The Penobscot Fly Fishers have been around for more than 30 years. One of the group’s missions is to promote fly fishing and fly tying. PFF also exists to encourage fellowship among anglers who share a common bond. Over the years, PFF has taught numerous kids and parents how to properly cast a fly rod and create a hand-tied artificial fly.
Recently, during PFF’s annual Cabin Fever Reliever Show at the Brewer Auditorium, I was surprised to see no young people gathered around the kids fly tying table. In earlier years, when I was an active member, I recall a very different scene — youngsters gathered around the tying vise, visibly excited to learn the skill from a seasoned instructor.
“Is your group still conducting fly tying and fly casting classes for youngsters and their parents?” I asked one of the members.
“Not anymore,” I was told. “For some reason, a few years ago, we just stopped getting any response. We discontinued the classes for an apparent lack of interest.”
“I wonder what is going on?” I asked myself. “Why are youngsters seemingly no longer interested in learning how to catch a feisty fish on a fly they tied themselves?”
What do you think? There is probably more than one explanation for what sociologists label a “cultural shift.”
For one thing, we know that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted many long-standing programs and traditions. Participation in outdoor recreation actually increased during the pandemic as millions of Americans turned to outdoor activities, but many organizations say fewer people returned to in-person instructional programs.
We also know that most anglers are introduced to fishing at a young age. Children who grow up fishing are far more likely to become anglers as adults. When kids are not exposed to fishing early, they are less likely to take it up later in life.
Kids’ schedules are also much more hyper-structured than they were a few years ago. It is hard for fly tying classes to compete with pee wee hockey, video gaming and, yes, social media time — the ever-present iPhone.
We also know that more than ever our children, not unlike their parents, live in an era of instant gratification with short attention spans, fast feedback and shorter learning sessions. Fly tying is a detail-oriented undertaking and tends toward slow gratification — catching a fish later on a fly the child tied.
We also know from recent debates about banning Maine fly-fishing-only waters that there is a popular misconception that fly fishing is costly and the exclusive domain of the sporting elite. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It saddens me that in a state like Maine, with an incomparable sport fishery that includes remote trout ponds that are habitat to priceless wild brook trout, the younger generation is missing out. For me and my family, casting a small dry fly to a rising brook trout in early June is the ultimate angling memory.
All I can say to children or parents looking for an experience that raises the bar of wonderful fishing experiences is this: Casting a fly rod on a fly you tied yourself is a skill accessible to all.
Catch the wave, baby.