Event teaches women fishing on the fly

If you’ve ever watched that Brad Pitt movie, “A River Runs Through It,” you know all about beautiful scenery.

And no, I’m not talking about Brad.

I don’t care if you’re the type of woman who’s never been camping and hates dirt.

The sight of a beautiful mountain stream, fly line swirling in the air as rhythmic as ocean waves is enough to make anyone want to grab a fly line and try it herself. It looks so calming, so therapeutic.

So why not try it?

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program will offer a special introduction to fly-fishing in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains this spring.

The “Fly-Fishing Weekend” is scheduled for April 9-11 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and Davidson River Campground in Transylvania County.

Registration is open now and is on a first come, first serve basis for women 18 and older.

A one-time fee of $125 covers instruction, equipment, most meals and camping accommodations.

Participants will learn the basics of fly-fishing from experienced anglers, including equipment needs, knots, fly-tying, casting and aquatic entomology. (Yes, entomology is the study of bugs, but don’t worry, you don’t use real bugs on the end of a fly line.)

Then, your new skills will be put to use fishing the blue ribbon trout waters of the Davidson River in a private session for participants.

I’ve never participated in an Outdoors-Woman program, but my brother got me and my husband into fly fishing a few years ago.

I still know only enough to be dangerous, but I can honestly tell you there are moments when you’re out there in that stream or lake and you’re so concentrated and so surrounded by nature that it’s better than any yoga.

A lot of women, and men for that matter, seem to shy away from fly fishing because they think it’s too difficult and too expensive. Well, it was back when Ernest Hemingway was doing it. But the equipment has changed drastically.

The tippet, or end line, isn’t made from silkworm guts anymore, for one thing. It’s made of high-tech plastic just like any other fishing line.

It just looks different.

While you can still buy super-expensive hand-made gear from England, you can also buy American-made reels and rods that are just as inexpensive as any other fishing equipment.

And as for the difficulty, yes, it isn’t just tossing a line out and waiting for a bite. But it’s not rocket science, either.

After some time with an instructor, you should have the basics down enough to catch a fish – and feel accomplished.

I know I did.

For more information about the Fly-Fishing Weekend with Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, contact BB Gillen at (919) 218-3638 or bb.gillen@ncwildlife.org. For more information or to register go toNCWildlife.org/Education_Workshops/BOW.htm.

Amy Hotz: 343-2099

On Twitter.com: @AmyHotz