Salomone: What do you do to ‘pass it on?’
Michael Salomone/Courtesy photo
When professor and Gray’s Sporting Journal contributing editor Dave Zoby asked me to give him a hand with the fly fishing class he was teaching at the college in Casper, Wyoming, I was all in. The opportunity to pass on the obsession needs more fly fishers willing to give back. If we don’t recruit the next generation of fly fishers we all lose; the sport, the fish and the environment. So my question to you is “what are you doing to pass it on?”
Kids are a good start. The fly fishing addiction can be felt at a young age but it takes a patient hand to teach. Expectations should be catered around casting accuracy ,which can be made game-like on grassy lawns with a colorful piece of yarn to cast at targets. Roll casts and basic overhead casts are easy to practice in this type of situation. A single fly can be a casting trophy that a kid will sport on the brim of their hat forever. Rewards for proficiency do not need to be expensive.
Angling locations need to have a legitimate opportunity at success for beginners. This is key. But ultimately the whole angling experience needs to be enjoyable for some kids to make the event one they want to do again. Good snacks can save a slow day.
Spin fishing with the appropriate gear keeps it simple. Young kids can quickly gain enough proficiency to cast a significant distance with a spinning rod. The retrieve is natural. Even the push button reels teach beginners basic skills.
The students in Zoby’s class were a mix of overly anxious enthusiasm and hopeful anticipation. Tim Huckaby, president of the San Diego Fly Fishers Club and I were recruited to give advice and guide the newbies to success, if possible. Tim has fly fished in more locations than American Airlines flies to. Leading members of the club to international destinations in both fresh and saltwater gives Tim an easy going, likable demeanor that pairs well with neophyte fly fishers. It was nice to listen to Tim “give it back” to the inexperienced bunch.
Support Local Journalism
Soon his coaching yielded rewards with 8-inch trophies held up and posed like first trout should be. In this day and age for younger anglers, a photo is an important segment of fly fishing. To be able to share in social media situations is a key component for addicting new anglers.
Zoby took note for the next class to discuss fish handling etiquette. He planned to talk about the “keep them wet” idea some anglers adhere to as well as to give advice for safe catch and release practices.
The students benefited from answers to a variety of fishing questions. A testament to the addictive qualities fly fishing possesses was the two students that stayed back well after everyone else vacated including the teacher and guides. One of the young men was asking questions about the mandatory fly selection the class required. We talked about the pond where we were fly fishing and the bugs that would be found. He scrounged through the flies and pulled out a small scud. Within minutes of tying it on, he was getting bites but kept missing the set.
The confidence he felt from choosing a successful fly and the action he was experiencing had lit a fire. Determined to hook a fish, he was one of the two young men who stayed back to keep fishing after everyone else left. In all reality that was a good idea as the pond became quiet again without all of the class members casting and creating commotion.
One of the lasting impressions from helping out with Zoby’s fly fishing class was the range of ages in the students. Some were young, college age men and women. And a few were well into the gray haired years. The number of females in his class was impressive. As a father of two daughters that fly fish that made me smile.
Giving back to the sport that has enriched my life for decades is a critical component to what I try to do with my fly fishing. I have been teaching fishing and fly fishing to kids in our valley for over two and half decades. One of the best feelings is running into one of those kids on the river when they are all grown up.
Michael Salomone has lived in the Eagle River Valley since 1992. He started his professional guiding career in 2002 and currently guides for Vail Valley Anglers. He lives on the bank of the Eagle River with his wife, Lori, his youngest daughter, Ella, and a yellow Labrador named Poppy. His published writing has appeared in Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel, Eastern Fly Fishing, On the Fly, FlyLords, the Pointing Dog Journal, Upland Almanac, TROUT, American Fly Fishing, USA Today Hunt & Fish and Fly Fisherman magazines.
