For me, fly fishing will always be linked to J R Hartley. For anyone who doesn’t make the connection, this is down to a 1980s advert (for yellow pages I think) where a well-spoken English gentleman, advanced in years, was earnestly trying to track down a copy of a book called Fly Fishing by J R Hartley. He phoned around a lot of places (presumably where the yellow pages connection came in), and long story short, it turns out this guy was actually the author himself, and the point at which he is reunited with his book is one of those touching moments akin to the more recent John Lewis Christmas ads. Put it this way, I still remember it 30 years on.
Anyway, other than JR Hartley, my experience of fly fishing was limited to watching the film A River Runs Through It the other week. Much as I liked the scenery and enjoyed watching a very young Brad Pitt, it’s really not gonna prepare you for being able to catch fish.
Our 3 hour lesson on the Gallatin River included maybe half an hour indoors (quite welcome when the temperature outside is not much beyond freezing) studying the etymology of bugs and flies, 90 minutes learning to cast and practicing on the lawn (away from harmful trees and anything else we could get our lines tangled up in), and finally, an hour out on the river.
The guide told me that even though my technique worked – enthusiastically bending my whole upper body forward while casting, it didn’t look very cool. This, coming from someone who thinks fly fishing IS cool and idolizes Brad Pitt. Darren seemed to get the hang of it better than me, although in our short time out on the river, we soon learned why it is called fishing and not catching.
Oh but the little teaser lesson had given Darren the bug. We were on a mission to find a fishing shop, and he was straight in there for the starter kit – rod, line and flies.
Flies – now therein lies a whole new world. Bobbers, hoppers, nymphs and gnats. Apparently, you can’t just fish with any old flies. You have to know which flies are currently flying around the area you’re fishing at that exact time – otherwise the fish won’t be fooled and/or attracted by your flies. And we always thought fish were dumb.
As he bought his starter kit, Darren was told by the experienced fisherman/salesman, “Don’t worry, it only took me about 6 months to get the hang of it”. Hmm, well we had less than 2 weeks left and Darren set himself high expectations.
From that point forward in the trip, he took every opportune moment to hang out by the river and cast. Of course, there’s worse places to hang out. And he is nothing if not persistent, my husband!
As time passed, the excuses started rolling in:
“He must have sold me the wrong flies.”
“My lucky hat’s not working – I need a new hat.”
“There’s just so many people fishing, I don’t think there’s anything left for me to catch.“
“Well I can’t expect to catch something in my first two weeks.”
But I wouldn’t want to leave you with anything other than a happy ending. Imagine my relief – and Darren’s joy – when he actually caught his first fish. Trout, possibly/probably brown trout. Not just one but two. And there you have it – like a gambler with his first big win, Darren is hooked. And I am officially a fly fishing widow.
Post-holiday blog research, and I found the J.R. Hartley ad. Enjoy!
YouTube · asseenonthetv0:53Fly Fishing by J R Hartley – Classic Yellow Pages TV advertFeb 11, 2011