Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Fly fishers stay busy in winter

Paula DelGiudice

Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2001 | 11:55 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

When we go from temperatures in the 70s down to freezing in the span of a couple of weeks, it would seem highly unlikely that fly fishing would take up the majority of the outdoors news. It just goes to show how optimistic outdoors people are.

Thanks to movies such as "A River Runs Through It," and the ensuing media attention, fly fishing is becoming popular across the country among people of all ages and backgrounds. The industry is worth an estimated $600 million. It is estimated that last year alone 11 million people went fly fishing in the United States and of these, 6.5 million adults are considered active fly fishing participants.

The number of women fly anglers is rising dramatically, from 16 percent in 1995 to 25 percent last year. It is estimated that the average fly fishing participant has been involved with the sport for 16.6 years and spent an average of $278 on fly fishing apparel and equipment in the last year.

It's a wonderful sport that is growing in Southern Nevada as well.

While there aren't a lot of fly fishers who are out pursuing their sport during these cold winter months (except maybe at spots like Pyramid Lake north of Reno, but that's another story), it's a great time of year to plan for the spring fishing sojourns. Tying flies is a great winter pastime. So is getting together with other fly anglers to talk about fishing and plan upcoming trips.

Now, young people are being encouraged to become active. The Las Vegas Junior Fly Fishing Club is holding an organizational meeting on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 2:30 p.m. at the Nevada Division of Wildlife, 4747 Vegas Drive.

The February program will feature instruction in tying flies that will catch largemouth bass and bluegill. A March outing to Big Bend State Park near Laughlin where members will build a fishing access trail also is planned.

The club is affiliated with the Las Vegas Fly Fishing Club and is open to youngsters 7-17. Family groups are encouraged to attend this meeting.

Members of the Las Vegas Fly Fishing Club will be demonstrating fly tying techniques and assisting budding fly fishers during their meeting on Tuesday at the O.C. Lee Building, 1250 South Burnham, west of Charleston and Eastern.

The public is invited to attend and there will be no charge. Fly tying equipment and materials will be provided by the club and the Nevada Division of Wildlife.

"This is an opportunity to observe a variety of patterns being tied and to work with club members," said NDOW angler education coordinator Ivy Santee. "This will also be a good opportunity for people who don't tie to see if it would be something they would like to do."

After participating in the meetings and learning to tie all the popular patterns, you can sink into your armchair at home with a good book. A new book club called "On the Rise" has been created to showcase the newest and most informative books about fly fishing.

Topics include casting, dry flies, fly tying, entomology, nymphing, saltwater fly fishing, skill improvements, rod building, cooking and travel guides. On the Rise also offers members the latest videos and CD-ROMs on all aspects of freshwater and saltwater fishing.

Peter Fiduccia, the club's editorial director and host of the nationally syndicated TV series Woods 'N' Waters, said, "On the Rise strives to go beyond the traditional book club to offer a community experience. Fly fishers can share their passion for the sport, exchange experiences, get advice from professionals and find the best selection of books on fly fishing all in one place."

On the Rise membership starts with 3 books for $1 each plus shipping and handling. Members commit to purchasing four more books in the next two years. Upon joining the club, members can obtain books at up to 30 percent off publisher's prices.

For more information, write to: On the Rise, 6550 East 30th Street, P.O. Box 6309, Indianapolis, IN 46209-9330.