4th Basic Fly Fish Clinic @ NCWRC Pechmann Center 2-16-13

The weather advisory for Saturday dampened the
turnout for our 4th Basic Fly Fishing Clinic hosted by the NCWRC John E.
Pechmann Fishing Education Center located on the west side of Fayetteville. We
had 40+ registered but apparently many of them were fair weather fishermen
because only 25 showed up. Not to worry, we have only canceled once in the past
10 years and that was because the ponds froze over. Nevertheless, Saturday's
forecast was troubling. We kept a wary eye to the sky and our cell phone
apps which displayed radar of a fast approaching front of plunging temperatures,
rain, sleet and snow.



All clinics start with an overview by two of our
experienced volunteers.



Al displays his favorite small stream trout rod.




Jeanette shows off a fly box filled with her
favorite trout and bream flies.

Most readers / viewers know the
last two photos
were captioned in jest. But at least half the
participants to our basic fly clinics do not have a clue about balancing the
size of their gear to the species and fishing conditions. By the end of the day
they are informed consumers. They are now able to head to their local fly shop
or search out the
internet and not be overwhelmed by the choices available.



Time to bundle up and head outside for a talk and
exercise of the proper way to grip a fly rod and display of basic casting
techniques.



We made an adjustment to the back cast station
based on recommendations from several observers to include a front cast as
well. This small adjustment made for better use of time and provided a smoother
learning experience.



The power application
or "ball on the stick" exercise demonstrates the importance of the smooth
application of power followed by an abrupt stop.



By the time we moved to the parallel lines station
it had started to rain which soon turned to sleet. Our participants like all
"real fishermen" snugged up their clothing and hoped for the
best.



About 11 o'clock it was obvious the weather was
turning worse much earlier then predicted. We finished all the casting stations
and then called everyone together to announce we were cancelling the remainder
of the clinic. The majority of our participants and volunteers nodded their
heads in agreement and were likely thinking "what took you so long". We
sweetened the deal by issuing invitations for everyone to return on the
afternoon of March 13th when we host our monthly Wounded Warrior / Military
Appreciation event.



Knowing that some would not be able to take
advantage of that weekday event, some of the volunteers agreed to stick around
until 1 o'clock to assist the few brave souls who wanted to fish in the sleet
and snow.



The fish did not know it was raining. In fact the
few die-hards who braved the elements caught as many fish in a short time as the
entire class did during our previous clinic two weeks ago.



We have some nice fish this year. This is a small
one. Some will push the 18-20 inch mark by the time we finish our 2013 round of
fly fishing events in mid March.



This fellow has the makings of a real
fisherman!



Bob and Peter, two of our dedicated volunteers
start to question each other's sanity. Neither wants to be the first to say
"let's call it a day".



Someone has to be the adult in the crowd so a
little after 1 o'clock we blew the air horn to signal the end of the clinic.
Hopefully everyone had a safe drive home.

This concludes our 2013 series
of fly fishing clinics open to the general public. The Good Lord willing we will
do it all over again in 2014. This year our clinics followed a different
curriculum which concentrated on casting. We will send a survey to all
participants to gauge their reaction to the new format.

The clinics
open to the general public may be finished but we still have other events
scheduled which center around the trout. We will conduct the final phases of
Boy Scout Fly Fishing Merit Badge qualification clinics on March 2 and March
16

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 1-5 pm (That's March 13th next month). We offer
fly tying and basic fly fishing instruction. At least half of the afternoon will
be spent fishing. Participants from our 4th clinic who were short changed
because of the weather are invited back for the fishing portion on March 13th as
well.

I had a great time out there AL! i am going to try to make the WW clinic to try my luck at some of the trout!