Fly Fishing News 21-Aug-2008

If you ask any fly fisherman if he gets any catfish, he'll probably tell you that he sure does... accidentally! Chances are, he's targeting bass, trout or crappie and a cat gets snagged somewhere along the way. On the other hand, if you ask a catfish...

When you think fly fishing, "women" is probably not the first word that comes to your mind, but the Federation of Fly Fishers has a program to instruct women, who they say are the fastest growing new-comers to the sport.

The women's program is hosted by Glacier Outdoor Center and was started a few years ago. It is designed for women and taught by women. The program will take beginner to advanced fly fishers, and it getting a lot of attention. Program coordinators tell us that class of 16 was one of their first classes filled for this event, and had a long waiting list. Susie Erickson and Jyl Duffy began fly fishing because of their husbands. They both attended the two day program, and now enjoy it even more.

Volunteer anglers are teaching fly fishing to disabled veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It's part of a therapeutic program called Project Healing Waters.

"The whole program is designed to provide relaxation to the soldiers," said volunteer Gary Spuhler. "At the same time, the occupational therapists in the Army realize what they're doing is also good for both their emotional and physical rehabilitation."

Fly fishing is an ancient, distinctive angling method, developed primarily for trout and now extended to other species. Artificial flies are constructed ? "tied" ? in sizes and colors to match naturally occurring insects or baitfish. Fly rods are relatively light and long, and are made in a variety of weights to match the size of the fish being hunted. Fly reels are manual and of a simple spool design to accommodate the fly line and backing. Fly lines are 20-30 meters long and are matched to the rod according to weight. Because the fly itself adds very little weight, the fly line must be heavy enough to flex the rod and carry the fly to the target. A leader of 2-3 meters is used between the fly line and the fly itself.