3rd Basic Fly Fish Clinic @ NCWRC Pechmann Center 2-4-12

Time really flies when you're having fun. We just passed the half way mark in the series of annual fly fishing clinics at the NCWRC John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center. Today (2-4-12) forty-eight novice fly fishermen attended the 3rd Basic Clinic where we perked their interest in the sport of the "long rod". It seems the sport of fly fishing is growing because every one of our clinics in 2012 have been "sold out" and we even have a few "walk in's" show up at the door. Thanks to the enthusiasm for sharing the love of the sport by our volunteer staff we have been able to accommodate everyone.



Big welcome by Pechmann Center Director Kris Smith, one of only two full time NCWRC employees, who points out several other upcoming events. In addition to the events listed on the PowerPoint slide the Center will soon start hosting local and regional public school "fish for fun" events.



Two of our more experienced volunteers set the tone by giving an overview of fly fishing and the basic fundamentals necessary for participants to enjoy the sport.



Once we get the overview out of the way, we break down into small groups which rotate around several hands-on stations. Lot's of families out today as evidenced by this photo.



We believe that awareness of what makes a healthy habitat and the importance of fishermen's ethics are key elements of knowledge for all fishermen.



You really can't enjoy our sport unless you master the basics of casting. We start off with a talk and demonstration. Our volunteers make it look easy!



It looked so easy but when you pick up the rod for the first time you just can't seem to get the rhythm. Thankfully we have volunteer instructors who, over the years, have developed techniques for putting novices at ease. Just about everyone becomes fairly proficient with the overhead and roll cast by the end of the day.



The real test is can you catch a fish? Before we send novices to the trout ponds we require them to demonstrate they remembered what they had been taught before lunch by casting into one of our warm water ponds where most of the fish are hunkered down near the bottom due to cool water temperatures. The lady, colorfully outfitted in an emergency rain coat, wasted no time proving she had learned her lessons well.



No wind today and an occasional drizzle made for ideal trout fishing conditions. Considering the number of fishermen beating the water to a froth the bite was fairly steady.



We have some nice fish this year. All are larger then 10 inches and many exceed the 14 inch mark. All put a good bend in a 5 weight fly rod.



They also put a big smile on the lucky anglers face.



Toward the end of the day, one of our volunteers demonstrates that it is not all about fishing for trout.



If you have never caught an 8-10 pound catfish on a fly rod you're in for a treat!



It does not take long for "big fish fever" to spread through out folks who stayed until the end.



This young lady rejected all offers of help, saying "I'll land him all by myself"



And she did just that! - The volunteers all work for smiles such as this.



John, our "ace" casting and fly tying instructor caught the big fish for the day. We didn't put it on a scale but my guess is that it weighted on the far side of 12 pounds. (I personally caught and weighed one 2-3 years ago that was 12 pounds and this fish was much, much bigger)

And so ends another great day of sharing our passion for fly fishing with others. We hope some of them are bitten by the bug and are now leafing through fly fishing catalogs or Googling fly fishing sites on the internet to learn more.

Our basic clinics for 2012 are now behind us. We are going to change formats and offer an Advanced Clinic on Feb 18th, Boy Scouts on Mar 10th and Mar 24th. All dates are on a Saturday with a start time of 9:00am and end time of 3:30pm. Registration through Lake Rim Park (424-6134). The cost is $5. Pre-registration is required. The clinics fill very fast so pass this information along to all of your friends.

The NCWRC Pechmann Fishing Education Center also hosts Wounded Warriors, NC Handicapped Sportsmen and any military and their families on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 1-5pm - (That's Febuary 8th this month). We offer fly tying and basic fly fishing instruction. The catfish ponds are also open for bait fishing. At least half of the afternoon will be spent fishing.

Heres one that one of the fellows from Chapel Hill caught.