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The Art of Fly Fishing: How to Learn It
By Patrick Sisti
 Patrick Sisti on the Indian River Photo by Susan T. Sisti |
So spring is here and this year you're "gonna" definitely learn to fly fish. It won't be like last year with all the rain, or the year before because of the drought, or the year before that because ... this is "THE YEAR!" And where and how and when do you start?
Where: The best place is a local fly shop, a local fly fishing club or from a licensed NYS Outdoor Guide. You can find a list in Fred LeBrun's "Fly Fishing in the Adirondacks" article. And remember, it is best to start the first lesson or trip with a guide.
How: A fly fishing lesson from a licensed guide will show you the tricks and teach you the facts of fly fishing. As in any sport, if you start off with bad habits, you'll never get by them. As in a bad swing in golf, your fly fishing could be off by a bad casting style. Sure, you get the line out, the fly lands on the water, but probably with a "plop!!" For some reason you're not catching any fish!
When: NOW! Begin in spring before Little League Baseball starts, before the barbecue parties, before the vacation plans are made, and before someone else plans out your summer.
Fly Fishing Etiquette
and Style
There's an important part of fly fishing that all veteran fly fishers
follow and that's "fly fishing etiquette," which is not taught
in most books. It is learned by example and by word-of-mouth. It is communicated
from veteran fly fishers and from licensed guides, or from a fishing buddy
who learned the hard way after making a faux pas and was "helped"
out by someone on the river who knows the silent rules.
Fly fishing etiquette answers questions like: Where should you enter a stream? How far away do you fish from another fly fisherperson? What techniques do you use, namely, dry fly fishing, nymphing, or wet fly/streamer fishing? What time of day does one of these methods work best?
I've seen a lot of fly fishermen who used a dry fly all day, then complain that they didn't have a rise or catch a fish. Unless there's a hatch going on during the bright hours from 9 am to 6 pm, trout are not going to rise for a dry fly.
I've also seen a lot of fly fishermen leaving the stream around 6:30 or 7 pm because they didn't catch anything in the last few hours. I happily wave them "goodbye" and tell them to "travel safely" on the way home as I prepare for the BEST part of the day.
The Three Phases
of Trout Feeding
The fun starts about 7 pm with a nymph or a wet fly. From late spring
through summer into early fall, hatches occur almost on a regular evening
basis. There are three distinct parts of "the hatch." First,
the "pre-hatch" is when the aquatic insects start their journey
from the riverbed to the surface as they swim or rise through the water
and the trout start a feeding frenzy. At this period wet flies or nymphs
should be used.
Second, the "emerger" section that begins just below the film surface of the water where the rising insects try to break through the film surface. At this point, trout will be dimpling the surface, creating small disturbance or rings on the water surface AND making it look like they are rising, but they are still feeding just under the surface. Unless you're really good at reading the water, you'll think that they are feeding on top. For a fly fisher, this is a frustrating time because most will have been casting a dry fly and the trout are not hitting it. The pattern to use at THIS time is the emerger, NOT the dry.
Third, the "ego-glory" phase is the final rise when the trout feed on the insects that ARE on top of the water—larger splashes that sometimes contain the trout's whole body leaping through the surface after its' quarry. This period is WHEN the dry fly should be used.
The Sport of Patience
One thing about fly fishing that's not mentioned in too many books or
learned by self education is that fly fishing is a "sport of patience."
God invented whirly gigging (spin casting) for those who want immediate
satisfaction and the rewards of fishing that are then wrapped in aluminum,
stacked and stored in the freezer. Between perfecting the perfect cast,
choosing the right fly at the right time, tying the proper knot, releasing
the line at the correct time and angle, and having it land just at the
right place, patience is needed. Then there's the patience needed for
bad knots, wind knots, leader knots, curled leaders, reel backlashes and
the last straw: the bird's nest jumble. Patience, patience, patience!
"Catch and
Release"
The self-satisfying principle of "catch and release" allows
fly fishermen to release their catch unharmed, so that it can be caught
again. Some of our best waters for larger and more numerous trout are
created by "catch and release." The "catch and release"
sections of the Ausable, the "fly fishing only" section of the
Salmon River, parts of the Beaverkill, the mighty Delaware, and the renowned
Battenkill are well-known and respected because of the principle and results
of "catch and release." With fly fishing, patience, love of
nature and the practiced method of "catch and release" prove
a reward beyond ego and aluminum sticks in the freezer.
The Camaraderie
of Fly Fishing
As in any sport, fellowship and camaraderie are the results of good sportsmen-like
conduct. On any new stream or river I fish, the first thing I do is find
someone on the water, introduce myself, and mention that I'm not from
the area. I tell them it's my first time on the river, I'm "catch
and release," and ask them what they're hitting on today. That intro
leads to a few fishing stories, and a pointed finger to a spot below where
the trout are feeding. This is followed by the fly pattern used with success
and the style of fly fishing used, namely dry fly, nymph or wet fly/streamer
that completed the task.
It's also important to be an active member of a fishing club such as Trout Unlimited or the Capital District Fly Fishers. Among Trout Unlimited's local chapters are Clearwater (based in Albany), Adirondack (based in Glens Falls), Lake Champlain (based in Plattsburgh), and Mohawk Valley (based in Utica). The clubs have fly tying lessons, e-mail reports, monthly meetings, and annual banquets.
The Reward
Nature and fly fishing are tightly intertwined. For instance, the importance
of the cycle of insect life: From egg to larva to nymph to emerger to
dun (adult) to spinner. The art of "matching the hatch" with
the artificial fly to the hatching insects, learning the feeding habits
of trout, and the all-important presentation of the right fly, at the
right time and the right place. This is followed by those wonderful words:
"Got one! Fish on!"
Patrick Sisti is a licensed NYS Outdoor Guide who has been fishing
the Indian River in Indian Lake for 50 years. He is a proponent of "catch
and release" and a member of Trout Unlimited. For more information,
contact Patrick at (518) 461-9696 or gpsny@aol.com
©2000-2003 Adirondack Sports & Fitness. All rights reserved.