March 2007 President's Message

By: Todd Fleming
Alamo Fly Fishers – President 2007

I mentioned last month that Reece and I joined the Alamo Fly Fishers after returning home from a summer vacation trip to Colorado in July of 2000. Our curiosity in fly fishing was piqued by their impressive cold water fishery. The beautiful scenery, the clear mountain streams, the fly shops, and the endless selections of tiny flies all combined to capture our interest. We were both fascinated with our new discovery of fly fishing.

Upon returning to San Antonio, I noticed an announcement in the newspaper for a meeting of the Alamo Fly Fishers. Reece and I both attended the meeting, and we knew instantly this was something we wanted to learn more about. Our timing was great because a new beginner fly tying class was starting soon. We put our names on the list, and were anxious to start! The offer was innocent and inviting – no equipment or materials were needed, everything was provided, and we could keep all the flies we tied each week! We were hooked. Like addicts, neither of us could get enough of it. Learning to tie flies was a lot of fun, and actually easier than I had imagined. It was very exciting to see a fly almost come alive when the final hackle was palmered behind the head of any dry fly. When we mastered the proper tying proportions, it was like magic to see how realistic our flies looked. Reece and I were both very excited about the flies we were learning to tie. We could hardly wait to try them out on some fish!

Getting started learning to tie flies was a lot of fun. And I guess there might even be some people who are only interested in the tying aspect of this sport that is steeped in history and tradition. And similarly, there might be others who are only interested in learning the beauty of casting a fly rod so effortlessly. But for most of us fly fishing rookies, we needed some tangible rewards for our time and dedication to learning something new. In the simplest of terms, we needed to catch fish, to stay involved. Like every young child, our interest will stay focused longer if we have some success at whatever we are doing. We start life and most new activities with short, uneducated attention spans. With regular successful experiences, we will increase our attention and our knowledge. Fly fishing is no different. The great part about fly fishing is that we can achieve success on many different levels, and it can be a lifetime sport of new things to learn.

As new fly fishing club members armed with a little bit of knowledge and a few new flies to try, we wanted to know where to go fishing. After all, isn’t that the real reason for joining a fly fishing club? I started asking questions of the other members at the meetings and on tying nights. I knew Texas Parks & Wildlife stocked rainbow trout in the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake, but I had never fished there, and I was not sure where or how to access the river. As I visited with more people, and asked more questions, I found out about the Guadalupe River and the rainbow trout there, but I also found out there is a lot more water and a lot of other fish to catch in our area. I learned that the hill country is full of rivers, and lakes. And many landowners keep fish stocked in their tanks and ponds. I had grown up in Texas with a fishing pole in my hands, and fished in many lakes, and rivers, and stock tanks. I hadn’t considered using the fly rod to catch those same fish. But now I was now starting to think like a fly fisherman.

In my discussions with other members, I quickly learned that many of them enjoyed fly fishing at the coast. This was a totally new concept for me. I had often fished at the coast, and had never heard of anyone using a fly rod! From past experience, I knew the fish at the coast were big and have teeth; the water is deep and the fish are always near the bottom; the wind blows and you need to cast heavy weights long distances; and we always used live or dead bait. How was I going to catch fish with a fly rod in these conditions? I started learning (or un-learning) more about saltwater fly fishing every time I talked to the guys in the club. I found out many of them also used kayaks to access and fish the shallow water flats in the protected bay areas. I learned two new terms that quickly moved into my saltwater fly fishing vocabulary: “sight casting” and “tailing redfish”. I have fished many times at the coast over the years, but until I joined this group, I had never seen a tailing redfish or even heard the description for one. Because I had never fished in shallow water, I had never been exposed to this kind of action. I have since experienced this for myself, and I must say it is very habit forming! There are lots of other details of saltwater fly fishing to share, but for now I will tell you the fly rod is very well suited to catching these fish, and it may be the superior weapon of choice when it comes to sight casting for tailing redfish!

The message I want to leave everyone with is to get involved. If you are a new member, like I was a few years ago, get involved. There is a lot of knowledge and talent spread throughout the members of this club. I have found that fly fishermen are generally very open and eager to share their knowledge of this sport. Many are great teachers and educators. If you demonstrate sincere interest in learning, they will probably go out of their way to help you be successful. You will probably end up with their favorite go-to fly, and learn the location their favorite fishing holes. The Alamo Fly Fishers are successful as a club because we have a diverse group of active members. It is a group that is interested in education and conservation for this sport.

I encourage everyone to attend the monthly meetings because we have some outstanding speakers who come from all over the state with information on how to be a more knowledgeable fly fisherman. Join the fly tying classes, and attend the casting clinics as well. These are always worthwhile activities that will improve your technical skills – no matter how experienced. And by all means, get out on the water as often as possible. There is no substitution for the real thing. On-water experience is the best teacher to be a successful fly fisherman. Leave all other fishing gear at home, and concentrate on nothing but fly fishing – no matter what the conditions.

Get involved in our outings. Our outings are the best way to get real time feedback on your fly fishing skills development and fishing knowledge. We have several traditional group outings each year where we all fish the same general area. These are venues that can support fairly large numbers of fishermen. These outings are easy to join, and offer plenty of support and encouragement. Other outings are more loosely planned to offer smaller groups the ability to fish more intimate settings without completely overwhelming a location. These outings offer more one-on-one mentoring. They sometimes take more planning and coordination with individuals to schedule dates and locations of common interest. These smaller group outings can be some of the best learning experiences. I hope everyone will get involved in our meetings, our education programs, and our outings. Catching fish is important for all of us to keep our interest high. We will catch plenty of fish this year, but stay involved and you will soon learn, as I have, that fly fishing is not just about the fish. It is a multitude of intangible rewarding experiences that will exceed your expectations, and last longer than the fish too!