The adventures of fly fishing

This time of year it may be a bit chilly, but being out in the cold air and water is well worth the experience. The fall foliage provides beautiful scenery for a relaxing evening of fishing. This was not only my first time fly fishing but also my first time officially fishing in general.

We started out in the grass and I learned how to cast. After listening to the instructions and watching a demonstration, I quickly made all the mistakes I could ever have possibly made as if I hadn’t been taught a single thing, but eventually I did well enough that we moved down to the river.

All dressed up in waders and boots, I was ready to brave the cold temperatures of the water and confident I wouldn’t get wet just standing in the river to fish.

The first cast into the water when I was just getting my bearing, a fish immediately bit down on the nymph (the little bug-looking attachment on the hook) and because I was unprepared the fish got away, and took the nymph with it.

My ever-patient teacher, Brian Williams, then tied on another nymph for me to start over again.

This time, I got to practice a few casts before disaster struck once more. I practiced the techniques I learned on land and cast further and further into the river, letting the line out a little bit more each time. Then on one of my casts as I slung the line out of the water got stuck in the tree behind me.

The nymph broke off in the branch and was too high up to retrieve. Once again another nymph was tied back on the line and at this point I was feeling like a total failure. I was assured that I would not believe the amount of nymphs that were stuck up in the trees on the Smith River.

After a few more throws, I was finally able to catch a fish on the line, but as I was reeling it in and it was right in front of me, I lifted it up out of the water and the fish was able to flop its way off the hook and back into the water.

This was the closest I got to catching a fish on this particular occasion, but next time I’m determined to catch one and get the traditional first fish catch picture that my friend Anna Wheeler was able to take. Anna is a more experienced fly fisher than I am, but still a bit new to the sport and she was able to catch a couple fish.

One challenge I didn’t expect was being able to see the indicator (or bobber) that rests on the water and tells when a fish has bit down on the nymph. My eyes, already using glasses to see better, just got worse and worse as it got darker the quicker time passed.

Overall, it was a spectacular experience and this traditionally male-dominated sport has a new member because I’m determined to catch that fish next time. The challenge of getting the nymph in the right spot was enough to get me interested in learning all the different techniques that can be used.

After making just about every mistake in the book, I’m ready to go back in for more next time and avoid repeating them. In my opinion, and from my recent experience, anyone hesitating from trying fly fishing for any reason should take any chance they get to try it out.

And even if you end up not totally enjoying the fishing aspect, you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery that is nature around a river and maybe get some cool action shot pictures as well, just be careful to get a steady footing in the river so you don’t end up going for a spontaneous swim.