Perhaps a congratulations is in order for all of your new outdoor gear acquired over the holidays.
Perhaps you need some ideas for what to buy with money you’ve saved as a treat to yourself for surviving 2020. (If that’s the case, and you need an idea, take a look at last week’s Open Spaces for some outdoor gift ideas).
Or perhaps you are staring into 2021 with a nagging urge to learn something new, something outside, something other than how to bake sourdough bread.
We have you covered. For anyone out there with new outdoor gear, or a yearning to learn a new sport, we called the experts and broke down some starting strategies for a few of Wyoming’s most popular outdoor endeavors.
Here’s to a 2021 that includes time to learn and even more time outside.
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is often described as an art. It’s romanticized in books and movie scenes like Brad Pitt’s famous scramble down the Gallatin River in “A River Runs Through It.”
But learning to fly fish is a lifelong journey. Even guides say while they know and understand every fish in their home waters, they’re newbies on someone else’s river.
Few books and movies show the thousands and tens of thousands of tangles in line, hooks stuck in trees and lost flies. That doesn’t make them less real.
So if you’re new to fly fishing — or have never fly fished before — take it easy on yourself. You won’t look good that first time out (or 10th) and you’ll feel awkward as you try flicking your rod between 10 and 2. But lucky for you, there are plenty of help and resources.
“They should come down to the fly shop and talk to us,” said Justin Genthner at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop in Casper. “We can take them next door and do a casting lesson outside and help them get started.”
If you don’t live in Casper, try your local fly shop.
If you don’t have a local fly shop or a fly-fisher friend, or you need more help, Genthner recommends turning to YouTube for specifics.
But ultimately, if you can afford it, Genthner and other fly fishing experts recommend hiring a guide for a half or full day fishing trip.
“You’re spending the entire day with someone who’s passion is teaching fly fishing to people,” he said.
Bird hunting
If you received a new shotgun for a gift, or you found your grandpa’s gun in the attic, this is as good as any year to learn how to bird hunt.
Upland hunting for the explosive and quick-flying chukars and Hungarian partridges continues through January. So do ducks and geese in certain areas.
But you can also take your time. If you’re new to hunting, first sign up for hunter safety, said Brian Woodward, manager of Rocky Mountain Discount Sports in Casper.
All hunters require hunter education by law. If you took it a couple decades ago and never really hunted, it could be worth taking it as a refresher.
Next, buy a box of clay pigeons and a plastic thrower and head to a trap range or area with legal shooting. Take a friend to throw the clays for you.
Begin researching public access areas for birds. Understand Wyoming’s private land laws, Woodward said. Also learn basic ethics of bird hunting including staying away from icy rivers and basic bird identification.
If you don’t want to wait until November to try out your new skills, Woodward suggests calling around to bird farms like Riverbend Roosters in Casper where you can create your own bird hunt.
Nordic skiing
First the bad news: The quickest and easiest way to learn how to Nordic ski is to take a lesson. Lessons this year may vary, however, by the mountain range depending on restrictions due to COVID-19. Check with your local ski shop or Nordic association for details.
If lessons aren’t an option this winter, you can still take those new skis out and enjoy skiing through a winter wonderland, said Tyler Patick, manager of Zeelo’s Cranks ‘N Planks in Casper.
As with fishing, or, frankly, most other pursuits, check out YouTube videos to begin.
It’s important to remember ski waxing before you head up. Companies like Swix and Toko now make rub-on and spray-on waxes, which are easier to use though less durable that the traditional iron-on waxes.
Keeping your skis waxed will not only make them faster but also easier to maneuver.
Spin fishing
On its surface, spin fishing may seem like the easiest kind of fishing to learn — buy some worms, put one on a hook and huck worm and hook in the water.
But if you want to catch something, it requires a little more work than that, said Woodward.
“Trout are, for the most part, easy to figure out,” Woodward said. “They tend to hang in the top 8 to 10 feet of reservoirs.”
If you don’t have a boat, use a lure such as a panther martin or Rapala Countdown (which claims to sink at one foot per second). Cast into the lake or reservoir and mentally measure water depth as it sinks. Reel it back in, walk a few steps, then try again.
Walleye can be a bit more finicky. Place a worm on a silver or gold jig and work your way along a shoreline.
Pay attention to local regulations that may not allow live bait.
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