Significant other fly fishing?

[troutpoop]

Worlds Clashing! 22 yrs of happy marriage because we have some different interests. Nuff said. :-o

 

[PaulG]

I taught my wife how to shoot a gun years ago and after I thought about it, it was a big mistake . I never taught her to fish, I figured someone one had to stay home a work. plus she has a lot of other things to do like, clean, wash, cut the grass, shovel snow ect.

PaulG

 

[steveo]

My Wife likes to fish occasionally. Some days she will tag along and fish. Other days (mostly when we're on vacation) she'll sit on the stream bank and read. Then there are plenty of other days when she will stay home. Same with shooting. She'll go to the range if she's in the mood to shoot. Other days she'll stay home... and she has no problem If I make plans to go with friends.

 

[stevehalupka]

I have taken a few out to throw flies; no luck in the having the dexterity or cooridination to throw a decent loop. They do learn the roll cast and catch fish stripping streamers. Wild freestone streams- forget it. I bring them to help w. the camera if I decide to shoot that day.

When Sadie was 9 months pregnant she was still out on the water with me, in her orvis sling pack with water bottles, watching dry fly action. I thank my significant other enjoys the outdoors. I do, however, thank god I don't have to share the dry fly sections/drifts.

 

[wbranch]

A long time ago I taught my wife to fly cast and after a while she became a pretty good caster. Then I paid for her to attend one of the Fly Fishing 101 courses that the lady at Boiling Springs fly shop used to host. She enjoyed it and caught fish. It just seems she doesn't like it enough to really embrace it and go with me - she always has something else to do. I think much of it might be because I'm so insane about FF and just hate to come off the water. Most women who might fish are okay with being on the water for a few hours or maybe even a decent full day but I want to be out there from 8:00 am until dark.

We went to Montana a while back and toured YNP for a week and then spent almost a week on the Madison. We booked two half day floats with a guide and she caught dozens of whitefish one day and the next two nice browns about 15" and lost a rainbow abot 20".

Now she just enjoys floating with me in the Hyde while she suns in the front chair and we stop to drink some wine and have a nice lunch along the river.

 

[jayL]

I have always been willing to show a girlfriend how to fish, and never really had a problem bringing her if she wants to go.

I realized a while ago that I'm not interested in trying to get a girlfriend interested in it. When I need a break from life, I go fishing. I prefer to be alone out there in that situation.

 

[caveman]

My wife is not the least interested. My sister is often my fishing partner. she gets it and is very passionate about fishing for catfish and big carp. We spend many weekends in the summer chasing big cats from the local Hydroelectric dam walkway. I am trying to encourage her to try flyfishing also. I mentioned Tenkara to her and she sounded interested. This is her helping clean a mess of flatheads.

 

[JackM]

My wife could not have cared less about my flyfishing. Back when I was in law school, she used to go out with me on my semi-jon boat on the backwater areas of the numerous lakes surrounding Knoxville, TN to fish for bass. But by the time I started flyfishing, we had kids and whatnot and she thought FFing to be an enormous waste of my time.

In any case, I always envied and laughed at Albatross because when I called home at dusk saying I was headed home, my wife asked first why I stayed out so long and when Alby called home, his wife asked first whether he had fun and caught fish.

 

[m0nk]

My wife isn't in to fly fishing (or any freshwater fishing for that matter), though I've taken her deep sea fishing before and she did ok, after she got sea-sick.

 

[wetnet]

tomitrout wrote:
interesting thread. Something I'm curious about, all those who state that they need their time on stream to themselves and see their wife/gf as an intrusion on that, how often do you get out on the water? Is each outing that important that it is a burden to bring along a newbie?

Reason I ask is that something I've learned recently while teaching my girlfrined to ski is that yes, like fishing, it would be cool to have a playmate who can 'keep up', but I've found that I get just as much satisfaction from sharing and teaching a passion as I get from the actual doing. I've chased my share of dragons on skis and bikes and she knows that there are times that I need to go out and play at my level with my peers (she's a strong road cyclist, but beginner on the mtn bike and understands what the 'Sunday ride' with my buddies is all about, she doesn't expect nor desire to tag along on those). But I don't see teaching her something new in that realm as a burden. I've skied plenty of epic powder days in my time, I've fished plenty of epic hatches, etc, and so I don't mind giving one up now and then to spend a day out with her sharing those pursuits.

I'm extremely lucky in that her dad also flyfishes and we've been invited to tag along on a trip to Montana later this summer. So, yes, I will be teaching her to flyfish over the next few months and I fully expect to not fish much myself while doing so. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, and she also realizes that when I need to hit the Letort or escape to the mtns for a day of harassing brookies, that that's something I need to do on my own. Maybe someday she'll advance to that level where we can share those experiences, but I no longer feel the need for every fishing outting to be all that. Sharing with her the passion for being on the water will be enough for me that I won't feel as though I'm giving something up by having to 'deal with' her while she's learning.

Who knows, maybe she'll pick it up quick and I'll have a new fishin' buddy. If not, she'll at the least have a better understanding about what draws me to those quiet moments of solitude out on the water.

I apologize as this is a big quote.

....BUT..It's make a good point.

I have been on both sides of this. While I won't bore you with details..I did somehow manage to learn how to ski, while looking at my husbands back end. Ski patrol Really? I thought it was ridiculous to put weight forward.. Really on the balls of your feet to thrust you down hill off a mountain!!! The person who could have taught me to fly fish didn't... the buggies bothered.....HIM!! You really need to just figure out what you like and who you want to share the time with at the moment. If you just want to fish..don't take the kids..if you want to spend some time..just spending time..invite who you want.

I would ski with my husband any day and everyday, fish with him never! I will fish with my Son when he invites me, my Brother anytime. Myself I must not be a diehard, it's fun meeting for breakfast etc. and having company, while I don't need to see them it's fun sharing stories after.

 

[perrycountypappy]

My wife and we have been together for a while by now, doesn't care to fly fish, she loves the outdoors and spending time in our boat just sitting there relaxing. She has always loved to camp that may have got us our first child. The fly fishing thing doesn't interest her like flowerbeds don't interest me.

See she is glad I have something I really enjoy and like to do and she doesn't have to get it. I am the same way with her gardening, I think if you can't eat it, why plant it. But I am glad she enjoys it.

If she would have wanted to go fly fishing I would have jumped on it, who knows it may have led to our sixth child.