My First Lesson in Fly Fishing

My First Lesson in Fly Fishing

Following our meeting, and after me expressing an interest in fly fishing, we arranged to meet up for a starter session. The weather was just glorious when I left the house (after a major panic as I'd forgotten to alter the clocks!) Oh bugger. No, Janet, you really don't have time for another brew! You need to get yourself packed and off for the bus! Wendy Perry was hoping to join us, but unfortunately at the last minute, family commitments meant that she couldn't make it. Still, hopefully we'll meet up soon for a session. I wonder how he'll cope with two of us?

Luckily the bus was on time, and Martin picked me up in Clitheroe shortly after I landed. We then headed off to his lovely Edisford Hall stretch of the River Ribble. The weather was beautiful. One of the very best of our English spring days. Blue skies, brilliant sunshine - perfect.

Firstly we went down to a cabin where he'd set a mink trap, just to check. Mink are a real problem round our area. Some of these so-called conservationists ought to think seriously about the consequences before they release creatures like this into our countryside. They will kill indiscriminately just for the fun of it. They don't kill to eat. They kill for fun.

Questions, questions, questions

Trap sorted, we then headed off to the same stretch of river where we'd fished so successfully for chub on my previous visit. Once in the fishing cabin, we got our priorities right. First things first - put the kettle on! Nice brew in hand, Martin then began to talk me through the basics of fly fishing. As on my previous visit, he told me to just ask questions. Any questions, any questions at all, just whatever was on my mind, and much to his credit, although I'm sure I asked some pretty dopey ones, he was unfailingly polite in his responses (and didn't even shout at me when he realised that his tea had gone cold and he'd forgotten to drink it!).

Tackle

He showed me the rod we were going to use, (Masterline, if anyone's interested) explaining all about the things to look for when buying one, such as what sort of line guides to look for, and how it should feel, then we went on to talk about the actual fly line, which I learned is the most important thing. The rod isn't the most important piece of kit, (the fish don't know what you're using!) the reel, as I discovered, isn't all that important either, but the line is. He told me how to match the line to the rod, and how to look after it to ensure a long life, how to get rid of kinks in the leader etc. He stressed that it was probably best just to buy the cheapest reel possible, as it's really only used as a holder for the line, but not to skimp on the line itself. That would be a false economy, and would reduce my chances of being successful. He recommends Cortland line, so that's what I'll be going for when I buy my equipment.

Talking about the reel, at one point, he showed me how, if necessary, you could fish with just half a rod and no reel, if space is tight or you just get the chance for a very quick session. Maybe driving along and spotting a likely looking stretch of river? He took the rod apart, peeled off some line, then put the reel in his pocket, and just using the top section, still managed to cast a huge distance, accurately. I have no doubt that if we'd been on the water, rather than on grass, he would have caught! He cast out on the river, showing me how the fly moved round, and then demonstrated how to cast low and sideways, to land the fly under overhanging trees etc. He made it look absolutely effortless.

I was a bit worried about tying knots and all the technical stuff, having forgotten my glasses in the rush after being late, but he showed me a cracking line-tying tool which effortlessly tied a lovely neat and solid knot, linking the fly line to the leader (or tippet - I'm learning all the technical stuff now!) It's called a Tie-Fast, and it does just what it says on the tin. Very simple - perfect for a novice like me, and I'm sure would be invaluable to most anglers.

He then showed me some flies, and proceeded to explain their uses. Some? There were hundreds, of every shape, size, colour and description. Some of them were absolute works of art. He pulled out box after box of the most beautiful flies from the pockets on his waistcoat, explaining what they were, and which aquatic and flying insects they imitated. I can see that there's an awful lot more to be learnt in fly fishing than just how to cast.

I commented that his waistcoat was a bit like a woman's handbag, with everything in it but the kitchen sink. “Yes”, he replied, “But there's more secrets in it!”

As this was my first time, Martin very sensibly suggested that we shouldn't use a hook, (with the tangles I got, that was an excellent decision!) but instead tied on a tiny bit of plastic from a carrier bag to replicate the fly. That was all we needed to have a go at casting. We went down to the river bank, where he then showed me just how far, and how accurately, he could cast a line with virtually nothing on it. It really was amazing to watch this. He whipped it backwards and forwards, and made it look so effortless.

Oh dear, then it was my turn!

I don't think I did too badly, considering the conditons, although I admit that there's room for improvement. A LOT of improvement! It was what I'd normally call a beautiful day, but unfortunately we had a strong wind blowing from the east which made casting difficult. Sometimes I'd get it wrong, sometimes I could blame it on the wind. Once or twice I even got it almost right! Martin was very diplomatic, and chose to blame the wind most of the time! It was a totally different experience to my usual float or feeder fishing, but I know that given a bit of time, I could really come to love doing it. Although I wasn't very good, I really enjoyed the feel of it.

As the wind began gusting even more strongly, it was pretty obvious that I wasn't going to do very well, so we adjourned to the cabin for lunch and a nice cup of tea, and several of Martin's anecdotes. A second edition of his autobiography is long overdue! We did try practice casting a couple of times on the grass outside, when we thought the wind had died down slightly, but without much success. No sooner did we pick the rod up than the wind started again. Someone like Martin with all his experience could cope with it, but me, as a total novice, didn't stand a chance. It was a bit disappointing, although I did enjoy the day, but hopefully we'll be out there to try it again before long.

It was a lot to take in for a complete beginner, but when I arrived home, I found he'd sent me an e-mail reminding what equipment and line we'd used, and details of a couple of books that he recommended I should read.

'Up Against It'

I'd just bought a copy of his autobiography “Up Against It”, (after a lot of frantic last-minute bidding on E-Bay!) and he kindly wrote a lovely inscription in it for me. If you come across a copy, it's well worth a read. The front cover photograph shows him fishing, IN the middle of the river, in a wheelchair! There's a lovely story in the book about how he was in danger of being swept away, but was rescued by a passing truck driver. Luckily he's out of the wheelchair now, and is very active. I know however there are days when he struggles, and he's in constant pain, but thank goodness he does! Martin suffers from MS & diabetes, but you wouldn't know it if you could see him in action. I won't complain about my minor aches and pains after reading and hearing about what he went through.

'Up Against It' by Martin James

He spends a lot of his time on the banks these days helping other anglers to catch fish, but he tells me he doesn't mind in the slightest. It gives him a lot of pleasure and satisfaction to put someone in the right swim and help them catch a PB. All this, he does totally for free.

So, if you're reading this Martin, thank you once again for the help, advice, and most especially, the entertainment! Also thanks to your wife, Kate, for allowing you to escape gardening duties to help me out!