Women in fly fishing

[Glenda]

Hi Jason, I'm a great fan and, of course, female. I'm just wondering if you teach casting to women differently than you do to men?


I'm also wondering if you feel there is a requirement to target women and promote the sport of fly fishing so we get more of us females into the sport?

I know a lot of men who go fishing to escapes partners but I am a believer that relationships will benefit if both partners fly fish.....this covers all forms of fishing.

Plus, lastly, how can I cast as far as a man please????

[Jason Borger]

Hi Jason, I'm a great fan and, of course, female. I'm just wondering if you teach casting to women differently than you do to men?


I'm also wondering if you feel there is a requirement to target women and promote the sport of fly fishing so we get more of us females into the sport?

I know a lot of men who go fishing to escapes partners but I am a believer that relationships will benefit if both partners fly fish.....this covers all forms of fishing.

Plus, lastly, how can I cast as far as a man please????

I teach men and women the same overall way. I adjust to the individual as needed. Best student of accuracy casting that I ever had, though, was a woman. She was also quite athletic (good hand/eye) and able to focus above-and-beyond the norm by far.

I say why not target people who might develop a passion for fly fishing? Why not look to those who can become new allies for fish, water, and land? Why not bring in fresh perspectives? And no, Pink-It-And-Shrink-It ain't targeting, IMO. I'm pleased to see more confident and creative women's voices on the fly.

Escaping partners...how sad (truly). I fish with mine, and we love the time together.

Two words: Joan Wulff. Refined technique will get you a very long ways, trust me. Just heaving harder typically won't. To maximize what you can do, look to techniques like Layback, well-tuned hauling (haul LATE), and complementary body movement, if needed. There's a book's worth of distance casting discussion to be had, but just adjusting a few things can often up one's game.

[Walter]

Escaping partners...how sad (truly). I fish with mine, and we love the time together.

Same here. Some of my best fishing times have been with mine. Also get fewer complaints about having an extra rod, or twenty...

[Glenda]

Thanks Jason, all good points and some great advice that I will be definitely taking on board when casting in particular.

I will look for some of your books and read then practice, practice, practice.....

I will still be espousing the joys of fly fishing to all my female friends and acquaintances though.....

[Eagle Crest]

Jason,

I was reading in another post, that you said you caught your first fish on a fly before you could remember it. I've got two granddaughters, ages 6 & 8, that love to catch fish. Mostly with their Barbie rods at this point, but they both have caught trout and smallmouth with fly setups that I cast for them. Any opinion when I should introduce them to casting? I have 9ft 5wt rods (a 4wt bamboo that's slightly heavier than the 5wts) that I want to start them on. They are both large for their ages and if I test one I'll have to teach both. Can I realistically expect them to start with a 5wt?

They're fish catching machines. I fear that I've spoiled them to some degree. They caught 2.5gal of tai chub from East Lake one evening, They've caught fish on every other outing, so their expectations will be high. But, they're so much fun.

Steve

[Flyfishfairwx]

Escaping partners...how sad (truly). I fish with mine, and we love the time together.

Same here. Some of my best fishing times have been with mine. Also get fewer complaints about having an extra rod, or twenty...

I agree with Jason and Walter, I fly fish with Ladystrange-Fly girl, she can cast further and better than I can, she was also a pro-staffer, and is so damn knowledgeable about fly fishing and the fish bum life, I can't fathom living life any differently.

We are going this Friday for a day of Fly fishing and snowshoeing !

[Jason Borger]

Jason,

I was reading in another post, that you said you caught your first fish on a fly before you could remember it. I've got two granddaughters, ages 6 & 8, that love to catch fish. Mostly with their Barbie rods at this point, but they both have caught trout and smallmouth with fly setups that I cast for them. Any opinion when I should introduce them to casting? I have 9ft 5wt rods (a 4wt bamboo that's slightly heavier than the 5wts) that I want to start them on. They are both large for their ages and if I test one I'll have to teach both. Can I realistically expect them to start with a 5wt?

They're fish catching machines. I fear that I've spoiled them to some degree. They caught 2.5gal of tai chub from East Lake one evening, They've caught fish on every other outing, so their expectations will be high. But, they're so much fun.

Steve

I'd say it does depend on the kid, but anytime is worth a try. Might try an MPR or similar rod to get things going (it's fun and a good visual tool that keep people engaged). Might want to look at a "kid's rod" depending on hand size strength and so on. Some good options out there. I started with a 6 1/2-foot glass rod, but then I started *very* young. I moved up to a 7 1/2-foot 6 weight when I was a bit older (and old Fenwick HMG), and then to whatever I felt like once I was 9 or 10. Fished most 8 to 8 1/2-foot rods until I was 12 or so (probably because those were the rods I had, not because a 9-footer was overly hard to deal with).