It was far different from any classroom I had ever been in, but I was going to school just the same. In fact, about the only thing that resembled a typical school was that the teacher, Murray Abbott, was waving a cane around - albeit a cane fly rod. I was taking part in one of the beginner's fly fishing courses staged by Abbott at Primrose Trout Farm. In its third year of operation, the course is designed for the person who has never held a fly rod, and is curious about what fly fishing is.

A well-scripted morning convened at 9:00 with coffee and discussion of fly fishing. With over twenty years of experience, including the executive of the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club, Abbott was enthusiastic about his subject, and effectively transferred his knowledge to the class of seven. He obviously has forgotten more than most people will ever know about the sport.

Abbott then produced a number of rods to show what sizes are used where, and to lead a tying session that taught us the knots needed to put an entire outfit together from the reel arbor to the fly.

After a brief examination of the types of flies used throughout the season, it was time for a little dry land training. We lined up on the lawn and began what can be the frustrating experience of learning a basic forward fly cast. I had been fly fishing just often enough to make me think I knew how to make a standard cast, but Murray patiently corrected all my weaknesses without making me feel I was screwing in the first place. As I have always maintained, the typical person capable of walking and chewing gum can learn to cast, and sure enough, every person in our group was able to cast 30 feet of line in under 30 minutes.

Then came test time. We had to catch our lunch from one of the ponds. And even though it was not exactly like we were on the 10th day of a canoe trip and the food ran out after day seven, we felt a certain amount of pressure to pass. And we all did, even the guy who had quite a laugh at the start of the day when he was told he would he fishing with a "nymph". We continued to fish while Murray took the trout back to the instructor's cottage and cleaned and cooked them for us.

With a superb lunch settling, we returned to the pools and enjoyed an afternoon of catch and release fishing for rainbows and specks, Arctic char and Atlantic salmon. We were shown the roll cast, and tested on our ability to get large fish on to the reel for the fight. Throughout, Abbott and his assistants were patient and attentive, replacing flies, correcting mistakes and removing the odd hook from the back of a jacket.

Murray Abbott has orchestrated a very informative course for the novice, with every detail taken care of. All equipment is supplied, and instruction is personalized due to the small class size. Even a course book to take home is provided for daydreamers like me who had a hard time concentrating on just what a 4X tippet is. knowing there were double digit Atlantics cruising around just a double haul away.

Fly fishing is the fastest growing segment of sportfishing, even though it is cloaked in a mystique usually reserved for presidential assassination conspiracy theories. When the baffling terminology is defined and the mechanics of casting are broken down into logical progressions. it becomes apparent that it is not that much more complex than any other aspect of our recreation.

If you would like more information on the course click here. Course Information If you would like more information on Primrose Trout Farm click here.
 

This page was last updated on January 2008.