Intro to Fly Fishing

OVERVIEW

This trip is intended for beginners to fly fishing. Getting into a new sport can be daunting, but I’d like for this trip to be a relaxed introduction to fly fishing.

We’ll plan to go Saturday September 18th to Elkhorn Lake; it’s about an hour away. I’ve seen some largemouth bass there, and VDGIF stocks trout during stocking season (Oct. 1 – June 15). If nothing else, there’s (small) bluegill, which are generally easy to catch. I expect we’ll have at least one canoe along, so not everyone will be stuck to the shore. That said, I’ll go over the basics from the shore and have people practice for a bit before anyone gets in a canoe. (We’ll take turns with who is in the canoes.) There is still plenty of fishing to do from the shore (or however far you are comfortable wading in).

The club has 3 fishing sets, and I could lend one to the cause, so I’ll set the cap at 5, but I’ll bump the cap up to accommodate a couple veterans to help teach (provided there is at least one other driver). The other limiting factor is canoes; the club has two canoes, and while one may be able to hold three, I’d like to limit the seating to two people per canoe simply to avoid tangling line.

You’ll need a state freshwater fishing license [$18] and national forest permit [$4]. Licenses are valid for one year from the date of purchase, so don’t worry about them expiring in December. In fact, I’d like to lead a couple more before the end of the year.

Lastly, I suspect everyone will have a decent chance at catching a fish, but I won’t guarantee anything about the size.

You provide:
-> Lunch
-> 1-2 liters of water
-> Sandals + Swimsuit
-> Fishing license (State Freshwater + National Forest Permit = $22)
Highly recommended:
-> polarized sunglasses: these are very useful.
-> sunscreen

Club provides:
-> Canoe(s)
-> Fly fishing gear (4 sets available)
-> Gas money + 30% to driver(s)

You can buy your license online at: http://secure01.virginiainteractive.org/horf/ or at Walmart (north on 29).
I would suggest getting all three below, but only the top two are necessary for this trip.
-> $4 – National Forest Permit – under “Special Licenses”
-> $18 – Resident State Freshwater Fishing – under “Fishing Licenses”
-> $18 – Resident Trout Fishing – under “Fishing Licenses”

Anyone who is a member of this club should be able to get a resident license given you’re either a student or a resident:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/regulations/licenses.asp

Satiate your VA fishing curiosity:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/