Fly Fishing

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”
― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

Imagine if we could bottle up the feeling of perfection. It could be a perfect golf swing, the smooth timing of clearing a triple jump, or effortlessly bombing a steep hill. No wasted energy, no sound, just a synergistic connection with what you’re doing. If there’s one activity where I can find that rhythm every time, it’s fly fishing.

There’s something about a shallow river in the mountains that beckons you to step in.  Fly fishing is in my blood. It’s the one outdoor activity that I could never live without. There is a calming essence to it that somewhere deep down in my soul gives me peace.

The gentle sound of the river, the slow and easy back cast, followed by the soft unfurling of fly line onto the water is what dreams are made of. Watching a trout slowly rise and sip your fly off the surface is a feeling that rivals any in the universe. There are times when, on a particular cast, everything feels right and you know you’re going to hook into a fish. It’s like hitting the sweet spot of the bat and you know it’s headed over the fence. That’s what keeps you coming back for more. It also helps that fly fishing is done in some of the most beautiful locations around the world.

Most of us ventured into this overlanding thing by actually trying to do something else. Maybe it was to get to a new camp spot, reach a new trailhead, or get as far away from city lights as possible. For me, it was fly fishing. I wanted a vehicle that could take me to those tiny blue lines on the map. I needed a basecamp for a few days while I fished. I take a few trips each year that are essentially vehicle adventures, but unless I know I’ll be spending 100% of my travels in the desert, I’ll pack a small fly rod just in case.

I remember thinking fly fishermen seemed so sophisticated and proper. Everything about what they were doing seemed beyond my reach. I thought fly rods were too expensive and casting too difficult. The pretentiousness of it all turned me off. However, watching the rhythm of a fisherman slowly laying out line called to me like few other things I’ve witnessed. I had to learn how to do it.

That was nearly 20 years ago. The diametric emotions of pure frustration coupled with total solace and peace still amaze me. Fly fishing to rising trout on a beautiful river is an emotional roller coaster. You appreciate the beauty around you. You connect on another level. The only sounds you hear are subtle sips from trout taking mayflies off the surface. The excitement builds in knowing that one bad cast or a misplaced fly will send the fish darting for cover. But when it all goes right and the line lands soft and smooth on the surface, the build-up and anticipation of hooking a fish are unrivaled. That’s the easy swing, the long ball and the perfect swish all rolled into one.

Fly fishing isn’t hard. It isn’t just for rich old guys with funny hats and expensive gear either. It’s just a different and more personal way to catch fish. Learning how to cast a fly rod can be done in one day. It may take a lifetime to perfect, but you’ll be catching fish in between and that’s usually good enough. Like anything, the better you are, the easier it becomes. Any sporting goods store or local fly shop will have packages that include everything you need to get started. Many shops will even give free casting lessons. They’ll teach you how to set up your rod, load the backing and line onto the reel, connect the line to the leader, the leader to the tippet and finally, the tippet to the fly. It sounds like a lot, but it isn’t.

All the confusing numbers and jargon can be broken down easily.

Fly Rods:  All traditional fly rods have a rod length and weight numbers marked on them. For example, a 9’5wt rod is a nine-foot long rod that is built to cast five-weight line. The weight is measured in “grains.”  Rods are built with a specific grain weight of line that will match best. You’ll be casting the fly line, not the fly. You do this by building up and releasing kinetic energy from the rod, like pulling back on a rubber band and letting it go. In order for the rod to properly cast the line, you must match the line weight to the weight for which the rod was built. As you learn how your fly rod feels and casts in certain conditions, you can experiment with changing line weights to better suit your casting style.

Fly rods have an “action,” a term used to describe how quickly the rod loads or recovers. A simple way to describe this would be to use a broomstick and a long willow branch as examples. A long willow branch waving back and forth will bend a lot at the start and stop portions of the casting motion. If you swing it forward and stop abruptly, it will take some time for the tip end of the branch to even up with the end you are holding. A broomstick, however, will remain stiff throughout the entire casting motion. This is a very rudimentary example, but it should help you understand the difference between “slow-action” like the willow branch, and “fast-action” like the broomstick. Generally, a faster action rod is easier to learn with than a slower action, especially if you’ve been throwing traditional lures for most of your life. This is just a starting point and getting a rod in your hand is the best way to determine what is right for you.

Reels: When you’re just starting out, a fly reel is nothing more than something that holds line. If you’re saltwater fishing or going after larger species like salmon or pike, a reel with a good drag system is invaluable. If you’re just casting small flies to mountain trout, your first reel doesn’t have to cost much.  Reels are sized to hold a certain amount and weight of fly line and they balance weight-wise to your fly rod.

Fly Line and Fly Line Backing: Again, when you’re just learning, fly line backing is just something that fills space on the reel before your fly line is attached. Backing is usually rated to 12 or 20 pounds of break strength. It’s relatively cheap and is usually 50 yards long. Once you’re catching larger and more powerful fish, fly line backing becomes an important extension to your fly line. A fish may take off downstream or across a salt flat and pull line off the reel past the traditional 90 feet of fly line. There are few sounds better than the “zing” of a reel as a fish peels off line. In most cases though, you’ll rarely have more than 30 feet of fly line out.

Leader and Tippet: The leader is a length of line (usually monofilament not unlike what is used on traditional fishing reels) that is thicker at the butt end where it attaches to the fly line and tapers down to where you’ll attach your tippet. Tippet is the last section of line before your fly. The leader and tippet are essential in completing the transfer of built-up kinetic energy from your fly rod. Again. It’s the line that you’re casting. The leader, tippet and fly all follow along. Since fish are easily spooked by shadows or disturbances on the water, the leader and tippet need to be nearly invisible to the fish. A leader may be as strong as 20-pound test monofilament and the tippet may be as delicate as one to two-pound test. You’ll see tippet ratings such as 4x, 5x and 6x. 5x tippet is the most common for trout fishing. This is usually equivalent to four-pound test line. We can delve much deeper into leaders and tippets but for the sake of just getting the basics, anything between 4x and 6x is great to start with.

So which rod is right for you? There is no one right answer. I have collected many rods over the years and each one is right for me. A nine-foot, five-weight rod is ideal for most situations. Every rod manufacturer makes one. You can even choose the number of sections. Obviously, a four-piece rod will pack down smaller than a two-piece. So, if you’re looking to keep a rod in your vehicle or in a backpack, a four-piece model is the better option. There is no substitute for getting a feel for how each fly rod feels in your hand. Some rods just feel better than others and cost is not always the determining factor. A good starter setup would be a nine-foot, five-weight rod, a five-weight reel, 50 yards of fly line backing, a floating fly line, a nine-foot leader, 18 inches of 5x tippet, and a few dry flies. It sounds like a lot but once you get going, it all makes sense.

There is another style of fly fishing that may appeal to the simplistic and adventurous crowd among us as well. It’s called Tenkara. Tenkara is the Japanese method of fly fishing and it involves a telescoping rod with line attached to the end. There is no reel, just a rod, a section of line and a section of tippet with a fly at the end. Tenkara rods pack down small and are easily carried in a backpack or left in a storage bin in your vehicle. It’s an amazingly simple method of fishing not unlike an old cane pole with line tied to the end. Tenkara rods are usually 12 to 14 feet long when fully extended. Because there is no reel and very little line to fumble with, it’s a great way to learn the art of casting. Its simplistic design and long length also make it perfect for understanding how to catch fish with a fly. Due to the long length of the rod, you’re able to control the drift of your fly on the water by keeping the fly line above the fly and off the surface. Fish are smart and they know when something on the surface looks unnatural. Trust me, you will be humbled more than once by a creature with a brain the size of a pea.

Fly fishing is much more about skill than luck. The better you cast and control your fly line, the more fish you’ll catch. Like anything, it takes some patience and practice. However, once you have it, you’ll be hooked for life. Fly fishing fits the overlanding and adventure lifestyle perfectly: Beautiful locations, far-off places, the allure of the unknown, and the possibility of truly connecting with nature.

I will never forget the first fish that I caught on a fly rod. I can also distinctly remember many of the thousands of fish I’ve hooked since then. I have let every single one of them swim away. I wanted to connect with them for a moment, thank them for the opportunity and gently ease them back into their natural habitat. There’s nothing wrong with responsibly harvesting fish to eat. As a fly fisherman or woman, you’ll have to make that determination on your own. The fish that I release today may be the first one you’ll catch tomorrow. There’s an incredible connection there when you think about it that way. Eventually, all things merge into one.

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