Is Fly Fishing Right for You?
Do you love fly-fishing? Is it right for you? Why don’t you find out through these 10 ways!
My favorite hobby in my entire life has been fly-fishing, so I don’t intend to give up at all! Essentially, I created Drifthook Fly fishing to give other a taste of my passion and knowledge in fly-fishing. Being raised in Colorado, I was lucky to explore a few fly-fishing trips in amidst of experienced and skilled guides and anglers who begun fishing for decades before I was brought on earth by my lovely mum. So whenever I was asked whether I can try fly-fishing, I enthusiastically responded with a massive YES. Although I believe that everyone can really enjoy fly-fishing as an outdoor sport, these specific 10 ways will help you know whether fly-fishing is the right outdoor activity for you. You aren’t bound to agree with all these 10 tips, but if you put the majority of them into consideration, you will get the most out of this new hobby of fly-fishing.
1. Do you love being outdoors? Then fly-fishing will be your favorite hobby. You definitely know fly-fishing isn’t an indoor activity thus fly-fishers are always outside whenever they fish and carry out the activity in any weather. This activity could be right for you if you like to spend most of your time outside. (Be sure to follow the weather reports as you actually don’t want to find yourself on the water that is prone to lightning or other harsh weather conditions. I went through that but in a hard way so I don’t want you to experience the same). To your advantage, Colorado has fairly quiet and secluded fishing areas that are surrounded by gorgeous mountains and calm water.
2. Are you the kind of person who doesn’t mind getting wet or muddy? Although it sounds like a no-brainer, you will ultimately love fly-fishing. Fly-fishing is associated with a lot of water, so it will definitely get you wet and/or muddy. When saying “wet and/or muddy”, I mean the extreme wet soaking because I vividly recall one fly-fishing trip when it started to rain (but there was no lightning). My day was great and successful thus enjoyed staying out on the water despite the raining condition. After deciding to pack and go to the car, I tripped as I approached the shore. And my whole body was entirely wet and also covered in mud. However, it didn’t stop me – I returned to fly-fish the following day. Wait a minute! Another thing I learned the hard way was to always keep some rags or towels in the car in order to clean up a little before returning home.
3. Do you love spending some humble time alone? If so then fly-fishing will be your favorite hobby. Most individuals choose hobbies that involve large sometimes noisy groups such as softball leagues or bowling. For me, I like fly-fishing as its calm and rhythmic, and quite a solo undertaking activity. I really do enjoy it because the solitude grants me some precious time to relax as well as unwind after a long and busy week. Even if am fly-fishing with other anglers, we don’t talk all the time. We usually concentrate on our own rods and flies while paying attention to the behavior of waters.
4. You will actually love this outdoor activity if you are willing to learn all about how to outsmart a fish. Regardless of whether you keep the MONSTER trout, which you catch or release back into the water, fly fishing challenge is to outthink a fish. You need to learn how to read the waters, understand how the fish are affected by weather conditions, know their patterns of feeding and have the ability to select the right flies as well as be able to properly cast a line. All these skills need instruction and practice and that is why I made Drifthook’s fly fishing videos. My main goal is to provide beginners with a comprehensive and straightforward introduction to fly-fishing. Moreover, to help the intermediate and improved anglers shape up their fly-fishing skills. Even an old fly-fisher can be taught a new trick, it’s never and will never be too late for that!
5. Do you consider yourself a patient character? If so then fly-fishing will bring some joy into your life! A youthful female approached me during our family reunion and said that she thought my hobby in fly-fishing seemed funny (that time I was in a Drifthook T-Shirt) and told me she might be interested in giving it a try. But in the process of explaining a little bit how it goes, she just laughed and said that she wasn’t sure whether she could have handled it. I thought by any chance could a fish just go ahead and jump onto the hook. And because I’m not the waiting type, I quickly figured out that most likely she wouldn’t enjoy fly-fishing by any chance, as the activity requires a lot of patience and perseverance. You can go for several hours without catching anything even with the correct fishing procedure, but if you persevere you will catch some, and if you don’t just keep trying.
6. Do you know where and how to get the right assortment of fly-fishing tools? Be sure you ready to go if you do! During my fly-fishing years, I have met many people who think or assume that to have and run fly-fishing as a hobby is somehow expensive. Although I admit that in my life I have accumulated quite a lot of fly-fishing equipment, getting started with the basics doesn’t strain your budget that much. In fact, I compiled a list of the basic things you require to get out fishing: it’s less than $ 300. Generally, it is much less than some other outdoor hobbies I have come across.
7. You will actually love fly-fishing if you like seeing or exploring new places. Never doubt me because I have come across many anglers who fly-fish the same river or stream every weekend. Although they know the behavior of waters, they know all the places where rocks and drop-offs are and like to be close to home, I like fishing in all kinds of water. In fact, my hobby has led me to places in all of Colorado and the entire West of the United States that I might not have explored even if I was looking for new fly-fishing sites.
8. If you love working out a lot, fly-fishing is a lovely hobby to work out. I don’t intend to convince anyone that a fly-fishing session is just equal to an intense cardio workout at the gym. But it involves some physical aspect to a point of waking up with some sore muscles the following day. When fly-fishing you actually wading in the water, usually against the tide, which of course has some resistance against you (just like water aerobics). Besides, you need to balance yourself while navigating on slippery bottoms, stones and other obstacles, which is good for your core. In addition, there is a casting motion that you do continuously, thus your casting arm is really very useful.
9. You will ultimately love to fly-fish if you know the right guys to accompany you. I mean, if you know someone who is involved in fly-fishing, you’ve already overtaken the game. Almost every angler I know is willing to share their knowledge (including their gear sometimes) with a family member or friend who is interested in trying it out. Be sure if you don’t come across an angler personally, consider finding a fishing store or a fishing area dealing with goods for sporting in your locality and spend some time there. I am sure you will be surrounded by individuals who want to talk about their favorite fishing hobby. 10. You will really love to fly-fish if you are searching for a challenging, frustrating but rewarding and enjoyable new hobby at the same time. On some days it can be much more frustrating than satisfying, and because I happen to pack all my angling equipment on one of these days, I wonder if I should knit instead. But the following day I come back to the water, as most of the time when I intend to fly-fish, I always maximize my good time so well that I never want to go home.
He spends most of his time on the water catching the Monster trout, unless the time when he has beautiful moments with his family. He also has hope that his kids will develop an interest in fly fishing and join him in this field.
- Is Fly Fishing Right for You? - September 25, 2019
- How to Fly Fish for Trout? - July 15, 2019
