ÿþ<HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="Microsoft Word 97"> <TITLE>General 1 - Fly Fishing Traces Origins Back to Greeks, Romans</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <BLOCKQOUTE> <B><FONT FACE="Courier New Bold,Times New Roman" SIZE=6><P ALIGN="CENTER">FlyFishing Traces Origins Back</P> <P ALIGN="CENTER">to Greeks, Romans</P></B> </FONT> <FONT SIZE=4><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Fly fishing is not an elitist sport. It is a gentle, noncompetitive, inexpensive, rife with tradition recreation that attracts people from all walks of life.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Because it is fun and slightly challenging, it has survived for at least 2,000 years. Early Romans and Greek writings contain references to fly fishing. Modern fly tackle can trace a direct descent from that in use when Christ walked on earth. Flyfishing flourished in Medieval Europe and its nomenclaure is still sprinkled with Old English terms.</P> <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Today, when much sport fishing is becoming increasingly mechanical, flyfishing, which does require some skill and, at time, a little study, is attracting a growing number of followers.</P></FONT> <FONT SIZE=5><P>Fewer Mechanical Devices</P></FONT> <FONT SIZE=4><P>Probably no small part of its charm lies in the fact that there are fewer mechanical devices between the fisher and the catch than with other forms of angling. It is still the most direct and simple route to the fish.</P> <P">Fly rod lures don't lend themselves to machine production. Most have to be handmade and some are works of art. Flytying is a respected trade and many tiers are legends in their own time. Making flies is a pleasant adjunct to their sport for thousands of anglers.</P> <P>Originally, artificial flies imitated insects that were too fragile to be impaled on hooks. Today, they are tied on hooks ranging from a Lilliputian size 28 to a gigantic 6/0, and any fish whose diet includes insects, crustaceans or baitfish is fair game.</P> <P>The field is so wide that fly anglers often have vastly different interest. A bass bugger from Kansas may never have heard of patterns popular on Pennsylvania's limestone creeks. A fly rodder wading British Columbia's steelhead streams would be amazed by the 80 pound test shock tippets used with salt water flies, and many fly fishers have never seen a trout stream.</P></FONT> <FONT SIZE=5><P>Casting a Fly is Easy</P></FONT> <FONT SIZE=4><P>Casting a fly is easy once the novice realized the difference between a fly rod and other rods and reels. in flyfishing, the line is thrown and it carries the fly to its destination. In other kinds of fishing, the weight of the lure is cast, and it pulls the line behind it.</P> <P>Flyline weight in relation to rod action is critical. Without the weight of the line it would be impossible to cast the almost weightless flies. Fly lines are made in various weights to complement different rod actions. Be sure you have the right one for your rod.</P> <P>Books with chapters on fly-casting are available at any public library. Pamphlets on the subject are free at many tackle shops. Scientific Anglers Co. packages a dandy booklet of casting instructions with every fly line.</P> <P>A lawn is a good place to practice. Remember, a brisk back cast is essential for a good forward cast. Keep the back cast high and stop the rod tip as close to straight up as you can. Push the whole rod ahead on the start of the forward cast instead of chopping downward with it.</P> <P>Sidearm casts and false casting are merely variations of the overhead cast. The roll cast is one half an overhead cast.</P> <P>The reel on a fly rod is mounted back of the rod grip. With the possible exception of some big game fishing, its principle purpose is storing line and helping to balance the long rod. As a rule, simple is best.</P> <P>Line customarily is retrieved by stripping it through an extra guide formed by holding a finger, or fingers of the rod hand slightly away from the grip and stored in loops held in the line hand, ready for the next cast. When a fish takes, the line is snubbed by squeezing it against the rod handle.</P> <P>Fly lines are relatively bulky so monofilament leaders are used to make the fly-to-line connection less obvious. Floating leaders can cast fish-alarming shadows on a stream bottom.</P> <P>Leaders usually taper to a fine diameter at the fly end. This small end is called a tippet. Tippet diameter is determined by fly size, not fish size. Too large a diameter will make a fly rigid in water, and too small will cause the leader to half-hitch around the fly when cast.</P> <P>Because of light tippets and flexible rods, sharp hooks are necessary to consistently hook fish on flies. An automobile ignition file is an inexpensive, easily carried hook sharpener.</P> </BLOCKQOUTE> </FONT><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="G1.jpg" WIDTH=147 HEIGHT=103 BORDER=0></P> <A HREF="TOC.html"> BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS</A></FONT> </HTML>