I must say that Jack Barrett is a lucky boy. He gets to do things a lot of kids rarely get to experience. Jack is very new to a fly rod. Last year he caught a few nymphing and dry fly fishing with a cicada. The river was still high with some colour but it was fishable and I could see well enough into the edges. Today, the trout were on the cicadas and I decided to challenge Jack. We only targeted sighted fish. That means approaching from down stream in the canoe. It requires an accurate cast and keeping up with the line so you can hook a fish. It is hard work. I tried the school of hard knocks and I wanted him to miraculously pick up on techniques that I have taken many decades to develop. Luckily, he knows me well and was not put off by my curt instructions.
Long story short, his upstream casting left a lot to be desired. Hooking fish was a real challenge but there were many takes. Dad needs to calm the farm and chillax and let the boy develop as he will. I am very excitable when fishing and guiding and I often cannot hide my enthusiasm. I guess that is why I love fishing so much.
