Fly Fish Spokane guides people through nature in the heart of the community | Outdoor question | Spokane | Interior of the Pacific Northwest

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For those who are relatively new to the sport of fly fishing, wading in the water is an easy way to get started and only requires a pair of waders.

Fly fishing guides probably won’t tell you their real secrets to success right away (you have to earn the privilege), but there’s one piece of advice they’ll easily share, even with complete strangers: Fly fishing is a lot easier to practice than you might think.

That’s not to say that there isn’t an incredible amount of information to be learned about fly fishing, from specialized techniques using specific rods and flies, to the intricate art of fly-tying themselves. same.

For example, Rob Driscoll, retiree from Cheney and avid fishing, recalls taking a fly-tying course when he was in college, when his teacher insisted that a particularly complicated fly would take them six months to learn to tie well.

“People say, ‘Is fly fishing a sport, a hobby, a hobby? For me it has been a calling, “Driscoll says,” but I think since I retired, looking at it, it’s really art. … You can continue to learn more and more about it.

Lucky for the rest of us, you don’t need to know every detail before we can get out on the water for that magical, personal connection with nature.

In fact, just this spring, Driscoll launched the Fly Fish Spokane guide company to help more people access the Spokane River fishery, where red banded trout are the prize to be caught and released.

The company offers guided fishing trips in and around Spokane, either on float boats that can accommodate up to two fishermen and a guide, or on foot and ford trips where up to three fishermen can go with one. guide and learn more about specific coves. and trails.

Driscoll says he was inspired to start the business after reading the Interiorin its April issue of “Big Ideas”, in which the newspaper asked local opinion leaders how to improve Spokane. Downtown Spokane Partnership President and CEO Mark Richard suggested Spokane encourage more companies to offer urban recreation on the river.

Driscoll had previously led fishing trips throughout Montana when he retired, although he spent most of his time in Cheney with his wife, a professor at Eastern Washington University, and his son who attends Gonzaga Prep. After reading Richard’s speech, Driscoll called Richard over for coffee and set about making the Spokane guide company a reality.

“I couldn’t believe this urban fishing was such a secret,” Driscoll says. “Montana is one of the best fishing spots in the world, but I think the Spokane River is great fishing here in town.”

Richard was pleasantly surprised to hear from the avid fisherman so quickly, and the two talked about how Driscoll could partner with local businesses and publicize guided fishing trips at hotels and other places visitors can find more information about recreational opportunities.

“It’s so Spokane … I don’t think people realize how special Spokane is: all you need is an idea and the courage to pick up the phone, and things like it can happen, ”says Richard. “He has this love and passion for the outdoors, and he has this expertise that he can put into it.”

FROM LEFT: Ethan Fields of Fly Fish Spokane, Owner Rob Driscoll, Marc Fryt and Ethan Crawford along the Spokane River.  - PHOTO YOUNG KWAK

Photo of young Kwak

FROM LEFT: Ethan Fields of Fly Fish Spokane, Owner Rob Driscoll, Marc Fryt and Ethan Crawford along the Spokane River.

GUIDED TOURS

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Driscoll has three guides to lead tours on the Spokane River, and the company has been taking people down the river since May.

Certified guides include Marc Fryt, a 32-year-old former military scout helicopter pilot and wilderness first responder; Ethan Fields, a 21-year-old emergency medical technician and starting linebacker from Whitworth University; and Ethan Crawford, an 18-year-old Lewis and Clark High School graduate.

Fryt got into fly fishing while serving in the military.

“I was in the military, stationed in Tacoma, so that’s how I got into fly fishing, just to get away from the military a bit,” says Fryt.

One of the things that surprised him the most as he learned more about the sport was that it wasn’t just to catch trout. He’s caught everything from bonefish in the Caribbean to carp in the river in downtown Los Angeles.

Most of the time, the barbless, bait-less fishing technique is all about catching and releasing, which Fryt says has led some people to wonder why he enjoys it.

“I kind of say, ‘Well, for mountaineering, why do you climb mountains?’ They say, “Well, because they’re there,” said Fryt. “Why are you fishing?” Because they’re there. ”

Fields, who will be a health sciences student at Whitworth this fall, first discovered the sport during a trip to Yellowstone with his grandfather at the age of 4. continued with passion here in Spokane.

“I think a lot of people see fly fishing as one thing, and what I’ve discovered over the past few years is that it’s an ever-evolving sport,” said Fields. “There are all these different types of fly fishing in the sport itself. If you miss one thing, you move on to the next.”

Crawford has a particularly deep passion for fly fishing as it has helped him get through a very difficult time in his life. When Crawford was 9, his father gave him a fly rod shortly before he died of cancer.

“Since then… it’s my way of escaping whatever is going on. It was a way of mourning her death,” Crawford said. “I could go up into the mountains and just throw flies in the little trout coves and get away from whatever was going on. For me that was a very important part of my life.”

Crawford says his father wasn’t really someone who went fly fishing, but with this gift he sparked a passion for his son.

“I think he just wanted something for me to remember him – something active that I could do,” Crawford says.

From a young age Crawford fished alone in the early mornings on group camping trips to his church, and he has since absorbed as much knowledge as possible.

“It’s my way of life. It would be an understatement to say I love it,” Crawford says.

For those who are relatively new to the sport, Crawford says that, of course, a boat trip can be fun, but a wading and walking excursion can offer the most knowledge you can use on your own, as a pair of waders are much cheaper than a raft.

“If you were a beginner I would say wading is easier because you can do it without someone else’s help, but you still have to know where to go and where to present the flies,” Crawford says. “I really honed my skills at tying different types of flies. I think it’s really important for a new person, they really need to take the time to learn what’s in the water, because that’s what you imitate, it doesn’t matter what they eat. ”

OFFERS

Introductory courses with Fly Fish Spokane for up to four anglers start at $ 200 for three hours of instruction. Guided tours go up to $ 415 for a full-day tour for two with lunch and soft drinks included. None of the class fees include the cost of a state freshwater fishing license, which you can purchase online at wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/fishing.

Other outfitters and guides in the area include Silver Bow Fly Shop, Northwest Outfitters, and ROW Adventures.

Driscoll also notes that there is something special about wading, which can be more dangerous than boating.

“Water is a special thing for fly fishermen and women,” says Driscoll. “Having that water rushing around you and your waders… Wading for me has always been more leisurely, and the reason is that you are just you and the river.”

Just months into its operations, the team is answering calls from all kinds of people interested in fly fishing, from visitors to Spokane to locals who don’t yet know some of the best local places to go.

Fields says it was cool to see people from Spokane who had never fished the Spokane River before, and help them realize the access they had had from the start.

“You walk out of town and feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, and a lot of people don’t know that,” Fields says. “It’s a cool experience.”

The crew mainly met in various ways through the Swedish Fly Shop in the Garland district, and one of the team’s tips for anyone looking to get started is to hang out there and talk. to the owner and those used to fishing.

Driscoll and Crawford also point out that the best way to start is to just get out there, and not be intimidated or afraid to try.

“The best practice is to do this. I’ve only taken one fly fishing course,” Crawford explains. “The best way to learn how to catch fish is to go out there and try your flies and try your rigs and throw in the water and learn how water interacts with flies and line.” ♦



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