Getting started

I grew up in Oklahoma bass fishing on the lakes and setting trot lines for catfish on the creeks. Fly fishing was not something I ever saw or thought about until moving to America's Pacific Northwest. For nearly 18 years I've lived just outside Seattle, a place where the mountain streams and Alpine lakes are world-renowned for trout and salmon.Last summer my son and I hired a fly fishing guide in White Fish, Montana, during a family vacation. We spent the day on the Flathead River just outside of Glacier National Park catching a few cutthroat and mostly getting our lines tangled in the brush along the banks.

But the hook was set. We vowed then that the following year (this year) we would really learn the craft. But how?

Based on my current experience I'd recommend several sources of learning:

Books
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Flyfishing -- This book is a must. Don't be embarassed by the tile. It really breaks down the a lot of the skills, terms and knowledge you will need. I bought this the same day I bought my first fly rod.


The Orvis Guide to Beginning Fly Fishing -- This guide came with the fly rod I bought for my son -- a pre-packaged set.  Like most things Orvis does, the books beautifully prepared.  It's also quite useful and a good complement to the The Complete Idiot's Guide. I am glad I had both.

Fly Fishing Basics -- My doctor friend down the street is also a fanatical (and beginner) fisherman. He walked this book down to me early in my learning. I love it. The explanations and illustrations are really compelling. And, as in all learning, you will need reinforcement. Author Dave Hughes is a great teacher.

Central Cascades Fishing Guide and Flyfisher's Guide to Washington -- Most if not all states and regions have these guides, and you need them.  My guides are super helpful. They combine geographic and angling background that you need in order to have an informed conversation with anyone about fishing in your area.

Hatch Guide for Western Streams -- Ok, flyfishing is really fishing with bugs. You need to understand the bugs that inhabit the stream you intend to fish. You don't have to be an entomologist but it helps to know whether your stream during this particularly week or month is hosting mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies or midges (among others). I bought this book to help me match bugs with artificial flies.

Online
There are a lot of good websites and blogs to read. I've listed some of those I liked best on the front page of this blog. In addition, I like the Orvis podcast which you can download from iTunes.

Magazines
Early in my learning I bought a bunch of fishing magazines. What I discovered is that I am mostly a flyfisherman. Many of the fishing magazines emphasize size. You find page after page of huge King salmon or some other large species. What interests me are a variety of trout, salmon and other species that you would find in rivers and creeks. I also like flyfishing in salt water but I want to learn about strategies, strories and species. Fly Fisherman is the one I keep by the bedside to inspire and inform. Fly Rod & Reel is also a good catch.

Trout Unlimited
I received a complimentary membership in Trout Unlimited (TU) when I bought my rod. Perhaps it's because of my early career working as a speechwriter for former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Don Hodel, a conservationist from the Reagan era, but I immediately mailed in my membership, and I'm glad I did. Trout magazine is essential reading, and it doesn't take very long for the novice fly rodder to realize that protecting our lakes and streams is a duty.

Experience
The best advice I got when I bought my first fly rod was go out and fish. You can study and become an armchair flyfisherman or you can go out and fish. Sure, you will make tons of mistakes and you will not catch many fish in the early days. But no cast and no trip is a wasted investment of time. You will learn, you will get better and you will catch fish. Just read the posts that come after this one.

Guides
One of the best ways to get experience is to hire a guide. Over the past year I've hired a guide in Montana, Cape Cod and the Pacific Northwest. I haven't caught a lot of fish with the guides but every fish I have caught on my own is a direct result of what I learned with the guides. They aren't cheap ($400 for the day / $200 for a half day), but you have to amortize the investment over time.

Friends
Once you start flyfishing you are going to find that people you know are also passionate fisherman. They don't talk about it much but once you do they will become important sources of encouragement and information. So talk about your fishing, share what you're learning and how you're struggling. You are going to be surprised by the new friendships that develop.