LESSON PLAN
When teaching a beginner how to fly fish, stick to the basics
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Photo: Flickr/Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Northern VA#4 REMEMBER THE “FISHING” PART
Once he or she can reliably get the line out, show your student how to retrieve a fly by keeping the rod tip low (an unnatural position for conventional anglers) and stripping in line a few inches at a time. Then plan for success, and demonstrate how to land a fish by stripping in line. You can even play the part of the fish by grabbing the end of the line and letting the student “land” you. That may sound (and feel) a little silly, but it really is a good way to show how all the elements fit together.