1st Basic Fly Fishing Clinic, 1-5-13 @ NCWRC Pechmann Center

The New Year is here and with it comes the annual series of Fly Fishing
Clinics hosted by the NCWRC John E. Pechmann Fishing Education Center
located on the west side of Fayetteville, NC. Saturday, January 5, 2013.
This is the 10th year of instruction provided by local and regional
volunteers who collectively have several hundred years of fly fishing
experience. Our basic clinics are open to the public and are ideal for
participants who have very limited or no experience with fly-fishing.



Clinics are limited to the first 40 people, and pre-registration is required.
These clinics fill very fast and today's was no exception.



This year we made major changes to the curriculum. Pechmann Center Director
Kris Smith welcomes everyone and provides an outline of the days
activities.



This is followed by a brief overview of fly fishing which includes an
introduction to fly rods and reels. Here we compare different rods and
reels, in this case a 14 weight 9 foot outfit set up for off shore
saltwater species and a 4 weight 7 foot outfit for small fresh water
streams.




Students then move outside for a talk and demonstration about the essentials
required of proficient fly casting. These include 1) Elimination of
slack line, 2) Timing, 3) Casting arch, 4) Power application, 5)
Straight line path



They are then divided into four groups which rotate through a series of
stations designed to work on a specific aspect of the five essentials.
The photo above shows them working on their back cast which illustrates
the importance of minimizing slack line, slow pick up followed by
application of power and pause at the end of the back cast.



The "Power Application" drill is a fun way to teach the importance of a slow start followed by acceleration and abrupt stop.



The "Parallel Line Drill" illustrates application of power, straight line
travel, loop size and positive stop. This is also a very good method to
demonstrate how a fly rod works, ie the loading and unloading of the
rod.



"Loop Control Drill" works on the basic overhand cast with emphasis on
controlling loop size, straight line rod tip travel and casting
accuracy. This proved to be a chore for the group which started their
rotations at this station.



The morning session finished with the paring of students and volunteer
instructors and casting on water for half an hour putting together all
the skills they have previously been taught.



The afternoon was examination time. We have 500 trout in each of two ponds
eager to test the casting and fishing skills of our participants. The
recent cold snap appeared to give many of the fish lock-jaw but enough
were caught to keep folks casting right up until the end of the clinic.



Kudos to the NCWRC Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in Transylvania
County. They provided us with some nice trout this year. By the time we
host the Boy Scouts for their Fly Fishing Merit Badge qualification in
March many of these fish will exceed 16 inches.



Nothing puts a smile on the face quicker then a fish fairly caught. Once we get
the "hero shot" out of the way the fish is quickly released so he can
bring smiles to others who are skilled enough to entice him to an
artificial fly.



We had a real good group of participants today. For many this was the
first time they had ever held a fly rod. Maybe it was the weather which
was cool but sunny without any wind - no matter the reason, they all
seemed to have a good time. Our objective is twofold: 1) to provide
them with the opportunity to learn a new way of fishing or to improve on
previously learned skills; 2) to provide a safe and fun filled day
outdoors.


And so ends the 1st Basic Fly Fishing Clinic hosted by the NCWRC Pechmann Center for 2013. Additional clinics are scheduled for January 19, February 2, and February 16 from 8:30 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. Interested anglers should contact Fayetteville-Cumberland
County Parks and Recreation at Lake Rim, (910) 424-6134. A fee of $5 for
each participant is due at the time of registration. A fishing license
is not required and we provide loaner fly rods. Participants should be
dressed for cool weather conditions to include a hat and some sort of
eye protection (eye glasses, sun glasses, safety glasses are acceptable)

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 January 9th this month).
We offer fly tying and basic fly fishing instruction. At least half of
the afternoon will be spent fishing.