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HandoutHandout 1: What You Actually Need to Buy
Handout 1: What You Actually Need to Buy
Here's the thing. I could send you home with a shopping list a mile long and half of it would sit in a drawer. So this is split into two tiers: what gets you on the water this season, and what's nice once you know you love it. Buy the first column. Wait on the second.
The Budget Tier (get on the water for maybe $80–120)
Rod, reel, line combo. Any sporting goods store sells a beginner combo already spooled with line, usually a 5-weight, 9 foot rod. That's the standard all-around size for our rivers. You don't need anything fancier than this to start. I feel like people get talked into buying more rod than they need before they've even made a cast.
Leader and tippet. A few leaders (roughly 9 foot, 4X or 5X) and a spool of matching tippet. This is the clear line that connects your fly to the thicker colored line. Cheap, small, easy to lose in your car, buy two of everything.
A small handful of flies. Ask whoever's behind the counter what's working on the Provo that week and buy six or eight. Don't overthink it (I still mostly guess at this myself, more on that in class).
Barbless hooks, or a hook pincher to flatten the barbs yourself. Non negotiable for me. I pinch every barb down before it goes in my box. Easier on the fish, and easier on your ear, which I say from experience I'd rather not repeat.
Polarized sunglasses. Cheap ones are fine. These aren't for the sun so much as for seeing into the water, they cut the glare so you can actually spot fish and rocks. Also good general eye protection when a hook is flying around near your face.
Nippers or small scissors. For trimming knots. A fingernail clipper from home works. I'm not kidding.
Old shoes or boots you don't mind getting wet, and a change of dry socks in the car. You do not need waders to start. Fish from the bank in shoes you already own and save the money.
Nice-to-Have Tier (add these once you know you're hooked, pun intended)
- A vest or small chest pack to keep flies and tippet handy instead of digging through pockets
- A net (makes releasing fish easier on them and less stressful for you)
- Waders, if you want to get into the current itself. Buy these after a season, not before. I'd rather you stay safe on the bank than get overconfident in cold water because you spent money on gear
- A nicer rod, once you know what kind of fishing you actually like doing
Shopping Notes
Any of the outdoor or sporting goods stores along the freeway corridor between here and Provo will have beginner combos and can set you up start to finish in one trip. A proper fly shop (there are a couple down toward Provo canyon) will cost a little more but the person behind the counter will know exactly what's hatching that week, and that's worth something. I'd do one trip to a big store for the basics and one stop at a fly shop just to ask questions, even if you don't buy anything there.
Don't order your flies online before the first class. Bring what you've got or nothing at all, we'll sort you out.
One last thing, and I say this every year: do not buy the $900 setup because it looks serious in the store. A guy with a cheap rod who knows where the fish are sitting will out-fish that setup every single time. Save your money. Spend it on gas money to get up the canyon instead.
HandoutHandout 2: Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet
Handout 2: Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet
Here's the thing, you don't need to memorize all of this before you go. Print it, fold it, stick it in your vest pocket or your truck. Pull it out when you're standing in the water going "wait, how does this go again." That's what it's for.
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The One Knot You Actually Need
Improved Clinch Knot (this is the one I teach, this is the one I still use)
- Thread the line through the hook eye, leave yourself 5-6 inches of tail.
- Wrap the tail around the main line 5 times.
- Bring the tail back through the little loop by the eye, then through the big loop you just made.
- Wet it with spit before you cinch it down tight. This matters more than people think, dry knots weaken the line.
- Trim the tag end close.
I feel like people rush this step because they want to get their fly in the water. Don't. A gorgeous cast with a bad knot just means you lose the fish and the fly. Learn this one knot cold before you worry about anything else.
(I still can't reliably tie a double surgeon's knot. Fumble it every time. If you need one, ask at a fly shop, I'm not too proud to say that's not my strength.)
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Barbless Hooks. Every Time. No Exceptions.
Pinch the barb down with forceps or needle-nose pliers before you tie on. Flat, not just bent. This is easier on the fish and, from personal experience, easier on your ear. (Long story. Ask me sometime and I'll tell you, it's a good one.)
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Reading the Water, Fast Version
- Seams — where fast water meets slow water. Fish sit on the slow side and grab food drifting by. This is where I look first, every time.
- Behind rocks — the calm pocket downstream of a big rock. Little living room for a trout.
- Riffles into pools — where choppy shallow water dumps into a deeper calm spot. Good stuff happens right at that transition.
- Undercut banks — shady, tucked-under edges. Fish feel safe there.
A cheap rod pointed at good water beats an expensive rod pointed at dead water. I will say that until you believe me.
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Basic Cast, Step by Step
- Start with about 10-15 feet of line out.
- Lift the rod tip smoothly to about 1 o'clock behind you (backcast). Pause. Let the line straighten out behind you before you come forward, this is the part everybody rushes.
- Bring the rod forward to about 10 o'clock, stop crisp.
- Let the line lay down on the water.
That's it. I'm not going to pretend I can launch line clear across the river, my distance is nothing special. But I can put a fly where it needs to go at a normal range, and for a beginner, that's the whole game.
Watch your backcast. Look behind you before you start slinging line around, especially with other people nearby. Nobody wants a fly in their ear (see above).
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Safety, Plain and Once
- Cold water. The Provo is colder and pushier than it looks, even in summer. A neighbor of mine stepped in a hole he didn't see and went in to the chest. Watch your footing.
- Slick rocks. Wet rocks with algae are like ice. Take small steps, use a wading staff or a sturdy stick if you've got one.
- Waders are optional for beginners. Old shoes on the bank is a fine way to start. I'd rather you stay cautious in cheap gear than get overconfident in expensive gear.
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Catch and Release Reminder
Wet your hands before you touch a fish, keep it in the water as much as you can, and get it back in quick. Parts of the Provo have special regulations, check current rules before you go out on your own. I'm not preachy about this but I do care about it.
That counts as a good day, by the way. Standing in the river, one fish or zero. Ask me how I know.
WorksheetHandout 3: On-the-Water Checklist
Handout 3: On-the-Water Checklist
Here's the thing, this handout won't do you any good sitting in your bag. Fill it in while you're standing in the water or right after. That's when it actually sticks.
Bring a pencil. Pen freezes up if it's cold, and your hands will be a little wet no matter what I tell you.
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Before you wade in
- [ ] Barb pinched down on every fly I'm using today (check twice, I mean it)
- [ ] Rod, reel, line all looking right, nothing frayed
- [ ] I know which stretch I'm fishing and whether it's catch-and-release / special regs here: ________________
- [ ] Told someone where I'm going and when I'll be back
- [ ] Shoes or boots that won't slide on wet rock. Old sneakers count. New white ones do not.
Reading the water (this is the part that matters most)
Walk the bank a minute before you cast anything. Write down what you see.
- Where's the current moving fast, and where does it slow down or swirl? ________________
- Any seams (fast water next to slow water, right along an edge)? Where? ________________
- Any spots that look deeper and darker, maybe under a bank or a log? ________________
- Circle your best guess for where a fish is sitting right now, before you cast a single time: ________________
I feel like beginners want to skip this part and just start whipping line around. Don't. A guy with a cheap rod who reads water right will out-fish a guy with fancy gear casting into dead water, every time. I'll say that until you believe me.
The knot (do this on dry land first)
- [ ] Tied a clinch knot, checked it, it held
- [ ] Tied a second one without me talking you through it
- [ ] Wet the knot before I snugged it down (dry knots weaken the line, don't skip this)
A pretty cast with a bad knot just means you lose the fish in slow motion. Get the knot right before you worry about looking good out there.
Casting log
Try a few casts. After each one, write one thing that worked and one thing to fix. Don't overthink it, one word is fine.
Cast # Worked Fix next time 1 2 3 Safety, plain and simple
- Cold water: if you go in over your boots, get out and dry off, don't tough it out
- Slick rocks: move slow, especially near the bigger boulders, that's how Bradley ended up chest-deep and freezing (ask me about it sometime)
- Backcast: know what's behind you before you throw the line back. Trees, bushes, and neighbors all count.
If you catch something
- [ ] Wet hands before you touch the fish
- [ ] Hook out quick, fish back in the water fast
- [ ] Took thirty seconds after to just stand there and notice where you were standing when it happened
That last one isn't a joke. That's the part you'll remember.
Last line, fill in yourself
Today I ________________ (caught a fish / didn't catch a fish / lost a fly in a tree / got my ear a little too close to a hook / stood in a river and felt fine about it), and that counts as a good day.
HandoutHandout 4: When It's Not Working (A Troubleshooting Guide)
Handout 4: When It's Not Working (A Troubleshooting Guide)
Every single one of these problems has happened to me. Some of them happened to me twice. Here's what's probably going wrong and what to do about it.
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1. My line just piles up in front of me instead of going out. You're probably not stopping your rod tip hard enough on the forward cast. Think of it like snapping a towel, not painting with a brush. Stop the rod at about the ten o'clock position and let the line do the rest. I feel like everybody wants to muscle this and it's the opposite of what you need.
2. I keep hooking myself, my hat, or the bush behind me. Watch your backcast. Actually turn your head and look. This is the one I'll say plainly and only once: know what's behind you before you load that rod. Barbless hooks help (see #7, or actually see the fact that I hooked my own ear once), but the real fix is just looking.
3. My fly keeps landing in a heap, all tangled with my leader. You're probably casting too hard, too fast, or stopping too late on the front stroke. Slow everything down. A soft, controlled stop lets the leader lay out straight instead of collapsing.
4. I got a fish on and then lost it almost immediately. Nine times out of ten this is your knot, not your cast. A gorgeous cast with a sloppy knot is worthless. Go back to Handout 2 and retie your clinch knot. Test it by pulling hard before you ever put it in the water, not after.
5. I'm not getting any drift, the fly just skips across the top funny. That's drag, and it's the most common beginner problem there is. Your line is pulling the fly faster or slower than the actual current. Mend your line (a little flip upstream right after your cast lands) and watch your fly instead of watching your rod.
6. I can't tell if that's a bite or just the current. Watch your line, not the water. If your line stops, twitches, or moves sideways when it shouldn't, set the hook. When in doubt, set. Worst case you spooked a rock.
7. I got my hook stuck in myself, another person, or a tree. Pinch your barbs down before you ever step in the water, no argument from me on this one. If it's in skin, barbless usually backs out fine, but don't be a hero, get it looked at if it's deep. If it's in a tree, my honest advice is to try to flick it loose gently before you snap the line. I once lost a fight with a tree branch that a passing teenager won in one throw of a rock. Humbling. Learn from me.
8. My feet are going numb and I can't feel the bottom. Get out of the water. That's not a suggestion, that's the whole fix. Utah river bottoms are uneven and colder than they look, and a hole you can't see is exactly how my neighbor Bradley ended up chest-deep and freezing. Fish from the bank in old shoes if you're not confident yet. Nobody's impressed by wet and miserable.
9. I'm standing in a good-looking spot and nothing's happening. Good-looking to you and good-looking to a trout are different things. Fish sit in slower water next to faster water, behind rocks, in seams. Move. Reading water beats fancy gear every time, and moving twenty feet can matter more than a new fly.
10. I'm getting frustrated and thinking about quitting for the day. That counts as information, not failure. Sit down, watch the water for five minutes, talk to whoever you're with. My daughter Shaylee spent a whole afternoon just untangling line and never caught a thing and called it the calmest she'd felt all semester. Some days that's the win. Bless her, honestly.
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If none of this fixes it, that's what next week's class is for. Bring your questions and your knots and we'll sort it out standing in the water, which is where sorting things out works best anyway.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 1
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay but that's the part people don't believe when I tell them. Zero fish.
GILBERT: Zero. Three hours, zero fish, and I drove home grinning like an idiot.
JESS: This is Gilbert, by the way, for anyone who just joined us mid-sentence. I'm Jess, I run the podcast side of things for Utah Community Learning, and Gilbert teaches Beginner Fly Fishing on Utah Rivers, which starts up next week.
GILBERT: Hi. Sorry, I get going.
JESS: No it's good, keep going, tell the zero fish story.
GILBERT: So this is maybe twelve years ago. Neighbor of mine takes me up the Provo, hands me a rod, I don't know what I'm doing at all. Three hours. Not one fish. And I get home and Tricia, my wife, she asks how it went, and I said "I didn't catch anything and I want to go back tomorrow." And she just looked at me. Like, who is this man.
JESS: What was it, do you think? Because that's a hard sell to a beginner. "You'll probably catch nothing and love it."
GILBERT: I feel like that's actually the honest pitch though. It wasn't about the fish. It was the quiet, and the water moving, and just having a reason to be standing there for three hours instead of doing whatever else I'd normally be doing on a Saturday. I was kind of an indoor kid growing up, so standing in a river was already a strange and good feeling before a single fish was involved.
JESS: I love that you lead with the class isn't really about the fish. That seems like a hard thing to put on a flyer.
GILBERT: (laughs) Bless whoever writes our flyers, they've heard this speech from me. But here's the thing, I mean it. I've had students who spent a whole afternoon just untangling their line and never got a fly in the water and told me after it was the calmest they'd felt in months. That counts as a good day. I'm serious about that.
JESS: Okay, give people something they can actually use though. Something a listener could take today, never sign up for the class, and still be better off.
GILBERT: Sure. Here's one, and it's free, and it matters more than people think. Learn one knot. Just one. The clinch knot, that's the one I teach. Not because it's the best knot in the world, my buddy Bradley can tie fancier ones than me all day, but because a gorgeous cast with a bad knot loses you the fish every single time. I'd rather have an ugly cast and a solid knot than the other way around.
JESS: That feels like it applies to more than fishing, honestly.
GILBERT: I feel like most fishing advice does if you squint. Anyway. Practice the clinch knot on the couch tonight with some old line, watching TV, whatever. Your hands will thank you standing in the river.
JESS: Good. Real, usable, free. I like it. Now give me the other thing, the ear thing, because I've heard you tell this at parties.
GILBERT: Oh no.
JESS: Yes.
GILBERT: Okay so, fifth or sixth time out, I hook my own ear. Barbless hook, thank goodness, so it came out fine, but I still had to explain a little bandage situation at church the next morning. And that's actually why I'm firm about barbless hooks in the class, no argument, I pinch every barb down myself before we start and I make everybody do the same to theirs. Easier on the fish, and considerably easier on your ear.
JESS: Noted. Pinch the barb.
GILBERT: Pinch the barb.
JESS: Okay, before we run out of tape, tell people what's coming in session two, because I know you've got something planned with actual water involved this time.
GILBERT: Right, so week one we're mostly indoors, knots, gear, what to wear, why waders are honestly optional for beginners, I'd rather you fish off the bank in old sneakers than go into debt on gear you're not ready for. But session two we're up the canyon, actual river, and we do reading the water. Where fish sit, where they don't. I feel like this is the whole ballgame, more than any expensive rod. Somebody with a cheap setup who knows where to look will out-fish a guy with nine hundred dollars of gear casting into dead water every time.
JESS: You'll say that until people believe you.
GILBERT: I will say it until people believe me, yes.
JESS: Alright. That's episode one. Sign-ups are still open for a couple more days, link's in the class page. Gilbert, thank you.
GILBERT: Thanks Jess. Bring old shoes.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 2
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay but that's the part people don't believe when I tell them. That you can go three hours and catch nothing and still call it a good day.
GILBERT: Well it's true. That's how I got hooked, pun intended, I use that one on purpose every time.
JESS: I know you do.
GILBERT: First time out, neighbor took me up the Provo, I caught exactly zero fish in three hours. Drove home grinning like an idiot. Tricia asked how it went and I said "I didn't catch anything and I want to go back tomorrow." She just looked at me. Like, who is this man.
JESS: That's a whole marriage in one sentence.
GILBERT: (laughs) It kind of is. But here's the thing, I mean it when I teach the class too. The fish are not the whole point. If they were I'd have quit twelve years ago.
JESS: So for people listening who didn't make it to session one, catch us up. What'd you cover.
GILBERT: Knots, mostly. I feel like everybody wants to jump straight to casting because that's the fun part, the part you see in the movies, but a beautiful cast with a bad knot just loses you the fish anyway. So we did the clinch knot. Over and over. I made people tie it with their eyes closed by the end, which sounds mean but it works, your hands learn it faster than your eyes do.
JESS: Did anybody get it faster than you did.
GILBERT: (laughing) Don't. Don't bring up Pamela.
JESS: I'm bringing up Pamela.
GILBERT: Pamela from the ward, she picked up the clinch knot in about four tries. Took me weeks, back when I started. I told her that, genuinely, good for her. And then I was a little bit competitive about it for the rest of the week, which, I know. I know how that sounds. I'm a grown man.
JESS: It's very human of you.
GILBERT: Bless her though, she's a natural.
JESS: Okay, give the listeners something they can actually use today. Not signed up, just walking by a river this weekend.
GILBERT: Sure. Here's a real one. Pinch your barbs down. If you've got any hook with a barb on it, take a pair of pliers, flatten that barb flush. Barbless hooks come out of a fish easier, which is better for the fish, and they come out of you easier too, which matters more than people think.
JESS: Speaking from experience.
GILBERT: Oh, deeply. Fifth or sixth trip out I hooked my own ear. Barbless, thank goodness, so it came out fine, but I still had to explain a little bandage at the ward the next morning. People had theories. None of them were "fly fishing."
JESS: So the tip is, pinch your barbs, protect your ears.
GILBERT: Protect your ears, protect the fish, and also I feel like it just makes you less tense out there. You're not worried about really setting a hook into something you don't want it in. You can relax and mess up a little, which I actually want people to do.
JESS: You want them to mess up.
GILBERT: I do. I think people psych themselves out, like they have to be dead quiet and one with nature or they're doing it wrong. Talk, laugh, re-tie your knot for the fourth time out loud and complain about it. The fish don't care that you're having a good time. You'll actually learn faster if you're not so tense about it.
JESS: Give me a small moment from up the canyon. Something that isn't a fish story exactly.
GILBERT: Okay, this one's not exciting but it's my favorite one lately. One morning, light hit the water a certain way, just this low slant coming through the canyon, and I stopped fishing. Just stood there and watched the water do that for a few minutes. Didn't cast at all.
JESS: You just stood there.
GILBERT: I just stood there. And I bring that up in class because I want people to know that's allowed. Nobody's grading you on fish count. If you want to stand in a river and watch light do something interesting, that counts as a good day. Full stop.
JESS: I like that as a rule for a lot of things, honestly.
GILBERT: (laughs) Don't get me started, I'll over-explain it for eleven minutes and Jess'll have to cut the tape.
JESS: I will cut the tape. Okay, last thing, what's session three.
GILBERT: Reading the water. This is the one I actually care most about. I feel like people think you need nine hundred dollars of gear to catch fish and it's just not true, a cheap rod in the right spot beats a great rod in a dead spot every single time. So we're going to stand on the bank, no rods yet, and just look at the river and figure out where the fish actually are.
JESS: Homework before then?
GILBERT: Just bring your knot. Practice it once a day, thirty seconds, that's it. And wear shoes you don't mind getting wet, we might get our feet in without waders this time.
JESS: Optional waders, mandatory wet shoes.
GILBERT: That's basically my whole philosophy right there.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 3
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay wait, say that part again, about the rock.
GILBERT: Which part.
JESS: The kid throwing the rock at your fly.
GILBERT: Oh, right. So this is up on the Provo, I've got a fly stuck good in a branch, way up over the water, and I'm doing everything, I'm flicking the rod, I'm tugging the line, twenty minutes, easy. And this teenager just walking by with his dog stops, looks at it, picks up a rock, throws it, fly comes right down. One try.
JESS: Twenty minutes of your effort and he solves it in like four seconds.
GILBERT: Four seconds. Didn't even break stride really. I gave him my granola bar out of my vest pocket because I felt like I owed him something. He seemed confused by that but he took it.
JESS: This is Beginner Fly Fishing on Utah Rivers, I'm Jess, I run the podcast side of things for Utah Community Learning, and this is Gilbert, who apparently gets shown up by teenagers on a regular basis.
GILBERT: It happens more than you'd think. Tricia shows me up too, we've talked about that one before.
JESS: You have, on episode one, the fish on your own rod story.
GILBERT: (laughing) Still not over it.
JESS: So today's episode three, we're supposed to be talking about knots, right, that's the session coming up.
GILBERT: Knots, yeah. And here's the thing, people get so focused on the cast. They want to look good swinging the rod around. But I feel like the knot is the whole ballgame. You can make the prettiest cast in the world and if your knot slips, the fish just swims off with your fly like it's nothing.
JESS: So what's the one knot people should actually know if they're never even taking the class.
GILBERT: Clinch knot. Just the basic clinch knot. Thread your tippet through the eye of the hook, wrap it around the standing line maybe five times, then feed the end back through that little loop up by the eye, and cinch it down slow, wet it first with your mouth or the water so it doesn't get hot and weak from friction.
JESS: Wet it first, that's the part people skip.
GILBERT: That's the part people skip, and then they wonder why it snapped. Practice it at your kitchen table with some string if you want, doesn't have to be a real hook. I still fumble a double surgeon's knot every single time, I won't even pretend otherwise, but the clinch knot I could tie with my eyes closed at this point. Learn one knot cold before you worry about looking good out there.
JESS: I like that. Function before flash.
GILBERT: Function before flash, I might steal that, that's better than what I usually say.
JESS: You can have it. Okay, tell me about barbless hooks again, because I feel like that's the other big thing people ask about.
GILBERT: Oh, barbless, no argument from me on that one. Pinch the barb down flat with pliers before you ever tie it on. Easier on the fish, and also, this is the real reason honestly, easier on you. I hooked my own ear one time. Fifth or sixth trip out, still learning my backcast, and I felt this little tug and thought I'd caught a branch behind me and no. It was barbless though, thank goodness, so it came out clean and I just had a little mark. Had to explain it at church the next morning anyway. People assumed worse things than what actually happened.
JESS: (laughing) What did they assume.
GILBERT: I don't know, something more dramatic. Anyway. Barbless. Every time. I make the whole class pinch theirs down before we even get near the water, it's not optional in my room.
JESS: That's the safety plug, watch your backcast too I'm guessing.
GILBERT: Watch your backcast, watch where your feet are on the rocks, they get slick, and the water's colder and pushier than it looks even in July. That's it, that's the whole lecture, I don't like to belabor it.
JESS: Good. So next session, we're doing knots hands-on, string and hooks at the tables.
GILBERT: Bring your own hook if you've got one, barbless obviously, or we'll have some there. We'll do clinch knots until everybody's sick of clinch knots, and then I want to talk a little about reading the water, where the fish actually sit, because that matters more than the gear you brought, I'll say that until people believe me.
JESS: You say that a lot.
GILBERT: I'll keep saying it. That counts as a good day, somebody leaving knowing where to look instead of what to buy.
JESS: Alright. Bring string, bring a hook, bring your patience for the clinch knot.
GILBERT: And maybe a granola bar, in case you owe somebody one.
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