Northwest Reel Life April 2023 Volume 2 Issue 8 - Flipbook - Page 32
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The image of a trout rising
to eat an aquatic insect,
usually a mayfly of sorts, is
the encapsulation of what
drives most anglers to pursue
fly fishing. I remember as a
young boy seeing it happen
for the very first time. What
seemed like a gargantuan
brown trout rose from an
abyss to chase, crush, and
inhale a grasshopper. I think
I was 7 years old. So in reality,
that fish was probably only
about 17-18 inches long,
and the abyss it rose from
was more than likely just a
plunge pool that was as deep
as I was tall. Nonetheless, it
impacted my angling future
by putting me on a path
to learn fly fishing at a very
young age.
32 | NWFISHING.net
Almost as quickly as I started,
I found out just how difficult
enticing a trout to eat a fake
fly could be. My grandfather
and my dad were kind
enough to allow my pursuit
of relentless frustration
just to the breaking point
before they insisted I fish
with bait. At 8 years old, my
patience wasn't virtuous
at all. However, I did have
the persistence and drive
to succeed, just not the
patience to figure out what I
was doing wrong. God bless
my grandfather and my dad
for tolerating me during that
time.
Fast forward 43 years and I
have a much better idea of
how to help new fly anglers
get started. There are a
couple of key ingredients
that reduce the learning
curve. First, buy some
equipment that works.
Notice I didn't say buy some
expensive equipment, I said
buy some equipment that
works. For example, a 9’ 5
weight fly rod is the most
universal of all rods. It is the
perfect trout rod as well as
panfish, and my favorite dry
fly fish, the Arctic grayling.
Just make sure your 5 weight
rod has a 5 weight fly line
on it, matched up with a 5
weight size fly reel. Putting
this together accordingly
is literally the difference in
casting and flailing. There
will be some flailing, but not
nearly as much if you match
everything accordingly.
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