What is fly fishing? An introduction

When I was very little I was around fishing poles, boats and lures almost daily, and I went to a lot places where I watched my dad, mother, aunts and uncles fish using everything from cane poles to casting rods.

Back in the early 1950s, fiberglass rod building was in its infancy and a lot of metal rods were still around. Many of the best rods were made of split bamboo. Almost all the fly rods were bamboo and some of them were very expensive.

One day my father came home with a 9 foot Wright Mcgill fiberglass fly rod and he often took it to lakes, catching bass and bream. I still have that rod. I was so fascinated with fly rods that, by the time I was 7, my uncle Leonard gave me one. My first fish on that rod was a 2 pound bass. Not bad for a 4 foot kid and a 9 foot rod.

If a 7-year-old can learn the basics of fly fishing, I am sure that older folks will be able to at least learn the basic skills needed to catch a trout on a fly at Vets and Women’s Fly Fishing Day at Cave Spring on July 16.

Fly casting is much different from other types of fishing. When a cast is made using a spinning or a casting rod, the weight of the lure pulls the line from the reel and the lure or bait travels through the air and out into the water. Depending on the lure or bait, it is either allowed to sit in place or retrieved in such a way that it entices a fish to try and eat the bait. The retrieve is accomplished by winding the line onto the reel. This is repeated until fish are caught or it is just time to quit.

In fly fishing, the majority of the line is heavier, or has more mass than the lure. The lure is called a fly whether it is supposed to resemble a minnow, a worm or some form of a flying insect. In general the “fly” is light in weight, and if attached to the line of a spin or casting rod the “fly” is too light to travel far. In fly casting, the weight of the line carries the fly to the destination.

Just so you understand, the fly line is usually a floating line and only certain types of lines are designed to sink. There is a monofilament line (leader) that connects the fly to the fly line.

Modern fly rods are almost all some type of graphite, carbon fiber, boron or a combination of newer fibers. Newer rods, matched to the line weight, are much lighter and less tiring to the caster compared to the older fiberglass rods.

Fly rods are not just categorized by length but also by the weight of line that is best suited to the rod. Line weights start at “1,” which is best suited for the smallest flies, and goes up to “16” which is often used for the largest of flies and fish such as tarpon and marlin.

Rods are also categorized as fast, medium and soft. Extremely long casts work best on “fast” rods that mostly flex near the tip, whereas most fly casting in North Georgia’s smaller streams is best suited to a medium action rod. Medium action rods easily cast smaller flies short to moderate distances, usually much less than 50 feet.

My suggestion for a first fly rod for use in North Georgia’s small streams and rivers, as well as ponds and lakes, is a “4-5” weight, 8- to

9-foot, medium action rod. That rod will work well for trout, bream and small bass. “8-10” weight, medium action rods are good for stripers and large freshwater and saltwater fish — and are best used by more experienced fly casters.

There will be more about casting and catching with a fly rod next week.

♦ Veterans Fishing Day and Ladies Fishing Day return to Cave Spring Saturday, July 16, at Rolater Park. This is a chance for veterans and ladies to catch some trout and be introduced to fly fishing.

Veterans of all ages will access the pond to fish with fly rods for trout that morning. If the vet does not have his own fly rod, a loaner will be provided. The women anglers will have the same chance that afternoon.

Members of the Coosa Valley Chapter are accomplished fly casters and are willing to share their skills. Our TU members will be there to instruct the novice anglers and some door prizes will be given out.

Pond fishing is fly rod only with the creek open to all types of fishing. Details will come in future columns. TU memberships for veterans and first responders will be available at no cost to those who have never been a TU member in the past.

Vets’ pond fishing time is 10 a.m. till noon. Women’s pond fishing time 1 to 3 p.m.