Teaching Fly Fishing in Tennessee

A while back Terry mentioned he wanted to learn how to fly fish. Fortunately I get that from time to time and it gives me an opportunity to meet a bunch of really neat people. Some people catch on to casting quicker than others, some are better at the mending and some are better at the fishing and reading water. Few catch on to all of it in one float. The number one thing is to have fun...while catching fish.

Terry caught on to the casting as fast as anyone I have had the pleasure of teaching. We didn't do the "River Runs Through It" shadow-double haul type casting, people can learn that stuff later. We use basic casting techniques that will get new anglers in the groove quickly. Then there is mending and everyone knows how I feel about mending, not mention setting the hook. Terry was an excellent pupil, he worked hard and started catching fish almost immediately.

There were just a couple days left of Summer left on the calendar and a lot of things are turning. The brown trout are getting their colors as are the Fall flowers and some of the brookies as well. Not every brook trout in the river is "colored-up", but the brookies that are getting their colors remind us why even the tailwater brookies are a sight worth seeing.

While Terry was learning to fly fish Jim, after getting off to a slow start, began catching with regularity. We were floating nymphs into feeding fish and Jim was dialed in. Before the trip was over Jim would add the holdovers to the boat tally.

As each mile of the trip floated by there was a noticeable difference in the Fall colors over the past several weeks. Terry and Jim had great weather on this float, the colors were starting to turn and the fish were eating good too. There was one thing we made sure to do on this float. We had fun...while catching fish.