Golfdom, January 2013

River in Montana Henrys Fork in Idaho and the Green River in Wyoming It was in Idaho that he caught a 19 inch rainbow trout on a grasshopper fly Still on his bucket list are British Columbia Patagonia and Colorado Cal Roth senior vice president of agronomy for the PGA Tour says he would speak to anyone about fly fishing at any time Roth began fly fishing when he was 14 years old fishing for bass and bluegill on farm ponds in rural Illinois After a move to Colorado he began fishing for trout and when he moved to Florida in 1989 he bought a flats boat and fished the backwater of the Intracoastal Waterway with his son Blaise Those trips were among his most special Roth says Now he fishes the backwater from a kayak and enjoys the solitude it brings When Roth looks back on his fly fishing days theres really nothing that stands out all that much But after a pause he says Then again there was this 15 pound bonefish that took over an hour to land When asked if he had any bad experiences while fly fishing he answers a quick and definite No not one Roth says he has been lucky enough to have fished on many streams and rivers and hes enjoyed them all But there is one that stands out as his favorite the Conejos River in southern Colorado Roth eventually joined the Rocky Mountain Angling Club and now after 20 years of fishing there Roth views it as his home away from home Eric Draper parks and rec superintendent for the city of Osawatomie Kansas started fly fishing when he was a freshman in high school We took a trip to Colorado and I saw a fly fisherman in the stream I told my father I Go FishinG Learning how to fly fish is a lot like learning to play golf It may seem a bit cumbersome at first but after a bit of practice things always seem to come together nicely To get started 1 Visit a local fly shop Any one can hook you up with the right equipment and lessons The Orvis website has a wealth of information Check www orvis com learn 3 2 4 Be prepared to spend some time practicing Even if its just in your back yard you dont need water to practice casting Just like golf the more you practice the better you get Be prepared to deal with setbacks At least initially the casting motion can end in a tangle or two often when you least expect it Rest assured But the more you practice the fewer problems will occur Find a good book and read up on it 5 Enjoy the experience Youll be closer to nature than you ever thought you could be wanted to do it he recalls When Draper got home he learned one of his friends owned a fly rod That friend taught him how to fly fish on a three day trip to a Missouri state park Draper has fished often in Missouri waters since then snapping up brown and rainbow trout before releasing them including a five pounder In the end Draper says theres no more thrilling experience than catching a fish on the fly Once you catch your first one youll never want to put your fly rod down G Tim Killeen a freelance writer in Aurora Ohio is the author of The Executives Guide to Fly Fishing and is a golf course ranger at Windmill Lakes Golf Club in Ravenna Ohio Senior editor Beth Geraci contributed to this story everyone no matter how experienced they are encounters these and the stream It forces you to be at peace for a while TREVOR BURLINGAME superintendent Chautauqua Golf Club January 2013 Golfdom 39 Golfdom com photo left courtesy KeN MANGuM istocKphoto