Learning/teaching to fly fish: a question

[Barracuda]

After a 2-year hiatus, I'm headed back to Oregon in 6 weeks for a family fly fishing trip that will include 2 days of guides. I've got a 30-year-old nephew who lives in the area, has never fly fished, and will be joining us. To take maximum advantage of the guided trips, I figured I'd spent a couple of weekend mornings or afternoons with hiim to at least get him started with casting. That's a bit ironic, since I'm not very good myself. Happily, I'm a better teacher than flycaster. Even more happily, he's pretty much a natural athelete, so he was actually getting the hang of it in our first session on the grass.

Now I need to get him on the water, and I'm trying to figure out what the best option is. Our guided trips will be on drift boats where we can stand up, so my canoe isn't a good substitute for that. We'll also be doing some nymph + indicator fishing. I figure I can mimic that by getting him to cast poppers and teaching him a bit about mending. One way to go would be to rent a rowboat from Fletchers, where we could stand up. However, I have no idea how to fish Fletchers for anything but shad in the spring, so the odds of us hooking anything might not be very high. Which is another thing I'd like him to be able to practice (hooking, then playing a fish).

I could also do some wade fishing. I'm pretty sure I could put him on some smallmouth that way. However, now we're bringing other variables into the mix, especially: (i) tough footing on the slippery rocks; and (b) line that heads downstream while before you get a chance to shoot it out. But at least he'd be more likely to catch a fish.

Does that second option seem better to you all? Is there a better option still I'm forgetting about?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Jeffrey Silvan]

I'd worry about getting him casting before you start worrying about how to put the skills into practice. Bring him out to a field to learn to cast with far fewer external factors. All he needs to worry about is the cast itself. Once he has those basic skills down, bring him out on a wading trip and start trying to get him on fish. The drifts I've done for smallmouths are actually easier for me than wading, in my opinion, because you don't have to worry as much about mending, etc. since you're often moving the same speed as your line, but I could see how it would be challenging for a new fly fisherman since you have to be a lot quicker with your casts otherwise the target will be past you. 

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[peter odell]

Depending on which river you float in Oregon, you may need the slippery rock wading practice.  The Deschutes, famous in Sept/October for steelhead, doesn't allow you to fish out of a boat at all (weird) while other rivers are okay with it. 

 

One easy way to be effective is to literally cast upstream with one stroke - the current will load the rod, and if you lower it to the water and throw it back upstream without a false cast, you can get great distance and avoid tangles if you are using a 2 fly rig.  Just watch out as you are getting ready, I've had some awesome strikes from both trout and steelhead when the fly is just "hanging down" in the current.  I've taught several newbies how to do this and they have done well.

 

[TurbineBlade]

Peter -- I believe that is known as "water boarding".  I use it all the time with heavy flies, nymph rigs, and even sometimes when it is extremely windy.  Patience seems to be the key to doing it well.  

Gene

[Carl Z.]

I agree that going out to a field will be better for teaching.  If we have a casting clinic before then, make sure you get out to that. 

If you want to try some fishing to hone those skills, I would try and find a good bluegill pond to practice.  Getting rid of your slack and keeping the rod tip at the water is the thing that will lead to the most hookups.  

When you get there, trust the guide.  

Carl  

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