D Flys and the Party Grows Some More

 Following our second outing, D decided she was going to start fly fishing too. I looked out in the yard one evening to find her practicing casting on her own with my old rod. She asked me if I would teach her, but I declined, telling her that I had read it would be a really bad idea.

What I did do is ask the Chief to take D and get her a fishing license and some basic equipment that Friday. A few hours later, they returned with the same cheap kit the Chief and I had purchased. I tied on a tippet for her and some yarn, and off she went to practice casting.

Second Outing, the Party Grows

The week after my first outing with the Chief, the summer weather finally turned in Kentucky bringing oppressive heat. Temperatures were approaching triple digits and the humidity was high. Truth be told, this is typical weather for this time of year in the Ohio River Valley; regardless of whether it was expected, I like much colder weather.

At any rate, the persistent heat warmed the pond considerably before the next outing the following Sunday, posing some challenges. Well, that and the fact that my wife D decided to tag along and watch. She filmed us, took pictures, and generally lounged in the sun. I even managed to get her out on the water with me in a Jon boat for a few hours.

The fish weren't biting so much that day. Dad took a small large mouth and was dry the rest of the day. I broke the ice on a popper with a 9-inch largemouth as well, but as the sun began dropping that afternoon, I switched to a Prince Nymph and started landing bluegill like crazy. All in all, it was a good day.

First Time Fishing with the Chief

I've always had a pretty good relationship with Dad. He has been both a good father and a friend. It's a difficult balance to strike, but somehow he managed to navigate the line successfully. As an adult, I would rather spend my time with him over anyone else. We really do have a good relationship, except when we work on projects together. I've come to learn that collaboration is not our strong suit; the father-side and desire to teach takes over, and I guess the son in me resents that.

The Reel

The next piece of equipment you will need is a reel. If you bought a kit, it will be included. Otherwise, you need some expert advice.

The Fly Rod

I thought the thing that would make this blog interesting was the fact that I am basically a novice sharing the lessons I learn along the way. This has some good points and some bad points.

First, most of the material on the subject is written by experts, and what they think is important may not necessarily be the same as for someone starting out. Priorities are just different. Second, I think my mistakes are just as important educational tools as my successes. But third, I frequently will have no clue about what I am writing, even though it is important.

Well at this point, fly rods definitely fall into the latter category, and unfortunately, after your brain and muscle memory, just as a club to a golfer, the rod is perhaps the most important tool in your arsenal. What good is the best fly if you cannot cast the line? The rod is the piece of equipment that essentially does most of the work converting energy into motion.

The Bare Minimum

Probably the first prerequisite to fly fishing is to have the basic equipment to get started. In later posts, we'll talk about what everything is, but to get started, you at least need to know what you need to get, and well a fly shop may not be just down the street.