About a week ago I was contacted by a friend of mine that I have known for decades. We aren't incredibly close but have somehow stayed in touch through the years. He's a good guy that I am proud to call a friend. He coaches youth sports, is a good dad, and the type of dude that few people have to say an unkind word about. When he informed me that his 11 year old son, Bayne, wanted to learn how to fly fish after seeing some of my videos that I have posted, I jumped at the chance.
I love to teach folks how to fly fish. I have taught friends, family members, and students that I have had in class how to fly fish. Please don't take that as me bragging by any means. I simply see teaching as a mutually beneficial event. Hopefully the student walks away with a skill or more knowledge and the teacher is rewarded by seeing a person do something that he/she was not able to do previously. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention all of the wonderful coaches and teachers that I have had throughout my life. I have had a lot of folks pass along things to me that have changed my life. I feel like it is my duty to behave in a similar manner, especially with those that want to learn what I have to teach.
Brad (Bayne's dad) and I worked out all of the details about the fishing excursion and I arrived at Bayne's home at 6:15 yesterday morning. Both Brad and Bayne were sitting on their front steps, waiting for my arrival. Brad had told me that Bayne has quite a bit of fishing experience for an 11 year old and is extremely passionate about the sport. He also said that Bayne is curious and eager to learn. I can attest that Brad knows his son well because I saw all of these traits over the next few hours in my boat.
As quick as we could, Bayne, Waylon, and I were in the truck headed to Watkins Mill State Park. There was not a moment of silence on the ride as we swapped fishing stories and posed questions to one another. I was trying to get a feel for what he knew and didn't know about fishing and he attempted to understand what fly fishing was all about. We arrived at the lake early and that plan was to fish for bluegill. I wanted to hit some areas that were still in the shade and hopefully give Bayne some solid opportunities at catching his first fish on a fly rod. I wanted to keep things simple with Bayne so we started out with a strike indicator and jig set up. I also decided to go after bluegill since they are so plentiful, aggressive, and thus tend to give anglers (especially ones new to fly fishing) a lot of opportunities to land gaudy numbers of fish.
As expected, Bayne experienced the typical growing pains that every new fly angler experiences. Hand position, timing, and finesse eluded him at first. Knots with leader and getting fly line wrapped around pretty much everything ensued. However, Bayne took instruction really well and started to bypass obstacles quickly. Learning seems to be easier when you want to learn it and teaching motivated learners sure makes the job easier. It took less than 20 minutes before Bayne started to become independent and gain some confidence.
The first bluegill came with the subtleness of a broken shoelace. It was a solid take and thankfully stayed buttoned while Bayne was exposed to how to bring a fish in with a fly rod. In typical newbie fashion, he didn't know whether to bring it in by hand or use the reel. Thankfully, he didn't have much line out and he was able to bring the fish in by hand. I could relate to this like most fly anglers. It seems that when a person is new to the sport, they are so focused on making good casts that they rarely consider what he/she will do once a fish is actually hooked. Regardless, Bayne had landed his first fish on a fly rod and he was all smiles. From this moment on, Bayne took off like the Millennium Falcon!
The rest of the morning was a nonstop thrill ride. He started getting bit consistently and while he missed a few, his casts improved and his ability to land fish grew exponentially. We hammered some vegetation what was shaded and Bayne ended up catching bluegill, green sunfish, and redear sunfish. It was an utter joy to watch him learn, grow, and have success. Sure he had a few knots and missed a few fish but he was growing before my very eyes. We took a break to go back to the truck and get him some sunglasses as well as a hat and some sunscreen and that's when things took an interesting turn.
On the way, we saw some hybrid striped bass busting baitfish on the surface. I rigged up a rod with a tandem streamer rig and we decided to troll for awhile. We saw some more schools of hybrids that were feeding but couldn't get a bite. Just as we decided to give up on them and get to the boat ramp, Bayne said in an extremely excited voice, "I think I got one!" After seeing the tip of his fly rod actively bouncing up and down, it was obvious that Bayne was right. While the hybrid wasn't a monster, it was Bayne's fourth species of the morning. I informed him that he had pulled off the Missouri Slam (a term I use when someone catches four species on a trip) and he thought that was cool. I also told him that I made up the term and that other folks might not be familiar with the Missouri Slam. I didn't want the little guy looking silly in front of his buddies.
After sunblock was applied, some snacks consumed, and Prime was drank, we got back out to chase some more fish. Things picked up exactly where they left off and Bayne got back to hammering bluegill and green sunfish. At some point, Bayne landed a big greenie and I informed him that they don't get much bigger than what he had caught. This really caught his attention and I could see him swell with pride. It reminded me of what my youngest son told me last week. In fewer words, he shared with me that skill is extremely important to an angler...but a little luck doesn't hurt either.
The knots were becoming fewer and the catch rate was sky rocketing. Bayne had become independent before my very eyes and we both reveled in this growth. At some point, I even started fishing because he didn't need my help anymore. Unfortunately, we saw clouds on the horizon and had a feeling rain was headed our way. Luckily, we were fishing a spot that offered sanctuary under a tree and we waited out a small rain shower under it for about 20 minutes. It wasn't anything scary and just added to the sense of adventure that we had shared over the course of the morning. We got back to fishing a caught a few more bluegill but we could tell that the bite was slowing down as it tends to in this part of Missouri during the summer.
We begrudgingly headed to the boat ramp and started our trek home. After loading the boat up, I informed Bayne that I had some things to give him that might help him continue his fly fishing journey. I was lucky enough to have some flies, a fly box, some maps, a t-shirt, and books about fly fishing to pass along to him. They were all items that had been donated to my fly fishing club that I facilitate at the school I work at and all were intended to be passed along to young people. With sincere appreciation, he took it all. I was reminded how good it felt to get anything fly fishing related when I was first getting started and it made me feel good to add to the foundation that he had established over the course of the morning.
It was a heck of a morning that produced a lot of memories for both Bayne and I. For me, I feel like teaching is a calling. I think that I was put on this earth to teach but not everyone feels that way. However, I think we all have the ability to pass on knowledge to those that seek it. The point that I'm trying to make is that if you get the chance to pass on your knowledge about hunting, fishing, or anything for that matter, you and the learner have the chance to be a part of a win-win situation. New memories tend to come from teaching and learning experiences and, for me at least, when these things happen outdoors, the experience is enhanced. Finally, thank you Brad for allowing Bayne to fish with me. Bayne, good luck on the water and let me know if you ever need any help! I would gladly share a boat with you again!
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