Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Fly Fishing Lessons in New Hampshire: The Union, Part 3

Catching a few dozen of these guys will teach you how to fish for trout.  Plus, you'll be surprised how these little guys put a bend in your fly rod!

Training Wheels for Trout Fishing

The majority of people getting into fly fishing do so to catch trout.  The entire fly fishing industry seems to be built upon catching trout.  With the vast amount of species on this planet to fly fish for, doesn't it seem odd that we are conditioned to catch trout?  Am I the only one who wonders why we are crazed about catching trout...what about simply catching fish?

Truth be told, if you are a beginner, you should do every thing possible not to target trout.  Why? Catching trout is HARD.  The likelihood of not catching a trout is extremely high.  So, rather than mentally abuse yourself for not catching a trout, why not target warm water species.

At First Cast Fly Fishing, if you have read part 1 & 2 of this series, we are interested in teaching you how to create a union; a connectedness between your mind, heart and nature.  To accomplish this union, and ultimately complete the learning process, we need to catch fish, and lots of them. So, in the warmer months, when trout are less active, we love taking beginner anglers to our local rivers to catch tons of sunfish, small mouth bass, chubs and on occasion, a trout.  The best months to do this are July and August.  Why?

  • During July and August, warm water species are very active/aggressive. We can practice dry-fly, nymph, or streamer techniques, and be guaranteed that something will bite, and often! 
  • Because the fish are very active, in one session with me, you should be able to catch between 10-40 fish.  These fish are not huge and will never be a world/state record.  However, catching +20 fish is GREAT practice and will eventually help you with trout fishing.
  • Water is low and easy to walk (no strong currents).
  • Air temperature is comfortable and relaxing.
  • Water is not ice cold; i.e., your feet and hands don't freeze.


Beginner angler getting lots of sunfish action = valuable learning experience that will help with his trout fishing.

Recommendations for the Beginner


Take a deep breathe and do every thing possible to forget about catching a trout.  Your trout will come, but in the meantime, I highly recommend the following:


  • Take a look at our E.I. Fly 1X casting class.  This class is taught on land and focuses on casting theory and drills-n-skills.  Our drills-n-skills is a series of casting exercises that breaks down the casting stroke.  We'll teach you how to set-up your own drills-n-skills casting course, so you can practice at home.
  • Take a look at our E.I. Fly 2X casting class.  This class is typically taught on land, at our private casting pond.  We'll focus on theory and technique, but we'll now practice casting on water. NOTE: during low water conditions (July and August) this class may be taught on the river. Teaching on a river is always better than the combination of pond and land.
  • Take a look at our E.I. Fly 3X and 4X classes.  We teach these classes year round, but once again, for the beginner or intermediate angler, you cannot beat the learning experience in July and August. 


Thanks for reading this series.  If you missed part one and two, please read:

Part One:
http://firstcastflyfishing.blogspot.com/2014/08/fly-fishing-lessons-in-new-hampshire.html

Part Two:
http://firstcastflyfishing.blogspot.com/2014/08/fly-fishing-lessons-in-new-hampshire_12.html


Gone Fishing,

Mark

PS. We hope you understand that our goal is to make you a great angler, for yourself and your community (the big fish will come).