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From the Flyfisher
Best bet is just to realize that anything a fisherman is saying about his fishing trip is either a lie or a damn lie, and just nod your head and smile as if you actually believed any of it. You need to understand that your flyfisher is totally insane, obsessed with outsmarting a fish that has a brain the size of a dry pea, and having a somewhat difficult time of it. The flyfisher spends his day up to his flask in a chilly stream, using a $1000 stick to tangle his $60 line up into some branches, emitting noxious fumes from his pipe and his waders, while imbibing more single malt than is appropriate for a Sunday morning, and after hours of tangling his line, falling in the stream, and using a stream of vocabulary that would make the very devil blush, he finally catches a fish, and lets it go. What's not to understand?
Our thanks to Timothy Juvenal for his contribution to this page.
What a Flyfisher Wants Most
If you have a flyfisher, what they want from you most is your wholehearted encouragement to go and fish. Face it, unless you enjoy being wet and uncomfortable, this is not a "togetherness" kind of hobby. It's not like the hobbies they do in the garage or the workshop, where you can go and sit with them while they do. With this one, sitting with them requires things that are waterproof and possibly inflatable. They're not trying to ditch you, but fishing in the aquarium just isn't any fun.
If you want to make your flyfisher happy, don't just let them go fishing. Insist they go fishing. Send them off to their favorite fishing spot guilt-free, secure in the knowledge that they will not be in trouble when they get home. When they do get home, they will be more than happy to spend time with you, lying about the fish and hoping you're impressed.
Find out about Flyfishing
You can find out what they're up to without much effort. The following resources should help. Imagine the fun of finally understanding what they're talking about!
Ask your Flyfisher
They say that the lies people tell are more revealing than the truths. That's good, because flyfishers lie. They lie well, often and without apology. Lying about their fishing exploits is as much a part of the hobby as tying the flies. It's an important skill and they work hard to perfect it.
That said, ask them to tell you their fish stories. In order for you to properly appreciate their bald-faced lies, they'll have to educate you a bit. You'll get a lot of laughs and pick up a lot of information along the way. Be nice though. Try to keep a straight face and pretend like you're buying their stories. If you must laugh out loud, don't point.
The Dry Fly and Fast Water
If you want to get an in-depth look at what goes on in the head of a flyfisher, consider this classic flyfishing book by George LaBranche. The excerpt below should give you an idea of the kind of things they're doing out there. Once you're done, you can pass the book on to your flyfisher, who will probably enjoy it in a way that involves much less astonished head-shaking.
"Exercising patience, he may walk slowly and quietly into the water at the tail of the stretch and as closely as possible to the bank the fish are under. Having attained the desired position, he should remain there long enough to allow all commotion made by his entry to cease, during which time no motion of the rod should be made, because the sight of any moving object will send the now alert trout scurrying, while the ripples will make him uneasy for a short time only."
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Flyfishing
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Gift Ideas
Flyfishers want a pretty narrow range of stuff. They want rods and they want flies. Flies being hooks decorated to look like something a fish might want to eat. They are a few incidentals like line and boots, but mainly, they want rods and they want flies. Mostly flies.
Gift Certificates
As with many hobbies, most of the stuff they want, they want to pick out for themselves. Gift certificates are good. If your flyfisher likes a particular local flyshop, see if they offer gift cards. This allows them to amble happily around a local shop discussing the pros and cons of various hand-tied flies with the proprietor and the other flyfishers. If there isn't a local flyshop, or if you're not local to your flyfisher, these online stores offer lots of good flyfishing items for your flyfisher to choose from.
Cabela's
This is a big online outfitter with a wide selection of flyfishing items and several gift card and gift certificate options. The minimum for gift certificates is only $5.00.
EzFlyfish.com
An online store dedicated to flyfishing, so the selection is more closely geared to flyfishing than some of the larger outfitters. Gift certificates start at $25.00 and are only available in email format.
Orvis
Orvis is another large online retailer with a wide selection. It is considered to be a bit "sporty" and high-end for your average flyfisher. However, if you want to give high-end, or if your flyfisher is a sport flyfisher, Orvis is a good choice. There is a $25.00 mininum for gift cards.
Flyfishers Paradise
They do sell gift certificates, but you'll need to call them. Give your flyfisher a gift certificate along with one of their catalogs.
troutflies.com
This place is authentic! It's so authentic that it's run by a fisherman who stops filling orders now and then to go fishing for awhile. If your order is time-sensitive, make sure you check the Home Page before ordering your gift certificate to see if they are on hiatus. $20.00 minimum. Delivery by email only.
Catalogs and Sticky Notes
Many times, the places they like to buy from don't offer gift certificates. Grab a stack of their favorite catalogs or their wishlist and leave it on their favorite chair with a note telling them they are approved for a shopping spree and the amount they can spend. Warning: Don't stand between the favorite chair and the phone for a while.
Books
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Books by Ed Zern
Ed Zern (sometimes credited as Edward Geary Zern) authored the Exit Laughing feature in Field and Stream magazine for decades. His essays and thoughts on the outdoors and those who go there are hilarious. Your flyfisher will have a lot of fun with any of these books. They are older, so keep an eye out for them in used bookstores, flea markets and garage sales. There are a selection of Ed Zern books available through Amazon, both used and new.
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Patrick McManus is an outdoor humorist with a long time column in Outdoor Life. His books are collections of hysterically funny hunting and fishing stories. Your flyfisher is likely to really enjoy any one you pick.
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Blue Ribbon Flies Tying Instructions
Each year, this Montana-based flyfishing outfitter puts out a book on how to tie interesting new flies. If your flyfisher likes to tie his own, these books are inexpensive and fun. As an added bonus, Blue Ribbon Flies donates a percentage of their gross sales each year to global conservation efforts, so consider requesting a catalog for your flyfisher as well.
Extravagences
Fishing Trips
Part of the fun of flyfishing is fishing in different places. Give your flyfisher the go-ahead to grab their buddies and take off for a few days to that spot in another state that they've always wanted to fish. You're not looking at first class plane tickets and four-star hotels, but you are likely sponsoring a new bunch of flies and possibly some other gear appropriate for wherever they're going and whatever kind of fish reside there.
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