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3. Age Beginning Fly-Fishing?

As to FF at age 2 –in any meaningful way? That's ridiculous –a pretty unsophisticated boast. I used to run a youth FF program and got to work with a bunch of kids. They vary tremendously in what they are able to do physically, and mentally. I had an age cut-off at 10 for what we were doing -moving water trout fishing. I cut that to 8 for some kids that had the dexterity and wherewithal. I always wondered though, how young was possible. Very kid-dependent, but I got to try some things out with my own son, Beck. We played some "fishing" games with stick and string when he was 2+ and I introduced him to a yarn rod when he was 3. He was dapping for bluegills on beds by the time he was 4 but the dexterity wasn't quite there (gotta watch out for frustration -success matters), but he was proficient by 5. He stalked, cast, and caught his first 'gill –a big hen for that pond -at age 6. I can tell bc his proud smile is missing some teeth lol.

He’s yet to hit moving water with me, but we’ll try it on this year –he’s 9.

How about others? When did you start and do you know of any precocious FFs? I’m very curious.

Beck dapping (with control) at 5. Dapping can be quite quite an art, teasing those 'gills into taking a wad of fuzz and hackle. Beck was mesmerized. Some 'gills were tougher than others. It's a real, and sophisticated, world down there -a very deep well. That's his great-grandfather's turn-of-the-last-century brass bird-cage reel he's using -to prop the rod for control lol.


Beck casting at 6

When it comes to gills...Me too!

I am 56 and will be 57 at the beginning of January and this last summer found me on Beaver Island on a wonderful lake loaded with bluegills. I had two rods strung and just couldn't put down the dry fly rod because I was having so much fun teasing them up between lily pads...I had regressed to my childhood and loved every moment of it!

I think you are right in that each child is open to things at different times and that they really need to have some success or some action to see what's possible or not...Bluegills lend themselves well to keeping the young ones interested.

My attempts have not panned out...Some children have never been exposed to the "outside" world, don't know it, and have little curiosity about it...They are "bad-to-the-bone" when they are stealing a car in "Grand Theft Auto", but will wet themselves if they find themselves alone in the woods.

Good luck!

Spence

My daughter is 14, and she seems to be interested in all things Japanese (including a visit there two summers ago - this kid is better travelled than I am!). So, I was thinking about getting her interested in Tenkara fly fishing, since it's a Japanese thing...Let me put it this way: she was bored this past summer during our visit to the Gun Room at our local Cabelas until I said, "Hey, here's a Japanese Arisaka battle rifle from World War Two." "Oh yeah? Let me see!" So, I might have an "in" here with her on fly fishing...

I started fishing when I was 9 - worm & bobber at first, then I got better with lures (Mepps spinners, Rapala plugs, Daredevle spoons, Little Cleos, etc.). Then during my first summer at the U of MI Bio Station a professor told me about fly fishing for big fat brown trout on the Maple River...

Spence speaks of bluegills. STILL one of the best times you can have on a fly rod, IMHO, especially if you catch them (and other sunnies) on the beds when the biggest most colorful males can be caught with ease. My local hometown lake is perfect for this, I did very well out there this year, and there was a very late-season feed going on during our last November warm spell, probably on some little midge hatch or something...in any case, I have never outgrown my love for bluegills. And other sunnies - when I lived in San Marcos, TX, the redbreasts would feed on evening caddis hatches just like trout, and they got up to 10 inches down there! Plus redears, spotted sunnies, longears, warmouth, and even Rio Grande "perch" (OK, that's not really a sunfish, rather a cichlid in fact, but they have the same broad body shape)...

Jonathon

Hi Paul,
It took me a bit longer since my dad was not a fisherman, I started fishing around 10 with one of my maternal uncles. Started fly fishing at 13, tying at 14. Basically, the fly fishing was learned through reading books, same with the tying.

Mark

I was in my early teens when I first began fly fishing. Of course it was bit different being far removed from trout water. My friends and I bought some complete set ups from a K-mart store that obviously recieved them by mistake. They collected dust for a whole year before they were almost gifted as a blue light special.Some 30 or so years later I'm trying to help change the way fly fishing is viewed by my fellow southern brethern as I hold two begginer fly fishing outings a year for the local 4H club and scouts. The average age is 8-10 years old.
Fred

Very nice story and photos PaulRoberts, I wish all the best for your son.

I bought my first fly fishing kit at the age of ten, for the money I got for christmas.
To say the least, I was not encouraged.
My mom shook her head. She'd heard about how difficult it was.
But I had my own money, and there was nothing in the world that could stop me.

Today I´m 26, and actually I do some instructing to beginners.
I remind her about her resistance every now and then.

Great pics, Paul.

To the question: I was 22. My oldest son caught his first trout on a fly rod last summer - he's 7. I'm sure he'll be outfishing me soon enough.

-Shawn

I've been fishing since I can remember-my Dad said I caught my first trout when I was two. I spent the first few years of my life in Northwest Colorado, and my Dad was an avid trout fisherman (although not a fly fisherman). After moving to Missouri, I became a typical bass fisherman-once again not with the fly rod, but more along the lines rubber worms and spinnerbaits- until I was 16, when I finally, on a more or less a whim, decided to save up to get a cheap fly rod and start teaching myself. I was hooked the moment I picked the thing up-although it was a solid year and a dozen or so trips to trout streams before I took my first fly rod trout- an 8" wild 'bow from a little spring creek about an hour from home.

And then when I realized I could also successfully fish for bass and bluegill with the fly rod, I became something of a hopeless case.

So nice to read all the stories! Thanks everybody for sharing them.

The topic brings out so many memories.
I'd love to tell about how the first fish on the flyrod was a beautiful trout from a creek somewhere.
But no, it was a perch caught on a white Dog Nobbler from my little lake nearby. I think I wore three bikes out during my childhood, riding those bumpy gravel roads back and forth.
I had caught hundreds of them, but none as important and memorable as this one.
It was only me and the occasional pal who fished there for those little perch.

Then one day I spotted big shadows cruising around in the lake. I was puzzled and confused, these big fish could'nt care less for my flies either.

Someone had found my playground and decided to put carp in it.
No longer were there any room for a little boy and his flyrod, among the bite-alarms, rod-pods and all the other things anglers brought up there.
I was told to keep my mouth shut about the fact that this was now a carp-lake, it was a secret.
Of course I told everyone I knew about it. Ha!

Next year though, I caught my first trouts.

I was twenty six. First fish was even a trout. It is even more of a shock since after this I found this stretch of river has just tons of whitefish.

I'll be 52 in April, started fly fishing when I was around 8. I have a picture of me around that age, I was standing in front of our cabin in Potter county in over sized boots and vest, rod in hand ready for my dad to take me to the water. I started getting consumed by it around 10 or 11 and started tying flies around 12 or so. My first fly rod was a 6 foot fiberglass Heddon brand.

i started fishing when I was 8 and started "fly" fishing when I was about 12... this consisted of stealing thread from my mom's sewing box and feathers from my pillow, and "casting" them with a spinning rod

I started fishing when I was 5 with my Grandfather on Lake Michigan. We used to catch jumbo Yellow Perch with a bamboo pole right off a dock in his backyard. It was fantastic! I didn't start Fly Fishing until later in life for Trout. I started my daughter fly fishing last year at age 6. I took a video of her first time out with me. I showed her the basics of casting in a few minutes and how to raise up and set the hook.

http://s1002.photobucket.com/albums/af150/pinkfinger74/?action=view¤t=100_0194.mp4

I started fishing since before I can remember. I think I started fly-fishing around the age of 14 or 15. It was frustration at first trying to self teach but as soon as I caught my first trout, I was hooked ever since. My daughter just turned one but maybe in about 5 years I'll start her fly fishing...

Started tying and fly fishing at age nine... 56 years ago. My first fly caught trout was a fat 10" brown taken from fast water on what I later learned was a brown bivisible.

Started tying and fly fishing at age nine... 56 years ago. My first fly caught trout was a fat 10" brown taken from fast water on what I later learned was a brown bivisible.

First off the stories are awsome everyone, great to hear about our early adventures in the art! I fly fished for the first time shortly after i moved to Tennessee from Pennsylvania at the age of 6. So thats when i started and i was tying by the age of 7. I caught my first fish on the fly by angerly walking along the shoreline of the Caney Fork River and dragging my size 6 hares ear along with me. The little rainbow was decieved ha. From that moment on i haven't been able to stop, its a disease ive aquired.

Bivisible! I haven't heard that mentioned in ... You're showing your age there friend! :)

Jesse,
I watched a youngster, about age 8, figure out how to nymph fish by walking along the shore with the current allowing him to keep a straight line. This was a big pool on a big river (Delaware) with laminar flow, but it worked and he caught the biggest brown of the day -a good 17 or 18er. He was one proud boy, showing up all the elders.

Why, a black-and-white Bivisible has long been my favorite bluegill fly when they are taking midges off the top. I probably caught a couple hundred of them last November on #16s...

Jonathon

Haha that a boy Paul! At that age i know exactly what your saying..nothing more rewardable than that!