Cast away: Connecting with nature through fly fishing
Connecting with nature through fly fishing
Many may only be familiar with fly fishing from the iconic scenes featured in the 1992 film, 无毛视频淎 River Runs Through It,无毛视频� starring Brad Pitt.
But for anglers and would-be anglers in the South Hills, there is a little-known 无毛视频減ort of entry无毛视频� into the mysterious world of fly fishing, and it is free.
The Orvis store at the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon conducts Fly Fishing 101 most Saturdays at 9 a.m.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a zero to fishing class,无毛视频� according to Robert Watson, Orvis store manager. 无毛视频淭he idea is, you can have zero fishing experience, come take the class and have knowledge after the class to go and target fish locally.无毛视频� The 101 class is held at the Orvis location in the Galleria.
All materials are provided for the 101 class at the store led by Rob Ranko, store fishing manager, with assistance from Watson.
Retired engineer Don Wardius of Mt. Lebanon is appreciative of the class.
无毛视频淚 just retired and was looking for something new to try out. I无毛视频檒l keep going at my own pace. It无毛视频檚 fun and relaxing. It无毛视频檚 great to be outside.无毛视频�
Fly fishing 无毛视频� for some a hobby and for others a sport 无毛视频� has distinct differences from conventional fishing. Rather than a spinner rod with a lure at the end of the line which uses the weight of the lure to cast, fly fishing employs the actual fly line to cast the 无毛视频渇ly.无毛视频� The fly is generally a lightweight lure made of organic materials that mimics an insect (or other natural object) to float on top of the water, and in some cases below the water, depending on the conditions of the environment.
无毛视频淭he idea of mimicking something on top of the water, in the water using natural materials on a hook, is a very old method of fishing,无毛视频� Watson said. Natural materials often include feathers, buck hair, elk hair, thread and rabbit hair.
There无毛视频檚 no age limit for the class, and Watson said they teach a variety of ages, both men and women, as well as kids and young adults.
The first hour covers casting. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 all about technique on the cast,无毛视频� explains Watson.
Ranko and Watson teach a five-step technique that does not require the person fishing to be in the water.
Women and kids sometimes pick up the technique faster than the guys do, said Ranko.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 the finesse part that all the ladies catch on to real quick. The guys want to do the whole 无毛视频榞rip it and rip it,无毛视频� I call it. That does not work with fly fishing.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 the reason we do those 101 classes, to teach that technique. And from there, you can go over and throw tiny little flies, pretty much weighing nothing, that can lay on top of the water, or you can throw larger flies that can go under the water, mimicking a fish or mimicking nymphs,无毛视频� explained Watson.
The class includes instruction on how to assemble the rod, different riggings (lines) and how to use them, how to tie the two basic knots needed (clinch and double surgeons), the lingo used in fly fishing, the different types of flies and how they are used.
This time of year, Fly Fishing 101 is generally full and online registration is required. The class size is about 12.
For those who are ready to 无毛视频渃ast out无毛视频� and try their hand at fly fishing, Ranko, along with endorsed fishing guide for Western Pennsylvania, Eric Bailey, facilitate Fly Fishing 201 two Sunday mornings a month at a local pond.
Anglers joining the 201 class will need to have their own equipment and a Pennsylvania license to fish, but there is no additional charge for instruction. Fly fishers can work with instructors on their technique and be introduced to more advanced casting methods, like a roll cast (cue visual from the movie 无毛视频淎 River Runs Through It无毛视频�).
After taking Fly Fishing 101, Ray Sexauer of Bethel Park has been out to the pond at Trax Farms in Finleyville to practice with Watson, Ranko, and Bailey.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 going to take practice,无毛视频� Sexauer said, but he无毛视频檚 hoping to eventually travel to areas well known for fly fishing, including Montana.
无毛视频淲e do have a 301 class, a fish with us class, which is generally where we pick a location and we go with a small group of folks,无毛视频� Watson said.
Pennsylvania, Watson mentioned, has the second most fishable trout waters in the United States outside Alaska.
Ted Paladino, a retired doctor from Jefferson Hills, is back to fly fishing after a decade. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 been going well since I met Eric,无毛视频� Paladino said with a laugh. 无毛视频淗opefully I can get back into it more and not tangle the line.无毛视频�
Bailey and the instructors from Orvis operate on a 无毛视频渃atch and release无毛视频� policy.
While catching fish is important, there is also a deeper relationship with nature. 无毛视频淎t first, it无毛视频檚 the verification that you are doing it right,无毛视频� said Bailey.
There is a connection with the natural surroundings that is just as important and unique.
无毛视频淵ou have to look around, understand what无毛视频檚 going on under the water, on top of the water, be aware of stream temperatures. There无毛视频檚 a lot of strong connections to nature. That无毛视频檚 hard to get anywhere else,无毛视频� Watson said.
The Orvis store instructors also work with schools and scouting groups locally.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 at the point in my career where I enjoy teaching what I无毛视频檝e learned over the past decade or so that I无毛视频檝e been doing this sport,无毛视频� said Ranko.
无毛视频淚 just like to see the smiles on everyone无毛视频檚 faces. Everybody always has, I call it the 无毛视频榣ight bulb moment无毛视频� in class, when they feel what a cast is supposed to feel like. And then they start making that same cast over and over and over again. It无毛视频檚 cool to watch that progression of anglers coming through the shop,无毛视频� said Ranko.
无毛视频淭he value of this is that it无毛视频檚 a sport or pastime that you can do for the rest of your life and never completely master. You are always learning and getting better,无毛视频� said Bailey. 无毛视频淭he biggest takeaway in fly fishing is, there is so much stuff going on that you can spend a whole day fishing and never think about anything else than what you are doing. That无毛视频檚 the magic of fly fishing. It puts you in a different state of mind where your focus is just on what you are doing.无毛视频�
For information on classes, call or go Orvis.com/pittsburgh.