Flyfishing at this weekend's Bass Pro Spring Fishing Classic

[Mark]

Just a brief reminder about the flyfishing components of Bass Pro’s Spring Fishing Classic this weekend at Arundel Mills.

Members of the Free State Fly Fishers will be stationed near the fly shop tying flies and offering information about the club throughout the day on Saturday, 12 March.

At 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, I will present a PowerPoint presentation entitled, “Flyfishing Tidal Creeks and Millponds from a Kayak”.

I will:

• Explain why kayak flyfishing is enjoyable and effective.
• Show you the varied species I catch with flies from my kayak.
• Identify the gear and techniques I use.
• Reveal my favorite nearby locations to fish in this manner.

I hope you will pay my fellow FSFF club members a visit and also spare the time to attend my presentation. We’ll do our best to make it worth your while.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you,

[Mark]

The groundhog was right!

Punxsutawney Phil told us last month that there would be no early spring. Perhaps next year Bass Pro should consult the Gobbler's Knob prognosticator before selecting dates for its Spring Fishing Classic.

This was the scene 5 minutes after the scheduled start of my seminar yesterday:

Empty seats.jpg

I waited and waited and eventually six hardy folks who braved the howling snow outside arrived. We had a nice intimate chat about kayak flyfishing for the next 60 minutes. They asked lots of good questions and two even stayed 30 minutes beyond the end of my session with more good questions. In fact, one later came by the FSFF table and showed me that he had purchased a flyrod.


The attendees were surprised to see the variety of species caught on the fly in our local waters -- the same fish that conventional tackle kayak anglers catch. They also appreciated seeing the flies I use and learning more about flyfishing gear. I concluded by showing them my favorite launch sites.

It was also fun talking to folks who visited the FSFF table:

Bass Pro (2).jpg

That's me and John Rentch above. Many are intrigued by the fly-tying process. We gave flies to those who asked and provided them with information about the club.

A special thanks to Harry Steiner of Bass Pro (On the Fly here) who invited us to participate yesterday and to those who stopped by for a chat on a day where the weather caused many to stay home.

[bignose]

You two are hardy souls..........
Yesterday was a curl up on the couch with the cats day for me. Lol

[J.A. Veil]

Sorry you did not have a better turnout. It is frustrating to do all the preparation for a good seminar and have a minimal audience. I'm sure the folks to whom you talked appreciated the information.

[Turtle]

Bummer. I was planning to go but we got 4+ inches of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. My loss!

[Mark]

Guys,

The weather looked worse than it was in my area. The snow started falling at 0900 and never stuck to the road. But I did briefly drive through a whiteout squall on the way home. That was a bit intimidating.

However, I know it wasn’t just the weather that kept people away. Kayak flyfishing is probably the least popular method of fishing on this forum based on thread commentaries. I think that’s because some believe it is:

• Difficult to do
• More expensive than using conventional tackle
• Ineffective in catching the warmwater species most commonly discussed here

Not one of those statements is true. My recent book and my slide presentations dispel those myths.

But that’s OK. As John so aptly writes, we each have our “Comfort Zone” in fishing. I fish with conventional tackle too. But I prefer to catch fish on the long rod. Also, my conventional tackle skills and my ability to read the water transfer nicely to kayak flyfishing. It is easy for me to go back and forth between those methods.

So, if any of you are interested in seeing what you missed, I will email you a PDF version of my slides (about 35) and I will privately answer any questions you have about them.

mbange54@gmail.com

[Steve6902]

I was there and Mark did a GREAT job at explaining everything. In fact I went and bought a fly ride 6wt per his recommendation. Now I just need to figure out how to use it.