Published: August 14, 2006 09:58 am      

Passing it on

My daughter caught her first fish on a dry fly this summer. It was a rainbow trout and it measured 18-inches from nose to tail.

As she proudly held the fish up for a photo before releasing it I said, “Wow, nothing like starting with a trophy.” She simply beamed and replied, “Thanks Dad for showing me how.”

I swelled with parental pride. There is just something magical about passing on, not just a skill, but the desire to use and profit pleasurably from it.

Is catching that fish on a tiny fly a big deal? It is to me and to her if you ask what she thinks about it.

The process seems simple enough. Toss a tiny insect imitation in front of a hungry fish. When it rises to the surface and engulfs the bit of hair and feathers, set the hook and fight the fish until it tires, admire it, snap a photo and then release it. Savor the moment. That is what she did. But there is a fairly large learning curve, punctuated by hours of practice before such a milestone can be achieved.

Kids can learn much about life from the fly fishing process. Planning, attention to detail, patience, following through, and the need to practice skills are all necessary components of becoming good fishermen and citizens too. We can help them find their place in the world by simply putting in some time and passing on the skills, knowledge and abilities we have accumulated as adults, no matter the task.

The parking lot next to the Texas Hole on the San Juan River in northwestern New Mexico was about half-full of cars and trucks the morning we pulled in to fish it. A good number of them were bearing Texas license plates. More than likely, that is how that stretch of water got its name. Word has gotten out about the great summer fishing on the San Juan and apparently there are more Texas fishermen taking advantage of it.

The river at this spot transfigures from shallow, braided sections flowing around small islands with willow lined banks, to a deep pool that cuts into the side of the rock-strewn western ridge. The upper section is ideal water for beginner fly fishermen. Trout lie in shallow current eddies and along the banks and are visible to anglers that approach quietly from downstream. This visual aspect is important for beginning fly anglers because it allows seeing how fish react to a fly cast in front of them.

The big rainbow was holding in a small quiet spot where the stream moved around a tiny island of willow brush. We moved carefully into casting range below and to the side of it. As we watched it fining lazily in the current, the fish rose to take a tiny insect from the surface. That was a good sign; it was feeding. Now all my protégé had to do was make a good cast and hope the fish would take her fly.

This was the moment for which we had planned and practiced for hours in the backyard at home. As my daughter raised the rod to make that all important first cast, I noticed her hands were shaking with excitement. She made the cast, but it was short; behind the fish. Luckily, the trout did not seem to notice and remained in position. I spoke a few words of encouragement as she picked the fly up off the water and prepared to make her second cast. This time it landed where it should, about five feet in front of the feeding trout.

We watched as the fly floated into the strike zone. The water was gin clear and we could clearly see the trout react. The fish flashed to the surface and engulfed the fly faster than I can write this sentence. “Set the hook,” I yelled in excitement. At the sound of my voice she snapped out of her reverie and whipped the rod up and back in a perfect hook-setting motion.

The next four minutes were magic. Up and down the stream the trout ran trying vigorously to shake the hook. We splashed, laughed and stumbled after it. It seemed a lifetime later, but eventually the trout tired and I carefully cupped the beautiful fish in my hands and slid it up on the grassy bank. We were both emotionally exhausted but elated. I looked at her and all I could see was a face-wide grin. Come to think of it, I was wearing one too.

Fly fishing is not difficult to learn. It is just different enough from standard rod and reel fishing to make it somewhat intimidating for newcomers. The process once mastered is rhythmic and somehow almost hypnotic. The reward is not just the catching of a fish, but in where and how it is done.

The key to understanding fly fishing is to learn the basics from an expert, but the way to capture someone forever is to place them in a situation where they can use those skills and catch a fish. Pass it on ...

Barry St. Clair is a guest columnist for the Athens Daily Review. His columns appear weekly.