Blanked And Disillusioned
Prior to heading to Alberta two weeks ago, I was feeling kind of down and disillusioned about my abilities to teach others and get new fly anglers into fish on the fly rod. See, I’ve got this awesome son that is now 7 years old, and he’s humoured me by showing excitement about fly fishing and going fly fishing with me. In previous years, he’s been a part of some of my catches and this year, expressed an interest in having his own fly rod, and learning to fly cast.
Well, I think he is still a bit too small and too young to learn to cast without frustration. He’s given it a good go – but he prefers it when I cast out the fly for him. He is very proud of the fact he owns his own fly rod and reel and a fly box too. And I don’t mind taking him out and doing the work of casting, then handing him the rod to do the retrieving.
I have taken him out quite a number of times this past summer – and every time, when we’ve used his fly rod, we’ve blanked. The rod is a nice rod! It’s not the rod, it’s not the flies, it’s not the casting, it’s not anything I can think of other than just when I get him out, conditions suck. Or something. As I indicated, up until about two weeks ago, I was thinking it was me. But then I went out to Alberta and got two people who had never fly fished before, on waters I didn’t know myself, into fish. So…. it can’t be totally me.
After getting Colleen her first fish ever.. and her son Kade his first fish on a fly rod – I came home quite confident that finally, I’d get David into a fish too on his fly rod. This evening we had a chance to go out for a few hours, and I tried EVERYTHING! But no fish. I tried deep, I tried subsurface, I tried floating, I tried green, black, purple, orange, and everything in between. I tried buzzers. I tried beefy lure flies. I tried skinny ones. White ones. Black ones. Ugly ones, pretty ones. Green eggs and ham comes to mind.
Maybe I should just take him back to Glenn Haffy and worms. But he really wants to fly fish.
And I’m feeling disillusioned and discouraged myself.
David.. maybe when you’re older you’ll read this! I’m trying. So hard!! And I hope before you turn 8, you’ll feel the tug and fight of a fish on that fly rod of yours!!