Learning to Fly-Fish

You may be one of them. I have run into quite a few people over the years who, in the course of a conversation that turns to nature or the outdoors confess that they always wanted to learn to fly-fish. If you are a closet fly-fishing wannabe or are just a little curious about fly-fishing…read on.

A beautiful brown trout caught on a fly rod. Photo by Don Hazel

Fly-fishing has a sort of cachet to it. I don’t hear people say that they always wanted to learn to bass fish or crappie fish. Maybe it was Brad Pitt standing in that river with a fly rod in the movie “A River Runs Through It” that attached the romance to fly-fishing. But actually it started long before Brad Pitt. Fly-fishing does have something special about it.

I like to do a little bass fishing once in a while. But I love to fly-fish. Fly-fishing is different. Most fly-fishing is usually associated with trout fishing and trout fishing is often associated with peaceful, clear, cool mountain streams and beautiful surroundings. Fishing for wild (not stocked) trout in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is just about as good as it gets. And, although they don’t have to, most fly-fishermen (and women) practice catch and release. Often they use barbless hooks to minimize injury to the fish and they release the fish after catching them to live and fight another day. Many fly-fishermen and women learn to tie their own flies out of feathers and fur. This is a whole other element to the sport that is not necessary but very enjoyable to many.

Another difference is the fly-fishing equipment that allows you to cast nearly weightless imitations of the tiny bugs that make up most of a trout’s diet. Live bait is not used in fly-fishing. There are no slimy worms to thread on a hook. The beautiful images of a fly-fisherman with a yellow fly line in a tight horizontal loop thirty feet behind him or her is a picture of the techniques that you’ll need to master to present a “fly” in front of a beautiful brook, rainbow, or brown trout.

So if you have ever thought of learning to fly-fish where do you start? Well consider yourself lucky because you live near some of the best trout streams in the country and not far from a great place to easily get started.

First of all, there is a lot to learn. Here is my suggestion for you if you think you want to get started. There is a great fly-fishing store in Townsend Tennessee called Little River Outfitters. They have a 2 day beginner fly-fishing school that is very reasonably priced. In my opinion, this is the easiest, best, and only way to start fly-fishing. Another, higher priced option, is the Orvis Store in Sevierville which also has classes. At either place you will learn the fly-fishing terms, equipment, techniques, and most importantly, how to cast a fly rod. If you can’t accurately and gently cast a fly on the water, your chances of catching a fish drop off the chart. In fly fishing you don’t just chuck a lure into the stream and reel it back. You must learn how to quietly present your fly on the water in a natural way to the trout. You will begin to learn this critical skill in a beginner fly-fishing class; especially on the 2^nd day when you actually go to a stream to practice.

Now, in February or March, is the time to take a class because April is when the trout fishing in the Smokies really begins to heat up. You can take a class without having any equipment or prior knowledge of fly-fishing and not feel out of place. Everyone else in the class will be a beginner too. Besides, what else are you going to do in February? Exploring the beauty and mystery of fly-fishing might just be the beginning of a wonderful new activity for you. And it is not just for men; fly-fishing is a perfect sport for women too.

If you have questions about fly-fishing just send me an email. I will be glad to answer your questions.