Orvis Fly Fishing 201

A couple Sunday’s ago, Mrs. RCS and I doubled down on our venture into the wonderful world of fly fishing.  We had taken the Orvis 101 class out of the Buckhead store, which completely wet our appetite.  The next step was the fly fishing 201 class with familiar faces Andy, Aaron, and Matt at Murphy Candler Park in Atlanta.

We were very excited to get to the water…but first, breakfast:

We made our way over to Murphy Candler park, where the Orvis folks had all congregated along the coast.  Including instructors, there were about ten of us, so not only did everyone get a good piece of shore to practice, we all got quite a bit of personalized instruction.  The guys were great and they really took quite a bit of time to ensure that each of us had a grasp of what’s going on.

All in all, the 201 class is EXACTLY what we wanted.  After the 101 class, which was a lot of basic instruction, 201 was on the water.  We learned a very important fly fishing skill: the roll cast.  The roll cast is what you use when there isn’t a lot of room behind you to get your fly into the water.  The technique is tricky, but with some patience, we were all comfortable getting down to business.  The class was free, but required completion of the 101 class.  The class was a good two and a half hours long, which was plenty of casting.

Aaron showing us how it’s done:

Mrs. RCS picked it up like a champ:

As for me?  Well, the sea was angry that day, my friends.  I know the monster is out there…waiting…watching…but he won’t outsmart this beginning fly fisherman.  He has haunted my dreams.  After becoming one with the water, I knew that he would be mine.

There’s no use trying to hide…

After reeling in this monster, I’m confident that I’m qualified to write the follow up to the Herman Melville classic.  I’ll call it ‘Moby Dick, Part Deux’.

I pick up the mounted trophy next week.  I don’t know if the space above our fireplace can handle such a monster.

In all seriousness, this was the first fish I’ve ever caught on a fly rod.  While it wasn’t anything more than a little bluegill, the experience of seeing the fish, putting the fly in front of him, and watching it take the fly is like nothing I’ve experienced.  The fish took the fly, but I am completely hooked.  Hopefully my next catch will provide an acceptable protein portion for supper.

Next up: the 301 class.  Mrs. RCS and I are excited for this one…which is a guided day trip on the water.  We’ll be fishing, using what we learned in our 101 and 201 classes.  At this point, we are both ready to get some of our own equipment so we can start practicing, building our casting strength, and some serious fishing.

This has been a great experience thus far; we can’t wait for what’s next…