eggs before heading to the river. The old black and white photos of me at five years old hoisting beautiful fourteen inch rainbows from a swift current surging around my knees still lay hidden in my basement. We used rooster tails back then, and I never realized that my dad’s first stop in the local ranger station was too smooze the ranger into revealing where they had planted fish that morning in Central Washington. He was an experienced conversationalist with just the right laid back attitude to get what he wanted and have me pulling fat rainbows within the hour. While that was a wonderful experience for a boy growing up, these days I seek more of a challenge in the pursuit and cunning in hooking a fish. Fly fishing held a certain mystique with its lack of live bait and need for control, but I knew that it would take more than a visit to the local ranger station to succeed.
Flyfishing has become a bit intimidating for novices these days, generally wherever you go to fish you’ll find legions of fishermen wearing the exact same $3,000 of clothing and equipment as the person ten feet downstream. That’s fine if you have decades of experience, but in no way should this inflict an insecurity on your ability to fish. My brother taught himself to fly fish by high school and frequently during summers, he came home with a string of fish at his side. His gear included a worn out pair of
jeans and flip-flops. First time fly fishermen should focus on learning the basics before making a trip to the sporting goods store with a little more perspective. What looks good on Facebook won’t necessarily lead to a better fishing experience.
Controlling your equipment in the field is another hazard that may create frustration, so before you get in the car, be sure to talk with a local fisherman about a good spot for beginners. Nothing is more anger inducing than following a map to a far corner of the state only to find three full parking spaces with no other accessibility to the river bank. Let other people make these mistakes and learn from their experience. A good fisherman will not tell you about his/her favorite spot, but they will spill out full details when it comes to their most embarrassing fishing disasters. This will spare you hours of aggravating trial and error mistakes on your own time. Also, be sure to properly set up your line before planning a trip. Flyline is the key ingredient on a pole which connects to a tapered leader that adds on several feet of tippet. Each section has an appropriate binding knot, so be sure to visit sites like www.accessibleknots.com to get them down. I recommend using string or twine to practice a few times first.
So your equipment is ready, your location