Anyone see this, "Finding Work Through Others' Play"?* Here's what caught my eye:
'We didn’t get any [permit] today, but I learned so much,' Tallim said. 'The casting and fly retrieving tips I got from Charlie and Julio [guides] are worth more than getting a fish.'*Really, what a good sport! (I know the feeling, see "12 Miles in 12 Hours".)
Good guides are professionals who know their home waters inside and out and keep their clients safe in all kinds of circumstances - no small feat. They know key flies, rigging and tactics for a successful day of fishing, and they give their clients as many opportunities as possible to hook, play, land/boat and release or keep fish.
The rest is up to the angler... being able to deliver the fly to the fish - in short, make the cast, manage line. Destination fishing trips cost upwards of a few grand to beaucoup bucks. The best way for an angler to enjoy such trips is to be prepared: engage a casting instructor before leaving home. Learn to confidently cast and manage line with a series of lessons. It's fun and money-wise, it's just plain smart.
Good guides can be good teachers; we benefit immensely from our fishing experience with them. Good casting instructors give anglers the benefit of experiencing guided trips with an immense sense of accomplishment and their money's worth of opportunities. Think about it....
*SANTELLA, Chris. "Finding Work Through Others' Play". The New York Times [New York] June 19, 2012, Sports, pg B15. [Accessed June 19, 2012, available online at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/sports/finding-work-from-fly-fishings-popularity-in-mexico.html]
© Marian Tallon, July, 2012