Features

Jon Gates ’02, one of the organizers of the Fly Fishing Club, enjoys a sunny day on the Salmon River.

Grab a rod and tie on a fly, because spring has finally arrived and it’s the perfect time to go fly fishing. If you don’t have the equipment, Wesleyan’s Fly Fishing club will lend you whatever you need. Even if you couldn’t cast a fly rod to save your life (much less catch a fish), this growing group of avid fly fishermen and fisherwomen will show you the ways of the river.

"The goal of the club? To catch fish," joked Andrew Tsui ’01, one of the club’s founders and organizers. "No, really, I guess the goal is just to provide students with an opportunity to learn and enjoy fly fishing... It’s a realy rewarding sport; it has a lot to offer. Even if you don’t like catching fish, you’ll totally enjoy standing in a beautiful river. Above all, it’s a nice opportunity to go to a place off campus that’s just beautiful."

Fly fishermen tend to catch Rainbrow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, and occassionally Small-mouth Bass on Connecticut Rivers. The number of trout fishermen catch per outing tends to depend on the skill level of the fisherman, the season, and even the time of day. But on average, members tend to catch about five fish per outing.

Spring provides the perfect opportunity to learn the sport with quick results. Not only is the weather increasingly pleasant, but the Conn. Department of Fish and Wildlife has just freshly stocked the local rivers with fish from hatcheries. According to Tsui, right after stocking in late April the water is sometimes so dense with fish that he can barely see his feet when wading. 

This year, many of the oldest and largest fish from the hatcheries were released into the Salmon River, which is about 20 minutes from Wesleyan. Because these fish have lived in hatcheries all their lives, they have grown to uncommonly large sizes. Fishermen refer to them as "record-breaking" trout. Whereas an average catch might measure 12 to 18 inches in length, such "record-breakers" might be 26 inches long or more.

"Those are the fish that, if you’re lucky enough to catch, you get mounted on your wall," said Tsui.

He quickly points out, however, that the appeal of fly fishing doesn’t even necessarily lie in catching fish.

"Part of being a fisherman is being a big liar," explained Tsui, who claims fishermen spend as much time recounting exaggerated tales as they do fishing.

"One time a beaver swam between my legs when I was in the river," continued Tsui, "and I’ve seen turtles with no feet, dead deer, asshole game wardens, and then you’ve always got your occasional group of drunk High School kids..."

Members of the Fly Fishing Club rarely keep the fish they catch.

"We release them all. Fly Fishing is traditionally a ‘catch and release’ sport. It’s about deceiving the trout with flies and releasing them unharmed," said Tsui.

Although this is a general rule, occasions arise when it can be broken.

"If we catch some ‘record breaking’ fish [on an upcoming outing this Friday], Andrew promises we’ll be able to cook them up," said Erica Gersowitz ’01, who joined the Fly Fishing Club
as a novice last year.

The club tries to serve equally its experienced members and its new ones in need of guidance. Tsui and his co-organizer, Jon Gates ’02, have struggled with the problem of integrating new members into the club.

"It’s hard to get your own fly fishing time in when you’re with new-comers who are going to hook themselves in the eye if you aren’t watching," explained Tsui.

As a compromise, any new members must take an hour-long casting lesson from either Tsui or Gates before they can use any of the club’s equipment.

Dan Eckels ’00 began fly fishing under the instruction of club members earlier this year. Having completed his thesis, he manages to fish about twice a week, and routinely surpasses his teachers in time spent on the water. Eckels had fished before he joined the club, but never with a fly rod.

"Catching a fish on a fly rod is more exciting... The rods are lighter, the ends of the line are thinner than on normal rods... so you have to wear the fish out [before reeling it in]," he explained.

Thanks to official recognition and modest funding from the Student Budget Committee (SBC), the club has been able to purchase some of its own equipment in addition to the personal equipment of the members. As it makes a push to expand and extend  itself to more of the student body, the club anticipates needing additional equipment, which can get expensive.

Tsui estimates that they have enough equipment right now to take seven or eight people fishing at once. Although this is adequate for now – there are only about eight regularly participating members – Tsui hopes to draw a larger group next year, hopefully with the help of the SBC.

"Ideally we’d like to be holding things like casting clinics and fly-tying lessons," said Tsui.

In addition, he wants to sponsor a kind of Outfitting service for alumni and parent weekends, during which expert club members could give lessons and guide participants on fly fishing day trips. Although such activities could serve to help fund the club, the initial investment would include more rods, reels, waders and miscellaneous equipment, and thus a good deal of money.

"It does appeal to the upper-crust class of people–equipment is more expensive [than in other types of fishing]," admitted Tsui.