Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Kim Truong, 12, learns how to flycast from Rick Utermoehlen at the Campbell Flycasting Ponds. Utermoehlen, a member of the San Jose Flycaster group, was one of several members who came out on a drizzly March 23 to teach boys and girls from Scout Troop's 127 and 946 how to flycast and tie flys.

The reel joys of fly-fishing

Youth learn the basics, tying flies, knots, casting

By MORYT MILO

Although the day started out gray and rainy, it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the dedicated men and women in the Flycasters of San Jose Inc. Club from volunteering their time at the Campbell fly-casting ponds in Los Gatos Creek County Park on March 23.

Fifteen club members introduced 36 children, ages 6 to 18, from Cupertino Boy Scout Pack 127 and San Jose Girl Scout Troop 946, to the basics of fly-fishing.

The event was staged in four areas around the casting ponds. The children rotated through each area as they were introduced to the essential elements of the sport: knot making, entomology (insect identification), fly-tying and fly-casting techniques.

"It's a great way for children to learn the beauty of fly-fishing," Flycaster Club Youth Committee Chairman Mondy Lariz said. "It's a gentle sport that also teaches children about conservation consciousness, with its catch and release of fish [philosophy]. The sport is also aesthetically pleasing."

The event was the idea of Vuong Tran, who had been a Boy Scout in his native country of Vietnam. He moved to the United States when he was 18 and started a scouting troop in Cupertino in 1982.

Several months ago he became interested in fly-fishing and took a fly-tying class through the Flycasters Club.

"I liked it so much I became a member of the club," he said. "I asked the group if [it] would be interested in putting together a program for the scouts and [it] agreed."

The sport of fly-fishing does not use live bait. Fly-fishers use artificial insects, called flies, which are handmade from various materials that most often include feathers, fur, thread and yarn. They attach these flies to a hook at the end of a rod, which is cast into a pond, river or stream.

The event offered scouts a chance to experience the process of tying flies--making artificial insects, as club members taught the children how to make two different varieties, woolly worms--an insect that resembles a fuzzy yellow-looking caterpillar--and woolly buggers, a larger version of the woolly worms that includes a brown and white spotted tail.

After learning about the various insects from Flycaster Club volunteer Hugh Miller, Girl Scout Tho Nguyen, 10, said, "My favorite insect was the dragonfly because it is green."

The scouts participating in the event had a jumpstart on a merit badge program that will officially begin in June through the Federation of Fly Fishers. The program will award merit badges to scouts who demonstrate proficiency in the sport.


Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Eric Huynh, 6, gets a flycasting lesson from John Luis at the Campbell Flycasting ponds. Luis was just one of several members of the San Jose Flycasters Club that came out on a drizzly March 23 to teach boys and girls from Scout troops 127 and 946 how to flycast and tie flys.




The Federation of Fly Fishers donated the materials for the three-hour event, with local members donating fishing rods, time and expertise. The club's youth committee also donated the food and drinks for the barbecue that was held after the introductory fly-fishing clinic ended.

One member, Bill Nash, an expert fly-fishing knot tier, donated the materials for making knots.

"I wanted [the children] to experience using the materials and making the knots," he said. "It gives them a good idea about all the factors involved in the sport."

It was 13-year-old Jerry Pham's first exposure to the sport.

"I found learning how to connect the flies the most interesting part," he said.

Tim Niven, 10, who had a woolly worm fly pinned to his baseball cap, said, "I liked casting the rod the best. That was fun."

By having an opportunity to sample some of the basics, a child can discover what elements he or she finds most appealing, Lariz said. One child may find pleasure in tying flies, another may prefer making knots, while another enjoys casting.

"We crammed a lot into the day," Lariz said. "Usually we do each part [casting, tying, knots] in separate clinics. But this gives the children a taste of the sport and an opportunity to discover what areas of the sport they enjoy."

Throughout the morning, children paired up with adults along the casting pond's edges, learning the correct way to cast. Lines, without hooks, continually snapped the water's surface. Some of the scouts looked comfortable and natural, while others were a bit more awkward. All the scouts seemed intently focused on the task before them.

"You don't have to tie your own fly to appreciate the sport," Lariz said. "But once you catch a fish with your own [handmade] fly you are hooked."

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For more information on Flycasters Inc. of San Jose and the upcoming summer fly fishing fair scheduled for June 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., contact Mondy Lariz at 408.356.8256 or mlariz@nccfff.org, or the Northern California Council Federation of Fly Fishers website at www.nccfff.org/fair.

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