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bow river fly fishing for kids and family

Fly Fishing Lessons and Adventures for Kids

By Scott Smith, Lead Fly Fishing Guide

I’ve spent most of my adult life as a river guide, and I’ve seen all kinds of people come through the doors. Every now and then, though, there’s someone who catches me off guard with their enthusiasm for fly fishing. Usually, they’re kids. Six-year-olds with skinned knees who want to know how to tie on a dry fly because their uncle told them that he did it when he went fishing with his dad. This is great! Kids are the future of our sport, but if we want them to stick around for long enough to develop into lifelong anglers (or even just enjoy themselves for one weekend), we need to make sure that they have fun out on the water—and not just catch fish

Find a Mentor

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “knowledge is power.” With that in mind, it’s no wonder that so many people are interested in learning about fly fishing for kids. What your mentor has to say could be the difference between a good experience and an amazing one.

So how do you find someone who can teach you how to fly fish? You may be lucky enough to have a friend or relative who can help out. If not, consider joining a club or getting involved with an organization that promotes fly fishing for kids. There are many groups out there (like Trout Unlimited) that welcome new members every year and will encourage them to get involved as quickly as possible. If none of these options work for you, try asking around at local fly shops—they’ll know where all of their customers hang out, so they’ll likely have some leads!

Safety

Know the area you’re fishing in. Everyone should wear a life jacket when on board a boat, and this goes double for kids. It’s also a good idea to put the kids in a life jacket if you’re fishing in swift moving water.

Be sure to take care of yourself as well: don’t forget sunscreen!

Be sure to stay hydrated and bring plenty of water with you. Make sure that everyone in your group has a life jacket on, and make sure that the boats are properly equipped with first aid kits, flares, and other safety gear.

Fishing License

Fishing licenses are usually sold at sporting goods stores, fly shops, and the like. You can also get a fishing license online. The cost varies depending on whether or not you’re a resident of that province. Be sure to check your local regulations.

Licenses generally last for one year from the date of purchase. Kids and Seniors don’t generally need a license, but if you’re the adult fishing with them, you’re going to need one.

Equipment

There are a few points to remember when selecting equipment for your child. The most important is that they’re going to be able to use it themselves, so make sure anything you buy is age appropriate and fits into the size of their hands. You don’t want them struggling with too many tangled knots or having too much trouble handling their gear for fear of dropping it in the water and getting frustrated while trying to get the cast right.

There are some great beginner kits available online and at your local fishing shop. For smaller hands we use the Echo Gecko kit. I don’t have any affiliation with Echo, but we love these outfits for kids. The grip is narrow, the rod is shorter than adult rods, and it’s easy to get the line moving. Your local fly shop can point you in the right direction. However, kids can certainly use adult gear easy enough. Especially when you’re testing the waters. If you’re not sure what kind of gear would be best for your kid yet, just ask an employee who knows their stuff at the store; they can help find something suitable without breaking the bank.

Knots And Tangles

Whether it’s a loop knot or a clinch knot, you’ll need some knowledge of knots to keep your line in place.

If you’ve never tied a fishing knot before and want to learn how, don’t worry! Knot tying is one of the easiest skills to learn how to do on the fly; it only takes a little practice and patience. Once you get the hang of it, there are all kinds of different knots that can help make your fishing trip more enjoyable and successful. With some basic instruction and practice, even kids can learn how to tie on their own flies when out on the water with parents or friends for an afternoon adventure!

There are going to be tangles, lots of tangles. Your job is to be patient and remind the kids, this is all part of the process. Make sure you have lots of leaders, tippet and a pair of good snippers!

What to Bring

  • Rod
  • Leaders and Tippet
  • Flies
  • Waders (if you need them)
  • Boots or wading shoes. They’re going to get wet.
  • Bug Collector. Collect the bugs you’re imitating and make it educational.
  • Rain gear
  • Snacks and drinks

Fly fishing is a great family activity. It’s good for bonding, learning something new, and getting outside.

Fly fishing is a great family activity. It’s good for bonding, learning something new, and getting outside. In fact, there are many ways to enjoy fly fishing as a family:

  • You can teach your kids how to hold the rod correctly and give them some basic pointers about casting and then let them experiment. There are no bad casts.
  • Go where you know fish are holding. It’s great if they can see the fish. This creates a great opportunity to learn about fish behavior.
  • Focus on the process and learning something new. The fish will come.

Conclusion

Fly fishing is a great family activity. It’s good for bonding, learning something new, and getting outside. I hope this article gave you some ideas on where to start! We have lesson programs and family floats that will help accelerate the learning curve. We’d love to introduce you and your crew to our sport!

Book your flyfishing adventure today!

learn how to fly fish with guide bow river

Discover Fly Fishing Lessons for Beginners in Alberta

By Scott Smith, Lead Fishing Guide 

Welcome to Fly Fishing!

Snake Oil and Magic Beans.

You’ll learn to wave the magic stick over the water and produce fish on every command. You will be flawless in your technique; always make the right fly choice and land every fish you encounter. Your skills will bring fish to your net every time you venture out to your favourite waters.

The truth lies somewhere in the pursuit of perfection, the peace it brings, the need to know what’s around the next corner.  At least that’s why I do it. Your reasons can be entirely something else. Somehow, that makes Fly Fishing a worthy pastime (read obsession) in my opinion.

There are some links included below, so you can explore some of the technical stuff. I can tell you, there is nothing like the real experience of a guided fly fishing excursion!

What Will I Learn on a Guided Trip?

Above all else, Have some fun! This is YOUR Day! Don’t take yourself, or us too seriously. Take lots of pictures.

learn how to tie flies for fly fishing on the Bow River in Alberta.

Fly Fishing Knots and Line

It seems obvious, but often overlooked by new fly fishers. Knots are critical.

Read this great blog post from DriftHook.com about how to tie fly fishing knots.

You’ll need to have a few basic knots in your tool belt. We’ll show you a few basics to tie line together and attach your flies to your line. Yes, you will practice these on your trip.

You can learn about specific knots like the improved clinch knot, blood knot, overhand knot, surgeon’s knot and the albright knot.

Many a fine trout has been lost due to a poorly tied knot. It’s never happened to me, but I’ve heard stories.

There are several knots that have no name, but often have colourful adjectives associated with them. You will become an expert at these with a simple flick of your wrist! The line will be tangled so badly and quickly, you’ll be baffled that what’s before you is actually even real!

I find a sense of humour and a decent set of snippers are critical in these situations.

Learn Fly Casting

You must be able to place a fly well enough to fool your quarry. Yes, we can help you do this!

Your first few casts may appear you are trying to swat the fish away intentionally. However, with some practice and some easy-to-follow instruction, you will begin to present the fly with hypnotic precision! Well, maybe not hypnotic or even precise, but well enough to catch fish. That’s all we need on day one!

Where Are the Fish?

Yes, you are moving the line. It’s obeying and landing mostly where you want it to.  Well done! This is fantastic news and a boost to our confidence! Question, how come you’re not catching anything?

Other than seeing the fish you are casting to; you really need to know how to read the water. That is, you need to know where fish are likely to hold.

Fly casting into the water is an excellent start, but the fish are not actually everywhere in a river.

We will go through this process with you the entire trip and teach you the basics. You will be whispering in big trout in no time!

Bugs, So Many Bugs

Yes, Fly selection is important. Size, Colour, Profile, depth, season etc.

I have heard it or read somewhere that trout have an IQ of about 3.

I am not at all concerned that they fool me consistently. I like to believe I’m matching wits with Mother Nature and not just the small minded, single purposed trout. Yeah, Mother Nature is wise and I’m in sync with her.  Makes me feel better on those slow days.

You’re gonna need plenty of flies! I mean, the rainbow trout will eat one of them, right?

Learn more about which bugs Bow River Trout love and prefer throughout the season on our fly fishing resources page.

We will cover bug identification, selection and how to fish them in very basic terms. This will be enough to get you started on your journey.

fly fishing lessons for beginners

 Join Us this Fly Fishing Season near Calgary, Alberta!

Our goal is to introduce you to a pastime that has become a lifelong pursuit for us. We want you to learn to fish and then leave us and see for yourself what’s around the next corner. Oh, and take your fly rod with you.

Book your spot for one of our guided fly fishing trips including our Beginners Float! Get one-on-one fishing lessons from one of our experienced guides and enjoy access to some of the best fishing spots in Alberta.

learn how to fly fish with guide bow river

Fly Fishing Lessons and More!

We offer a variety of fly fishing packages from half day and evening adventures to full day excursions, private shoreline fishing lessons.

We can even put the flies aside and take you on a Bow River sight seeing adventure, where you can experience the beauty of the Bow Valley and Southern Alberta, for its majestic landscapes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and all of its wildlife.

Learning to Fly Fish on the Bow River could be your next adventure. If so, we’d love to see you. And as always, if you have any questions about our guide services, feel free to contact us here or on social media.