As mentioned multiple times in past posts fishing is by far my favorite pastime. Unlike many anglers, I personally enjoy every type of fishing from flipping for bass to sitting on the bank waiting for a catfish to grab my bait. The one aspect of fishing I have never had luck with is fly fishing, but this year will be different because as the title says 2018 will be my year to catch a fish on the fly.
I personally view fly fish as more of an art than a sport. From the beauty of the cast to the tiny intricate flies tied by hand. I want that moment that you can only experience while fly fishing. Standing waist deep in the river away from civilization trying to entice a finicky trout into eating your fly. Then to fight the fish just hoping to finally succeed by getting it in your net, only to release back to home in the river.
In the past, I have given fly fishing a try many times only to fall on my face. I admittedly had no clue what I was doing. I had the wrong rod, wrong flies, and no real understanding of how to cast properly to get the fly where it needs to be. However, it has always been in the back of my mind growing and growing until this year when I was talking to a coworker who is an avid fly fisherman and he was able to point me in the right direction.
My amazing wife bought me the proper fly rod for trout fishing in our area for valentines day recently. She bought me the Orvis Encounter 9’ 5 weight rod and I absolutely love it. We have spent some time at the lake practicing and building the casting skills needed to catch fish on the river. With dreams of catching a fish on the fly, I have also purchased an Orvis Encounter 9’ 8 Weight to use on our upcoming trip to Redington Beach, Florida.
Buying another fly rod before I have even caught a fish on my other new rod probably seems crazy. However, once we return from Florida I hope to use this rod to target larger species in our area such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and carp or honestly whatever will bite my fly. Okay, so it is still a little crazy, but my goal is to use the fly fishing gear more this year than my other fishing gear. I know myself well enough to know that I will not be able to leave my normal gear at home on every trip.
I plan to write a review of the encounter rod series after I get some good time on the water using them. You can also expect to see a bunch of post about our trip to Florida in the weeks following. Hopefully, there will be some writing about my success in catching some amazing saltwater fish on the fly.
We hope that you enjoyed this post and if you did please be sure to share it with someone. Also be sure to follow us on all the social media platforms and sign up for our newsletter to always be up to date on our next adventure. We are also playing with the idea of making some videos while in Florida so be sure to subscribe to our youtube channel here. Thanks again and God bless.
