The

Li lit re o

BY LEONARD RUDOW

PHOTO OPPOSIT E PAG E BY G ARY S. CH APMAN. P HOTOS TH IS PAGE BY CRAIG TERKOW

t

ome people enjoy standing
waist deep in 35-degree wa-
ter. Sure, it might be snowing.
Sure, they might have just
drenched themselves after an
unsteady step on a sub-
merged, moss-covered rock.
What of it, if you're a fly fish-
erman?
Fly fishing is a pastime that has been
practiced as far back as ancient Egypt.
Many people view fly fishing as a sport.
Some see it as merely a method to gath-
er food. And a passionate few insist it
is an art demanding the same grace and
power as are needed for gymnastics or
ballet.
People who have attempted to catch
fish with this method are apt to agree
with the latter opinion. Fly fishing re-
quires complete concentration, exact
timing and precision movements. Oth-
erwise, you might end up standing in a
freezing river — and not even catching
any fish!
Fly fishing gives a fisherman the abil-
ity to mimic nature by allowing him to
offer his prey a bait resembling the fish's
natural food, from an insect weighing

58 STYLE

1/128th of an ounce to a baitfish of bet-
ter than a pound. Virtually any bait that
can be used live can be mimicked by a
fly fisherman, as well as many baits
which are far too small to put on a reg-
ular hook. The ability of a fly fisherman
to cast virtually weightless lures lies in
the specialized equipment he uses.
Fly fishing tackle uses the weight of
the line — not the lure or bait — to cast.
The fisherman swings an extremely long
rod (sometimes over 10 feet in length)
back and forth over his head as if he was
using a whip. When the line shoots out
ahead of him (just before "cracking" the
"whip"), the fisherman can release ad-
ditional line from either his hand or his
reel. The momentum of the shooting
line carries out the newly released line.
When he desires a new cast, the fish-
erman swings his rod quickly over his
head and behind him. The rod itself
picks up some of the line, and momen-
tum picks up the rest.
Timing is crucial. The fisherman must
recognize the fraction of a second when
the line is in the air straight behind him,
and begin his forward cast. If he waits a

Continued on Page 60

Some call it a sport.
Others, an art.
It's a demanding
pastime that
requires patience
and concentration.