A Woman's Perspective
by Sarah Haning

When people find out that I like to fly fish and tie flies they are always surprised and I would also say very curious. The most common question is, “How did you ever get interested in fly-fishing?” Maybe the fact that I am a female increases their interest as to how my passion for fly-fishing got started since I’m a minority out on the ponds, lakes, and rivers.

Fishing is a part of my earliest memories. My Dad would take me golfing ever since I was about 4 or 5. I was far more fascinated with the creatures that lived in the ponds and streams that we encountered on the course than the game of golf itself. Usually, a side trip to the local fishing hole was a bribe to get me to go golfing growing up. My Dad, who grew up in Ireland, has always enjoyed fishing and talked of his fly-fishing days in Great Britain, South Africa and the provinces throughout Canada before settling here in Michigan. He had shared many tales over the years and always commented on how he would like to get back into the sport again. As his retirement approached quite a few years ago he talked more and more of fly-fishing, so my husband and I started shopping for fly-fishing gifts for him. Before we knew it, we had purchased a few items for ourselves and we’ve never been the same since!

When it came to the technical side of fly-fishing, I wasn’t a quick study and my husband can vouch for that! I guess you can say that I am more of an artistic type of person and I am easily challenged when it comes to technical subjects. On our many rides to Michigan rivers, I sat in the passenger seat tying knots again and again since I was told, “You’re on your own, you’ve got to learn!” After much time studying sinking line, floating line, this weight, that weight, tippet, leader, etc., etc.,……..I think I’ve got it, or at least a small part of the big picture. It’s like golf. It’s much more enjoyable just swinging and not thinking. With practice, soon you are just casting and not thinking as you find things naturally falling into place.

Of course, the next step was to enter the very technical world of fly tying (remember, I’m artistic, not technically minded.) It seems as if many of us reach the point that we get tired of spending the money on flies and decide to go the cheaper route, tying our own (Ha!) I’m not quite sure when or if it will actually get to be cheaper but it is very enjoyable. I started off tying completely on my own, and reading tying instructions was like a foreign language to me. However, looking at the feathers and fur, I could envision the most beautiful flies but I just couldn’t put them together.  I ended up taking a fly-tying class at a women’s outing and had an instructor that described tying in a way that it all started to fall together. I can’t thank Dave enough. He’s a great instructor and can build some awesome rods! Tying went from a frustration to a technical way for me to enjoy my artistic visions. Trying a new recipe is always lots of fun and it’s guaranteed to be different from the original pattern the first time around. Sitting at the desk is one of my favorite ways to pass the time during the winter months. It is a great time to reflect back and experiment with different patterns and even stumble upon a winner. 

So far, I’ve pretty much painted the picture that learning how to fly fish and tie flies was quite the challenge for me. Many people would wonder why I would stick with it but you guys all know why. Fly-fishing has been so rewarding in so many ways, whether a fish was caught or not. On just about every trip, there is a memory that I have come away with I otherwise would have missed. We’ve traveled throughout the U.S; we've fished in spots that otherwise would not have been on our travel destinations and have enjoyed so many wonderful times.  These locations were remote and breathtakingly beautiful. Had it not been for fly-fishing, we never would have enjoyed these incredible locations. And then there is the creek 15 minutes from home….I have driven by there so many times, but it wasn’t until I stepped foot in the water and fished the small stream that I realized tranquility was so close to home. 

There are fish that stand out in my mind that keep me coming back for more. There’s the monster Steelhead I lost, the big fat 'gill on the pond, the bass that nailed the chili pepper, the big brown that gave me a challenge in the lumber, etc. We’ve all got memories that keep us in anticipation of the next fishing excursion. My favorite fish ever was while we were camping in the U.P. in Michigan. I got up before everyone else and hiked out in my waders to sneak out for a few before we had to pack up camp. I was the first one down the trail; the cobwebs told me so. I picked a nice spot on the gorgeous river and tied on a bead-head Pheasant Tail.  About 3 drifts later, I had a nice brown on. I was landing the fish and I glanced up river about 30 yards and a beautiful doe was crossing the river. What a moment, I’ll never forget it.

There is just something about standing in the river casting that you can’t quite put to words.