Table of Contents Chapter 1: What's so great about fly fishing? How it brings people closer to nature because you imitate natural prey, and you learn a lot about nature when out there immersed in it. Can be enjoyed by people of any age, from 5 to 95. It's not an elitist sport that requires expensive gear and lots of gadgets. It is more difficult to learn that other kinds of fishing but nothing that anyone with even modest hand-eye coordination can master. Interviews with psychologists on the value of fly fishing as stress relief. Mention of Last Child in the Woods movement and why fly fishing is the perfect application. Chapter 2: Let's go fishing and see what it's like. Find a bluegill pond.
Catch a fish on a worm and bobber. Replace the worm with a sponge rubber spider and catch another fish. Then take a fly rod and see how much easier it is to get the sponge rubber bug out there. Chapter 3: How do I find a place to fish? Don't start out with a trout stream or the bonefish flats. Sunfish ponds, small bass, smaller inshore saltwater fish, stocked trout ponds. How to find just the right place at the right time of year to learn. Urban fly fishing. Chapter 4: Kids and fly fishing .
How to teach kids easily. What age should they start? Why fishing trips with younger kids should be different than adult trips. Find them some action and explain what's happening. Don't make fishing expeditions long unless they beg you. Fly fishing and the single parent. Interviews and case studies of kids who have become passionate fly fishers and kids who turned out to hate it and why. Chapter 5: How do I get my spouse interested in fly fishing? Not everyone will enjoy it. Keep sessions short, explain what is happening, set expectations beforehand.
Men and women seem to have different desires on a day of fly fishing. Interviews with people who have successfully (and unsuccessfully) introduced their spouses to fly fishing. Chapter 6: Casting, knots, gear, and flies. Teach the basic overhead cast and the roll cast. How to just get the line out there. How to retrieve line. The two basic knots you need (clinch and surgeon's). How to play, land, and release a fish.
At this point still concentrating on small bass or sunfish. Chapter 7: Where to find help . Is it worth it to go to a school or take a lesson? What about books and videos? How and where to practice. Should I hire a guide? Is it worth it? Chapter 8: Different kinds of flies and what they do. Especially with kids, get some wild and colorful flies in lots of different shapes. How to fish the different kinds of flies. Chapter 9: Dealing with current, wind, and other complexities. Your first trip to a trout stream smallmouth river, or the ocean.
What additional gear you will need and what other skills you'll need to master. Chapter 10: Fishing from a boat. Choose the right craft. Kayaks are not as good as canoes for beginners and rowboats or small power boats are best. How to cast from a boat and how to land fish safely. Etiquette and tips on fishing on a guide boat. Chapter 11: Fly fishing safety. Water safety, eye protection, removing a hook and other minor emergencies.
Chapter 12: The family fly-fishing vacation. How to pick the right place so that all members of the family will enjoy it. Chapter 13: Teaching conservation. What families can learn about conservation together. Projects families can take on to make fish habitat better.