Family Bonding With Fly Fishing
As a woman, I was never really interested in fishing. When I was younger my dad and I would go sometimes, and I even entered a couple of tournaments. My interest fizzled out quickly as I got a little older and got interested in other activities.
Now that I’m in my 30s and my dad is in his 60s, I thought this may be a good time to take an interest in some of these things so that I can spend more quality time with him doing something that he really enjoys. Even if I found it boring, it would still probably be relaxing, so at least there was that.
My dad’s latest interest was fly fishing. My knowledge of fishing in general was not abundant, and I had almost zero knowledge about fly fishing. I decided to start asking my dad questions about it, and mentioned that I’d like to learn how to do it.
It was great to see how excited my dad was to teach me, but he did warn me that it could be expensive, and I should probably rent my gear just in case I wasn’t really into it. I agreed, secretly because I figured that would absolutely be the case.
We planned a day trip to try fly fishing on the Hudson River, which is local for both of us. I rented my supplies from a local shop, and he brought his own stuff. I was looking forward to spending time with my dad, but not necessarily the fishing part.
I couldn’t have been more wrong about my lack of interest in this sport. I had a great time. Not only was it so relaxing, but I actually enjoyed fly fishing. Never would I ever have thought this could happen, but I suppose you never know for sure until you give something a try.
We went out a few more times on weekends, and then thought it would be neat to plan a weekend trip to check out a different area. We planned it about 2 months in advance, and it fell right after Father’s Day. This gave me an idea.
My plan was to rent my equipment again from the place that was close to us. Since we were taking a weekend trip, we’d need more space in my dad’s truck to be able to pack other things aside from just the fly fishing gear. I delved into research about how we could make this work.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me, but of course there were such things as rod carriers. I did my homework by reading reviews and decided that I was going to purchase one from Trouts Fly Fishing. The Riversmith River Quiver Rod Carrier comes in two sizes: one carries 2 rods and the other carries 4. Since it was just me and my dad on our upcoming trip, I figured I’d purchase the one to carry 2 rods.
When Father’s Day came around, I gave my dad his gift. It was a huge hit! Not only was my dad super happy to have a safe way to transport his fly fishing rod, but there was basically zero frustration when installing it. That’s always the way for a product to make a good first impression on my dad.
When it came time for our trip, we got everything packed up and hit the road. The carrier was quiet and stayed perfectly in place. There’s nothing that annoys my dad more than something noisy on or in the car. We reached our destination and everything was just as it had been when we left.
Overall, I’m so happy with this investment. My dad and I use it all the time when we go fly fishing, even when we have the space in the car. I’m so glad I took the leap to try something new to bond with my dad. I highly recommend it.
