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Fly-fishing Novices Cast About for "Coolest Sensation" in Belgrade

June 28, 2010 - BELGRADE -- Army Spc. Ryan McCarthy wants to get some fly fishing in while he's on leave from duty in Iraq.

The 20-year-old stood next to his father Ted on Saturday as they worked to perfect their technique.

"I haven't done any fly fishing," Ryan McCarthy said. "It's a lot different. It's probably like riding a bike. When you get it, you get it."

The father/son duo came to the Belgrade Center for All Seasons to take part in a fly casting clinic run by local instructors, Maine Guides and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Those who came to learn stood in various parts of the grassy areas around the center and let it fly.

"When you get it, it's the coolest sensation," said Mike Guarino of Maine Wilderness Tours.

Guarino organized the event to help spread the word about fly fishing. He and the other instructors were careful to give everyone plenty of room to cast and learn.

"When you're fly fishing, it's a lot like golf," he said. "Nobody wants to hit off the first tee because everyone is watching."

Over and over, the students flicked their wrists and tried to let the line unfurl behind them before they let it go forward again. As they stood in the green fields, they practiced to make sure that the trout and salmon would pay attention once they reached the water.

Ted McCarthy, who lives on Great Pond, said he's ready to give it a shot.

"I went fly fishing a long, long, long time ago and wanted to get back into it," he said.

The appeal of the sport comes from being able to be with friends, but also to enjoy the solitary aspects of fishing, Guarino said.

"When you're in a Maine river with four buddies, you're never standing next to each other," he said. "When you catch a fish you have to net it yourself. That's what draws people to the sport."

by Susan Cover, Kennebec Journal, June 27, 2010

Lakes: Great Pond
Regions: Belgrade


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