing, we can't help but be excitied, and maybe that overcomes us. We've learned the terminology; know most of the same sorts of things; know the 'lingo'; we've all seen 'The Movie'. Listening to us speak would be like evesdropping on the Ancient Egyptian Astrology club if you were an outsider....a lot like hearing GREEK! ( I know what that sounds like!HA!) : confusing on the outside, pretty blasee on the inside (ok,ok,not THAT blasee).
I think the unknown is what makes things complicated and scary....once you get past all that, it's not so bad at all. THAT'S the hardest part for any beginner (or person thinking about beginning)to get past, and they're the only one that can do that.
To me (as well), flyfishing is a 'different' kind of fishing, and therefore it just may not be for everyone. I used to sing barbershop here with a local group, and trying to get members was a chore. But I finally realized that, it's not for everyone.....you either like it, or don't. So, it is 'specialized', in a sense. But we all know that 'specialized' is nonsense, probably because we've gotten over the secrets, and the secrets aren't so secret anymore.
We're climbing the mountain.
I've taken a couple of guys flyfishing who were interested, (they were spinfishermen), but flyfishing just wasn't for them. I've had a number of people who have expressed interest in learning how to cast, but they haven't contacted me to take it further.
You can lead a horse to water.........(just remember not to be a NAG! HA!)
I remember a person saying that: 'the 'walls' are purposely built high, in order to keep 90% out. The ones that do scale the wall, deserve to be here.'
Maybe that's what it's all about... I don't know.
If things were easy, then everyone would be doing it: making music, baking, fixing a car, splitting the atom.
Perhaps it takes a certain kind of person....someone it appeals to.
I've just bought a new pair of mountain boots now that I'm a 1/4 up the mountain.
The view is great; the journey has been the same; and I'm looking forward to what the next little while will bring.
I love fishing in general, but there's NOTHING like flyfishing!
If someone came up to me when I was 18 years old and said: "Larry, you're going to be standing in the middle of river in NY when you're 39 yrs. old; flyfishing for trout with flies you've tied with your own hands.."
I would said: "You're nuts."
Cheers from a cashew,
Bad Luck Larry
I am 70 years young and have fished for the last 69 years. I live just south of Dallas where it gets hot in the summer and windy and cold in the summer. I have fished in all kinds of weather. I have fished with trot lines, jugs, cane poles, and G. Loomis Bass rods. Right now I am a bass fisherman and have been for serval years. A friend mentioned fly fishing one day last spring and another traded me a bamboo flyrod. i decided I wanted to become a fly fisherman.
My fly fishing friend said I needed to get a book from L.L. Bean, Fly-Fishing Handbook; read it; then try it. I also need to practice tying knotes and take a quiz on knot tying. I have tried fly fishing in some of the ponds around here and caught bass up to 2 pounds.
It is fun . I have a new TFO rod, a new reel, several flys. and 5 books. I have started tying flys and find that to be relaxing.
What makes fly fishing hard for me? Terminology used, the many things I thought was needed, and the things must be a paticular type and brand. Fly fisherman thank themselves the elitist of fisherman, bass fisherman are red necks. It has been hard to become an elitist.
Thanks for giving me a place to comment.
Stick
It all how you perceive things... elitist I think not.... far from it in my view...
Relaxed and now a Full Time Trout Bum, Est. 2024
Sooo, what's so hard about fly fishing. In fishing of any sort you toss something out where you think a fish will be that you think he might like to eat or at least pretend to eat. Fly casting. Not so hard. I taught my 15 year old daughter to do it in a half hour. Good enought to catch fish. Expensive. Yeah you can spend a lot on rods and reels but it don't come anywhere near close to a bass boat. I think the only people who think it is too hard is those who think they are among the elite. And that holds for any type of fisherman.
There are experts in any type of sport. They are people who spend a great deal of effort into being the best. And the very best of them teach others. And they are humble.
And there are beginners.
Godspeed,
Bob
Who are we? What exactly is a beginner? "Beginner" in most enterprises can often be a word synominous with "Novice". A novice is a person who has engaged in some skill set, yet lacks the experience to have mastered any aspect of it. If a person is a Non-flyfisher, meaning they have never tryed casting a flyline or have attempted to fish with a fly rod, then they are on the outside looking in. Perhaps "we", those of us who have some experience with the fly rod should be asking those one the outside what they wish to achieve by utilising a fly rod. What is their motivation for attempting to learn this method of fishing? How much instruction do they wish to recieve (some folks prefer to discover as much on their own as possible). Why should "we" dumb down any aspect of our sport, or minimize the emphasis on skill developement? How interesting would our sport be to an outsider if there were no mystery, pomp, art or poetry in its' articulation?
You may be thinking that I am of an elitist mindset for making such statements. Consider that the "we" in this discussion have spent many, many hours, earning our stripes if you will. Most "outsiders" have had some measure of fishing experience, and most have had their measure of success with the methods previously employed. How else would the average, interested, Non-fly fisher manifest their curiousity into the desire to employ the fly rod as means to catch a fish? Most would agree that such a person, at some level, perceives the challenge of learning to cast and fish with flies as an interesting one at least. The key I believe to getting folks to cross that line, is to uphold the mystery long enough to keep them engaged. This "engagement" should lend itself to a sincere desire to learn. As the novice gains certain skills (whatever that person desires as goals), it only makes sense that their interest would continue to be kindled. We can not assume that all outsiders immediately wish to catch a fish with fly gear. Given the right circumstances, this should be relatively easy for most anyone to achieve (see the classic Guided trip scenarios as previously described in this thread). I have met folks who spent months developing a respectable cast before attemting to fish with a fly rod. I have met folks who tye flies but don't fly fish.
My whole point is: not to make any assumptions before adressing an interested individuals' curiousity about fly fishing. Most outsiders that know you are often intrigued by your love of the whole fly fishing experience. They will let you know what it is that they wish to learn initially if you listen to them without preconceived notions. Chances are, they are intrigued with the mystery and the aura that radiates from you as you share your tales of fishing with the fly. Let them dream it, and simply share their dream with them!
aa
US Veteran and concerned citizen
I believe the hardest thing about learning to fly fish is practicing. Very few people want to take the time to practice and want to experience the "catching" and "relaxing". That comes, but it takes time, patience and practice. I think the other thing that seperates people from fly fishing is the determination to try it and stick with it.
I'm in my early thirties and didn't start fishing until maybe December '06. I was working in a paddling shop in S. Houston selling kayaks like hot cakes to fisherman. I had fairly good background for someone my age in paddling, but fishing never really appealled to me. Fly fishing did, but I had no exposure. So I decided that I would get my 60yo dad out kayaking and I would try fishing so that we could go together. I used a spinning reel and when we got back to the guide's shop, someone asked who was out with the long rod. To my embarrassment, I admitted it was me playing with the spinning rod. I was trying to figure casting out.
Well, he enjoyed kayaking more than he expected and I was frustrated as hell with fishing. But with determination, I've started catching fish. As things work out, the shop I worked for closed and I eventually found myself working at Fishing Tackle Unlimited in Houston. Well, I was going to gleam every bit of knowledge I could from everyone I could. Well, you all can guess how that went. It's hard to distinguish the BS from the knowledge. But there were two guides/flyfisherman who I asked to teach me to cast and they told me to be careful cuz it was expensive and addicting. So, I had a couple informal lessons at the casting pool and I was off. I spent every lunch break practicing, getting feed back. Just about every other employee made comments about me wanting to be an elitest fly fisherman, but to me, it was about versatility and learning something that I always thought looked cool.
I've never had great luck in the salt and I don't think I've ever landed a red, but I've been hooked up and that was enough to keep the desire burning. When I moved to WNC, I took up trout fishing which was a huge learning curve, but again, I had a desire and determination to learn. When I came up against a dry spell, my wife was wonderful enough to send me out with a guide for my birthday and I broke the spell and learned some really good stuff. I put that stuff to work a couple weeks ago and caught a nice brown on the Ark in Salida while my wife and son were sitting in a hammock. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face because I caught the fish using a technique I learned from my wife's gift.
I'm back on the TX coast now and I miss trout fishing immensly. It's in my element. I still try to get out on the coast, but it's so much more work and all I ever seem to catch is bait fish which bugs the hell out of me, but it won't keep me from trying.
So, I don't think "we" make it too hard. There are a lot of elements, techniques, gear, etc that make it appear daunting, but what stops most people is the determination, desire and lack of instant gratification. I don't think that is something we should or can change. It's a form of meditation and that must come from within.
Last edited by Doug Poudre; 10-30-2011 at 04:27 AM.
Doug makes some very good points. In order to develop the skills necessary with fly fishing tackle to catch fish, one must practise! There seldom is "instant gratification" when fishing with fly gear. Perhaps we should just be honest and up front with the newcomer. We need to communicate with them the inherent challenges to fly fishing. Not that it is really that hard, but rather that it requires focus and a level of intensity that they may have not channeled before in their previous fishing experience. One of the biggest challanges a new comer faces is merely getting past their pre-conceived notions about fly fishing and how dificult it is. Sucess with the long rod comes when a person has developed a set of skills that bring them to a point where they are comfortable fishing fly gear. They must embrace the idea that dedication is required to attain a level of mastery of skills that will build their confidence. As they become more confident, they will enjoy the results so much the more!
aa
US Veteran and concerned citizen
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