When Adam and his Dad Jim accepted an invitation to leave their dairy farm in Indiana, all they knew was that they were going to some lodge in Newaygo, Michigan to go fishing. They had no idea what fish they would chase, whether they could keep them (No!), or how they would fish. Surprise, surprise! It’s a fly fishing, no kill, trip for smallmouth bass!
So, with no small amount of apprehension, but with the excitement that accompanies any new adventure, Adam and Jim went to school, having enrolled, unbeknownst to them, in Fly Fishing 101.
We had a lot of laughs as the guys started waving the long rods around. Neither had cast a fly rod before, and truth be known, it showed—as it always does with people new to the sport. But as the day progressed, the ratio of good versus bad casts began to even out and at times, even the good outweighed the not so good. Both guys hooked and landed bass, and here Adam poses his first ever fish hooked on a fly rod. Both guys persisted in working on their casting right up to our pulling lines for the day. I admired their determination to get the hang of fly casting, and they are well on their way. Just need practice and time on the water to make it all come together.
To that end, the family’s Indiana farm has a bass and bluegill pond on it, and given the size of the 180 inch plus monster whitetail buck that is running around on Adam’s hunting land again this year, the bass in the pond must be monsters!. I urged them to put their newfound fly castng skills to a most enjoyable use right there in their backyard, and judging by their reactions, it just might happen!
Captain Tom Kuieck
