This afternoon, I took my Redington Crosswater and collection of a dozen flies down to Jamaica Pond for my first go at fly casting. It was freezing (literally) and windy, but at least the sun was out.
I strung up the rod with a #16 Parachute Adams thinking it would help me see the fly as I took my first step into fly fishing. Instead, I failed miserably as the wind prevented me from making any forward movement with the line.
I swapped out the dry fly for a #16 Wooly Bugger and had a bit more luck. I was able to get the fly moving, but the wind made it difficult to figure out if I was doing anything right. I couldn’t get the hang of holding the line with my forefinger either – I couldn’t regulate the pressure while maintaining a strong hold of the rod. I got in a few rounds of practice until my hands froze over and I admitted defeat to the wind.
Overall, I was frustrated (it didn’t help that I lost my Wooly Bugger when I didn’t realize it blew off my bike seat where I had placed it while packing up) by the outing. But importantly, I wasn’t frustrated with the sport, I was annoyed by the thought that we still have about two months more of winter. I can’t wait for the spring to arrive, the days to lengthen, the weather to warm. I can’t wait to be obsessed.