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Why We Fly Fish
Written By: Chris Wilkes - The Highland Hiker | Issue: 2018/10 - October
Fly fishing can be intimidating. The typical first timer is hesitant to take a lesson or book a guide trip because their lack of experience will embarrass them in front of a guide or instructor. I’ve met people who routinely skydive, yet are afraid they’ll look foolish trying to fly fish, which is funny because the danger of making a mistake in the latter certainly pales in comparison to screwing up in the former.
I suppose it’s because most fly fishing aficionados are looked upon as experts in nature and wise in the ways of the outdoors that people have separated themselves from and people typically avoid things that make them look like a soft-handed city dweller in front of them. Watching someone cast in a river can seem like a skill that is difficult to master and leafing through your average book about casting could lead one to believe that dabbling in aerospace engineering might be a less time consuming hobby.
Considering all of this, it is important to ask yourself why you want to fly fish. When you come up with the answer it may shock you to learn that it is the same reason that people that have done it for decades continue to: Because it’s a fun way to get outside in some really pretty places. Catching fish is a sport and it does take some know-how to be able to get one in the net, but if the biggest trophy fish were found in the middle of a coal ash pit or a city dump, I seriously doubt people would spend their free time tying intricate fly-patterns just so they could put on a hazmat suit to get their picture taken with a 22-inch rainbow trout.
So I encourage you to get out in the water this October and give it a try. If you’ve never tried it before, take a lesson. Two hours is plenty of time to get the basics down. If you haven’t fished in years, it’s high time to get back out there and you’ll be surprised how quickly it all comes back to you. If you’re worried about catching fish, book a guide to wade or float the Nantahala, Tuckaseegee, or the East Fork of the French Broad. Or simply get some waders and head out on your own. Even if you fail to catch a single fish, you will be spending your day in a beautiful stream enjoying the peace and quiet this area provides while the leaves change.
Not a bad way to spend a day at all.
