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Fly Fishing a Small Stream For The Very First Time (or, Little M Goes Fly Fishing)

By Tom Chandler 7/18/2010

If I'm going to babysit Little M, I figure I might as well babysit her on a stream - where there exists the faint possibility of a little casting practice, if not moments of outright fly fishing.

On Friday, I initiated Phase 1.

Due to the high snowpack, the nearby streams had been too high to fly fish - especially given the very real constraints of fly fishing with nearly 35 very tippy pounds on your back.

Small stream

Now - with levels falling to fishable and the first half of Friday at our disposal, it was time Little M and I went fishing (and playing, and splashing, and throwing rocks into the waters, and...)

I wet waded (yes, it's still very cold), but given my status as Hugely Overprotective New Dad, I didn't wade much at all, preferring the very sure grip of the Patagonia sticky rubber soles on the dry rocks.

Meski - always game for anything having to do with the outdoors - was puzzled when we didn't hike more than 100 yards to a stream, where I unlimbered the long, silly stick I'd been carrying.

Two casts later, I landed the first trout of the day.

Which she didn't really notice.

I quickly hooked two more (landed one), and you could say they got her attention.

Finally, The Moment: I landed a little rainbow trout, and Meski - now peering intently over my shoulder directly at the run - clapped her hands and shrieked like an air raid siren.

Bingo.

Small stream rainbow trout

Little M's at the stage where there's clearly a dialog going on, but to the rest of us, it's just not clear what that dialog is. Some words (hat, eye, airplane, hike) are fairly clear to those of us outside the bubble.

Others words and phrases are not so apparent.

Which is what I witnessed when I held the trout a few inches from her face, and she leaned in to look it in the eye, babbled away, touched it on the nose with her finger, and then shrieked again.

There is no more delightful noise on the planet than a small child's happy shriek, and I've come to realize it's the sound every fly fishermen would make each and every time they caught a trout if the process of becoming an adult hadn't civilized much of the joy right out of us.

In other words, maybe trout streams should be noisier - but happier - places.

Fishing An Old Friend
I fished an old 7.5' Fenwick 5wt glass rod - the factory counterpart to the first real fly rod I ever owned. That original Fenwick 7.5 5wt - which I built from a blank in my early teens - met an unfortunate end in a Santa Clara garage a good 15 years ago, and while I dabbled in graphite for a while (then bamboo, then back to fiberglass), I kept my eyes peeled and snatched up another old 7.5' Fenwick - purely for nostalgia's sake - when I had the chance.

Fenwick 7.5 fiberglass fly rod

At this point, I'd love to retroactively wrap my choice of rod and Little M's first fly fishing trip into one giant symbolic heap - the kind of thing writers often do after the fact.

But I won't.

In truth, I chose the rod because I wanted something capable of taking a beating - a near certainty when a small stream, trees, a backpack and a 20 month-old are involved.

Only later did it occur to me that I'd artfully combined two eras in one trip.

A nice moment, perhaps, but in truth, the battered, cracking old Fenwick fished beautifully at close and medium range, and if it had one flaw (for this trip), it's that it has a bit too much power in the butt.

I very quickly remembered that fishing for small fish on a 5wt meant sideways hook sets, which give the little trout a fighting chance of actually staying submerged.

When I go back, I'll probably arm myself with a 7' 3wt Diamondglass or a timeless Winston 8.5' 3wt glass rod (a gift), but either way, I won't go without a couple more Beetle Bugs (basically a red Adams), which not only catch trout left and right, but do so without a hint of unneeded sophistication (what we fly fishermen characterize as "technical").

Beetle Bug dry fly

No matter what fly rod or fly is involved, one truth remains inviolate; there is only one first time, and while I doubt Little M will specifically remember this trip, I know I'll never forget it, mostly for the shriek - and the picture you'll find at the end of this report.

See you on a small stream (getting all geeky and proud-daddyish), Tom Chandler.

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AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

18 comments
[…] Re: For the men who have small children From a couple of guides / bloggers - Rob Snowhite working the salt in Long Beach And Tom "Trout Underground" Chandler on the first time he took his daughter flyfishing. […]
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Congratulations on being a father. I also am a father of an amazing 18-month old daughter. It is the best. Can't wait to teach her to fly fish! I enjoy your website a lot. I miss Mt. Shasta.
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Tom, I echo the above comment--you've definitely reached the "sweet spot" when it comes to writing. A daughter has a way of doing that for you. Brilliant essay. Can't wait to read the next entry! -- Dr. Todd
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Great read, if only ALL parents understood the value of fly fishing and were smart enough to pass it on to their kids. Good Stuff TC
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[...] Friday, Wally the Wonderdog had the time of his life with Little M and I (when he’s outdoors with us, he pretty much always has the time of his [...]
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Thanks Tom for a great write up,just think of all the things you get to do again through your daughters eyes oh the joy !! I still have my first real steelhead rod FF85 81/2 7-8
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Made my day! This is flyfishing at its best. Thanks for sharing.
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At some point in the growing up process we forget to smile with our whole being like she is doing in that pic..... pretty dang cool.....
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With the additon of Miss M your writing has taken on a whole new style and outlook. I think it is safe to say that she has opened up a door to a whole new world of experiences for you. But don't forget to include Wally in your articles once in awhile!
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Good on you, Tom! Nothing like seeing the world through the eyes of a child! Even the mundane takes on new perspective. I took my grandsons to Sequioa NP a couple weeks ago; the brookies were stupid, the browns less so. Questions such as:"What's bigger, a Blue Whale or a Giant Sequioa?" and sighting a blond bear cub and its mama at 50 yards took a back seat to the actual catching. When I fired up ... more the laptop at their house to show them the TR on WFF, their 2 year old cousin was shrieking like Li'l M must have when fish were seen. Oh, what a feeling.
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Hmmm. Makes me realize I've got to increase the pressure on the oldest to produce a grandchild. A really excellent piece.
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The hat's made by Patagonia, though I can't give you number and verse. She loves the thing.
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The Fenwick graphite rods are still pretty sweet. I remember casting an 8.5' 5wt that was stunningly nice. The glass rods still command surprisingly high prices.
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The pure joy of watching a small child grow and learn. It's indescribable to anyone who has not had that experience. It's delight, love, fascination, concern, motivation, and the newness never wears off as they become (and are!) real people in our eyes. Then .. to express themselves, with 'shrieks', giggles, watching eyes, hugs, and at some point, the ability to TALK. That is a mixed bag !! And a ... more buddy on a fly fishing excursion. Does it get any better? You bet .. and that's still to be discovered.
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Great pics and post. You gotta tell me where you got your daughter that hat . . . I'm going to need to pick one up for my 7 year old before our next fishing trip in August.
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A truly wonderful post. I'm looking forward to getting my 6-month old girl up there as soon as possible!
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I have an old Fenwick IM6 Graphite that one of my brothers bought back when it was "the sh*t". It's a 9' 6-weight, but casts much better with a #5 line, so that's what I use on it. Great for small, technical dries (midges and #20 or smaller BWO's) at Taneycomo or the White here in the Ozarks. I'd kill for one of those fiberglass Fenwicks. Looks like your having fun!
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That's what happy looks like. SBW
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