Shoreman goes fly

A month or so ago, my Wife said to me one evening, "this looks like fun". What this was, is a resort package called Quilt & Cast. It's at a resort in Maupin, Oregon where the girls get together and quilt, the guys drift fish for Steelhead on the Deschutes River. Cool. Only problem, is that they only take Fly Fishermen. That could be a problem for Shoreman. OK, so I'll figure something out.

For my birthday this month, my Wife bought me a book on Fly Fishing. The LL Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing. I read the book and thought, OK, I can do this. So I read the book again. I can do this. So I skimmed the book again and again and again. I can do this.

A week ago Monday, I ordered Fly Fishing equipment. I could have rented equipment at the resort, but the amount I would spend, I could pay for, at least, my rod & reel. I bought what I thought I'd need to get started. Now, keep in mind, that this book is written by 3 of the fly fishing instructors that work for LL Bean, so I took it on faith that these guys know what they are talking about. I followed their recommendation for a beginner and got a 6wt - 8 1/2 ft two piece Graphite rod and a single action reel. The reel came with 100' of 20 lb backing and a floating weight forward line already on the reel. It also came with a 7 1/2 foot 3x tapered leader. All connected together which is a good thing for me, because I was getting a headache looking at all the knots used to ties these three things together. You have to know that I've been using a fishermans know (clinch knot) all my life and now I have to learn a bunch of new knots. Double Surgeons Knot, Duncan Loop, Blood Knot, my head is already hurting, but I'll buck up make a go of it. If all you other Fly Fishermen and Women can do it, so can I.

Yesterday most everything got here. I laid it out on the table and stared at it. I'm still staring at it, but I'm making progress. I'm still waiting for one more delivery and I should have everything I ordered. Rod, Reel, Flies, Fly Box, Waders, and all the line and fly dressings. Then all I have to do is figure out what to do with it. Don't panic, I think I have a pretty good idea.

I will tell all the stories (good & bad) as they occur. Hey, at least I won't have to worry about numb butt any more. Scratch that, I'm going Saturday with Son and Grandson and will still use spinning gear. Can't make a fool of myself in front of them now, can I?

Till the next time when I'm brave enough to relate the Fly Fishing bloopers, remember: "A bad day fishing is better than any day at work".

Shoreman