WRITING ON THE FLY
By GEORGE LISET

When people know that you are a fly fisher you will inevitably get the call, it used to be a call but now it is a text. “I want to learn to fly fish and you were the first person I thought of calling.”

Or most recently a friend, Tim, was having a conversation with another friend and the topic of learning to fly fish came up. Tim smiled and said, “I know a guy!” Apparently I’m the guy.

    Fly fishing for so many reasons is still popular. Hiking the White Mountains will get you some respect, but hiking the Whites with a fly rod raises that respect to a whole other level. Sometimes when I need a little boost I will walk around the North Country with my fly rod in my hand and just give that knowing nod when I pass other hikers.

    Seriously, I enjoy teaching others to fly fish. It is so much easier and enjoyable when you have an experienced fly fisher or guide to teach you. I tried to teach myself to cast and ended up with piles of fly lines in front of me and in back of me. I tried the “Zorro” method of whipping that fly rod back and forth to no avail. I finally connected with a fellow teacher, Maine Guide John McKernan and he fixed me in five minutes.

    So, when my friend Tim connected me with Major Tom I was happy to help out. Tom teaches ROTC at UNH. We grabbed coffee to connect and I gave him a book. There are many good books about learning to fly fish but I prefer “Fly Fishing, a Trail Side Guide” by John Merwin. It is a compact volume with all the nuts and bolts with great illustrations. I asked him to read it to have a better understanding of terminology and what I was going to ask him to do.

    We met at the Upper Field at UNH for casting practice. Since I have a number of rods I brought a couple for Tom to try out. He mentioned that he would like to visit and fish in the U.K. and possibly out west when he retires so I had him try a vintage Orvis Western six-weight fly rod. I think it is one of their best all around fly rods. It has enough back to handle the big fish and a nice tip action to feel the smaller fish in smaller water. Tom picked it up quickly so we made a plan to hit a local river the next week which would give him time to practice his casting.

    When we got on the water I explained fly fishing in New England is a different beast, a little hardscrabble if you will. There are not many rivers where you can cast using a lot of lines. Most casts are under thirty feet with the average small stream cast about fifteen to twenty feet. It wasn’t long before he got his fly stuck on the bottom. A common problem when you are fishing in skinny, shallow, water.

    Fortunately my colleague John taught me how to throw a giant loop behind the stuck fly to retrieve it. That has saved me and others a lot of money in flies. Tom mastered that technique as we continued to fish and the “D” cast that you use when you are backed up to the brush streamside.

I mentioned that if you can fish in New England, you can fish anywhere.

    The next week I picked up my grandson, Jameson from school and we had some time so I brought my L.L. Bean  one-weight and took Jameson for his first fly fishing lesson at the local reservoir. Jameson is ten and a good little athlete and picked the casting up quickly. I know ten-year olds want to catch fish so that’s why his dad and I took him bait casting a few days later.

    My friend Ray, who I have taken out a few times, wanted to upgrade his equipment so we headed over to Kittery Trading Post’s Fishingfest. Brad, our KTP associate, was great. The technology in fly fishing gear has revolutionized the sport. No more heavy boots, baggy waders and rods and reels that weigh a ton. Ray got a great deal on waders and boots thanks to Brad. Ray went back the next day to do a trade in for a nice Douglass three-weight fly rod and a new reel. Spencer, another associate, showed me a Cimarron LT Coors Light edition reel for the bargain price of $499. The reel featured the Coors logo with a mountain that changed color from blue to white when the temperature hit thirty-two degrees.

    Fly fishing can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. It is a great sport. If you are looking to get started visit your local fly fishing shop. Many offer free classes and are more than willing to get you started. Or if you are lucky, you’ll bump into a friend that “Knows a guy.”

 George Liset of Dover is an award-winning outdoor writer and avid fly fisherman who shares insights of his time on the water exploring New Hampshire streams and rivers as well of those around New England. George is a graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire. His column Writing on the Fly has been honored by the New England Press Association and the New Hampshire Press Association.