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| Stock dam largie on an articulated worm |
"You can't fly fish in Pierre...Can you?"
"Don't you have to go to the hills to fly fish?"
"I didn't know you could catch bass and walleye on a fly rod."
"Isn't fly fishing just for trout?"
When I first got into fly-fishing, I thought much the same about this great sport. Of course, I loved catching trout, and fly fishing is a very effective way to do that. But I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would be hammering huge white/smallmouth/largemouth bass, northern pike, carp, walleye, buffalo, gar, catfish, chinook salmon, crappie, bluegill, perch and yes...rainbow trout, all from the finest state capital in the country, and all on the fly.
I participated in the free kids fishing weekend at Downs Marina this past weekend by doing fly tying demonstrations for all the kids after they got off the water. A great event for kids in the Pierre/Ft. Pierre area. I was encouraged by all the great questions asked by kids interested in what I was doing and the flies I have tied. "What fly is hardest to tie?" "What is your favorite fur to use?" "What is your favorite fish to catch on a fly?" "What can you catch with this fly?" It was really great to chat with kids about the effectiveness of fly fishing and how it relates to the type of fishing they've grown to love.
The parents, on the other hand, were shocked to see me at such an event. The questions at the start of this post were prevalent. But that's ok! It was great to chat with people interested in the sport of fly fishing. Even better, it was awesome to dispel some prevailing myths in my home city. My favorite bit of dialog came soon after I had finished tying a murdich minnow:
Interested Pierre resident: So do you just tip that with a minnow then?
Me: Nope, this, by itself, is the minnow
Resident: And they eat that?? (his reaction was priceless)
I'm not surprised by the responses. It's not a big thing in South Dakota. Especially in one of the Walleye meccas where a white bass is considered a nuisance to many and carp are considered "ugly" and "slimy". I welcome the chance to tell people about what I do, why I do it, and how I believe it will likely be the next big thing in South Dakota fishing adventures.
I also believe spreading knowledge will help advance the sport as a whole. Engaging young people is paramount, but any opportunity to inform adults about the benefits of fly fishing need to be cherished. I made a lot of progress with the general public this past weekend. I look forward to future conversations about this "next big thing" in South Dakota fishing.
The parents, on the other hand, were shocked to see me at such an event. The questions at the start of this post were prevalent. But that's ok! It was great to chat with people interested in the sport of fly fishing. Even better, it was awesome to dispel some prevailing myths in my home city. My favorite bit of dialog came soon after I had finished tying a murdich minnow:
Interested Pierre resident: So do you just tip that with a minnow then?
Me: Nope, this, by itself, is the minnow
Resident: And they eat that?? (his reaction was priceless)
I'm not surprised by the responses. It's not a big thing in South Dakota. Especially in one of the Walleye meccas where a white bass is considered a nuisance to many and carp are considered "ugly" and "slimy". I welcome the chance to tell people about what I do, why I do it, and how I believe it will likely be the next big thing in South Dakota fishing adventures.
I also believe spreading knowledge will help advance the sport as a whole. Engaging young people is paramount, but any opportunity to inform adults about the benefits of fly fishing need to be cherished. I made a lot of progress with the general public this past weekend. I look forward to future conversations about this "next big thing" in South Dakota fishing.
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