Is fly fishing very difficult to learn?

Karen,

As the others have indicated, yes you can fly fish if you take the time to learn the very basics of casting. Timing is everything in fly casting, timing and keeping a semi-locked wrist.

To begin with, most of your casting is going to be fairly short in distance, say about 35 to 40 feet of line (not counting the leader) out from the tip of your fly rod. The long casts of 90 to 100 feet may come much later, or never at all. Most people don’t have to cast that far, so don’t even try.

The best advice given to you was to contact a local fly shop for a lesson. The first lesson will be short. Seldom do people like to cast for more than 1 to 1.5 hours before they start to get really sore wrists (that is because you are using your wrist to cast and not your arm, a very common problem with both new casters and some rather experienced casters).

Unfortunately, many places don’t have local fly shops. So, see if you can find one.

If not, see if there is a local fly club within your area, if so, contact them and see if you can talk them into giving you and your husband a class (most fly clubs should be more than happy to, possibly for a price, but it is well worth it).

If that fails and you have no fly shops nor fly clubs in your area, then your next best bet would be to get a DVD on the basics of fly casting. I would highly recommend the Joan Wulff DVD on beginning fly casting. You can do a search on line and find it. Speaking of Joan Wulff, she sells a Wulff Wristlok that is great for new casters, it really locks your wrist in while you cast.

Please do get someone qualified to give you a short course on casting. It can make all the difference in the world. If you are going on a guided float, then tell the guide that you are new to casting and had a few short lessons. He will work the boat into position for you to catch fish.

Fly fishing is a great way to go, but you have to learn the basics of casting before you can enjoy it. If you don’t learn, the experience can be less than satisfying. Treat your selves to a couple of lessons and you will have a very good time.

Larry

If you get a chance, get some tackle (buy or borrow it) and do some practice before your vacation. I suspect a guide would rather spend a day catching than trying to get you started just getting the fly in the water. Maybe you could even contact the guide in advance and see what he has to say about what you could do to prepare.

(When I was a kid I read a lot about it and taught myself in my back yard, and while I never got really good at it, I managed to catch a few fish, so it's not that hard.)

Anyone can learn to fly fish but I would recommend that you enroll in a one day class in fly fishing basics. Sage used to hold them. You can enroll at your local fly shop. I enrolled my son in one. It helps a great deal. It covers everything from the equipment, how to fish with flies to casting. Casting is most difficult because the timing is different from bait casting or throwing a lure. The primary reason you should take lessons is to increase your fishing time with your guide. Guides are expensive. Starting about $100 per day per person. You do not want to waste your time going over the basics and you want to maximize your time fishing. You do not have to be an expert fly caster to catch fish. Just tell your guide that you are just beginning and he will find a suitable place for you to fish.

No. It is quite easy to learn. That is about the only kind of fishing I do on Lake Sinclair Ga. where I live. It is best to learn where there is no one around and nothing behind you. There is nothing more fun that catching a fish on a lightweight fly rod !!

It's all about rhythm, if you can keep a rhythm then you can learn. You may want to take more than a day to learn.