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| Confessions of a Tackle Tart | | Print | |
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An Artical by the Tackle Tart Learn by my mistakes. Confessions of a Tackle Tart. Getting started into the world of fly fishing can be both daunting and bewildering. When I started 50 years ago things were a lot simpler. We just had a rod and if you had the money a couple of lines, a floater and a sinker. If the fly floated it was a dry fly and if it sank it was a wet fly. The reel was cheap and cheerful and used purely to hold the line. Nowadays we are faced with a plethora of choice in lines, rods and reels that cost a fortune. In those days the flies were made from fur and feather that you scrounged from your mates who kept domestic poultry or had been shot for the table. You learned to cast from watching your friends. Advancements in the sport were slow I suppose because access to salmon and trout was restricted to the privileged or fortunate. How things have changed. Everything nowadays in the sport has to be designed specifically for the purpose. We are told that the length of the rod must be so and so. The line must be the exact weight with the taper perfect to the nearest millimetre, and sink so many milliseconds to the foot. The reel must have zero drag start up rate and able to stop a great white shark dead in its tracks. At the same time it must not weigh more than half an ounce. How can you possibly expect to catch your quarry without the very latest hi- tech gear!! The reality of it is you don’t. Many years ago I used to regularly fish a local lake with a vicar who spent far more time on the water than he did in the pulpit. He never ever bought any gear it was all given to him by the relatives of deceased fishermen he had buried. His pride and joy was a state of the art 10ft 6inc carbon Diamondback rod, the very latest from America. Some poor sole had bought the rod from the States and promptly passed away. The vicar used it for both salmon and trout and only ever made one false cast. All his flies were tied from feathers he picked up on the bank or road and old wool. In all the time that I fished with him he never blanked once. I have no doubt that were he alive today he would still be as successful. I do not know what happened to his rod but I know I had to have one. I have to admit, like everyone else when I look back on those halcyon days even with the limited choice that we had I still wasted money on totally unsuitable gear that was sold to me by people who should have known better but didn’t. Where does the beginner start nowadays? Fortunately fly fishing has become more open to the ordinary man and now many tackle dealers do have expert knowledge of what they sell. Unfortunately it is in there interest to sell you the most expensive in the shop because they have got mouths to feed. So where do we go. You cannot go far wrong in a club like ours. We have such a wealth of experience amongst members who would be only too pleased to offer advice on choice in virtually all aspects of game fishing. Try out there gear; see if you like it and if it suits you. The best advice I can give you is never spend a fortune on a rod unless you have tried it first. Of course its one thing to have the equipment for the job, but if you do not know how to use it properly it is an extravagant waste. In virtually all aspects of sport there are coaches on hand to offer assistance (at a price), and fishing is no different. Sadly as with everything there are coaches and there are coaches. I can truthfully say that over the years I have seen the world’s best fly casters in action and I can just as honestly say that just a few have left a lasting impact. They all have one thing in common, they all do it differently and the danger in that is that there style may not suit you. A good coach is one that can recognise your strengths, improve on them and eradicate your weaknesses. Unfortunately some coaches are mediocre at best; if you don’t believe me and you ever get the opportunity watch and listen to the likes of Lefty Kreh, Joan Wulff or our own Michael Marshall of Brentwood. The chances of getting to see the first two of the trio are pretty slim now because they live in America and are getting on a bit but they have both produced DVD’s that are worth looking at. If you can, try and persuade Danny North at Fishtec to give you some tips. His casting is something else (but watch out he will try to sell you the rod). So where do you find a good coach? For us its simple we have our own, just contact the secretary he will put you right and he will save you money in the long run. There is no need for you to suffer the bad and very costly experiences that I have. Tight Lines!! Add this page to your favourite Social Bookmarking websites          |
