

Hargrove’s offers fly fishing lessons, but Stephens says, “the best advice for improving skills is to get out there and fish.”īeginners will also find a great selection of books and videos on fly fishing at the store. “There are some very good outfits available these days for reasonable prices.” It will make entry into the sport a great deal smoother,” he said. “Folks just getting into fly fishing should buy a decent fly fishing outfit from the get go. offers sound advice to beginning fly fishermen. First timers often want to buy all kinds of fly tying materials, when just the basics for a few fly patterns will suffice in the beginning.Ĭraig Stephens of T. The same holds true to fly tying, according to Jackson. If a newbie then decides they like the sport, he can spend more to acquire rods and gear for specific types of fly fishing.” “We recommend that newcomers purchase a good all-round rod that is useful for several applications. “There is an abundance of quality fly fishing gear and gadgets out there today,” he stated. Mike Jackson of Feather-Craft Fly Fishing encourages beginners to watch their spending. Both are superb fly fishing shops, with an aura that is spell binding. are located there in the 80 blocks, respectively. Louisians need look no further than Manchester Avenue. They will gladly provide you an education about the basics and help you get started. Owners are professionals and passionate about the sport. Everyone likes to show off their skills.īefore purchasing equipment, it is wise to visit a fly shop. If you know a fly angler, ask them to give you a few pointers or a simple demonstration. However, a plethora of information surrounds fly fishing that can be quite intimidating to a beginner. Most release fish to fight another day.įly fishermen constantly study and learn about the watery world of trout and in the process develop physical, mental and spiritual connections to the grand scheme of life that envelopes them while casting a fly.įly fishing is a thrilling sport. They admire the fish they catch and are great conservationists. They become personally connected.”įly fishermen are special people who have a desire to immerse themselves in the beauty of their surroundings, while pitching their skills with rod and fly to dupe a fish into striking. Those that pursue them understand, appreciate and value these incredible resources. “Trout live in the most gorgeous places in Missouri, the wild rivers and streams that course their way through the Ozark Mountains. “Fly fishing connects us to nature in a very real way,” Van Patten said.
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The movie, featuring Brad Pitt, grasped the hearts of adventurous people and stimulated a 70-percent growth of participants in fly fishing over the next few years.įly fishing is a connection, says renowned fly fisherman Mark Van Patten, a retired Missouri Department of Conservation streams coordinator biologist and former host of the popular TV show, “The Tying Bench.” People are attracted to fly fishing because of the romance surrounding the beautiful and fulfilling sport.
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Minutes later, I slide my hand underneath the largest, most beautiful wild rainbow trout of my 50-year fly fishing career.Īnyone who has watched the legendary fly fishing movie “A River Runs Through It” gets it.

I inhale deeply and make a couple of false casts to gain the distance I need to land my #12 Pheasant Tail beadhead nymph at the head of the pool. Perfect. Six feet into the drift, my Sage fly rod jolts in my hands. Only stealth and a healthy dose of good luck will allow me one cast at this mystical fish. I walk the bank to approach the wild trout of my dreams to avoid splashing sounds and casting shadows. I move on and fish downstream for the next hour, giving the fish ample time to settle down. I spot a sizable fish actively feeding in a shallow riffle. The trophy-sized trout senses something is not right and slowly slips sideways and disappears into a hole of deeper water. Remnants of trout stockings by railroad crews in the late 1880s, these gorgeous fish have survived, with little notice by the public, for almost 140 years. The wild rainbow trout found here are notoriously spooky.

Barren Fork, one of only six wild trout streams in the state, is less than 20 feet wide where I begin at Twin Springs. I step into the crystalline waters quietly. The surrounding scenery of towering bluffs, forest covered hillsides and stream-side wildflowers is breathtaking. The gin clear, free-flowing waters of Barren Fork, deep in the hills of Shannon County, Mo., tumble and twist on the downhill journey to Sinking Creek and on to the nearby Current River.
