The goal of National Fishing Week is to encourage non-anglers to try the sport and realize the joy of fishing. There were a huge number of events throughout the U.S. to mark the week, all with the hope of promoting angling and introducing non fishers to the sport. As mentioned earlier, National Fishing Week is focussed on all types of anglers and there were a few events which included an introduction to flyfishing.

Often, fly anglers seem to enjoy the solitude of angling while other anglers enjoy the camaraderie of fishing with others. Sometimes I wonder if it is this enjoyment of solitude which is often our undoing with respect to the oft perceived 'snobbery' of the fly angler.

First Fish! Click for larger image

I have come across many fly only anglers that look upon the worm dunker with disdain and the hardware splasher with suspicion. The fact is though we are all out on the river for the pursuit of the same joy that can come from fishing.

Perhaps it would do us all good to help introduce more of our non flyfishing friends to the 'quieter' art. Let's also remember that most of us first learned to fish not with a fly rod in our hands, but a short pole with some kind of worm or metal artificial on the other hand, while waiting for some small perch or sunfish to take our bait. Perhaps it was, as in my case, your dad who first took you out fishing. Maybe for others, it was mom, or grandad, or some friendly neighbour. Whoever it was, they probably didn't care much about how you caught your first fish or how small it was. What mattered was your achievement.

Anticipation! Click for larger image.

The next time you go out flyfishing, think back to those early days of your fishing experience. Think about whether or not it was important to know about what insects were hatching. Was it important that you could cast 50' into a wind? What was it that made you so enthusiastic about fishing, so much so, you spent hours looking at your tackle box, smelling its odour, looking forward to the next time you could dunk a worm or splash a spoon?

Why not spend some time giving those early exciting thoughts some room to grow some more over the next few weeks. Why not see if your enthusiasm..the same enthusiasm you had as a child can be contagious enough to interest some of your friends into trying flyfishing? Don't bother their heads with words about hex hatches, x-rated tippets, and debates about catch & release ethics. Have fun, and remember the KISS principle!

Maintain the enthusiasm you had as a child and teach another about the joy of flyfishing.