Flies, fish and fun
Fly fishing casts a bit of enjoyment for one rep
by Laura Thill
Call him "all wet." But, as far as Jeff Long is concerned, he knows how to enjoy the outdoors. In the last three years, the Nashville Dental (Nashville, Tenn.) associate rep has cultivated a growing interest in fly fishing, a sport that has minimal resemblance to its cousin, rod-and-reel or spin fishing. "With fly fishing, you take something tiny that imitates an insect and throw it 10 yards into the river," explains Long. "You can’t do that with a conventional rod." Also, the fly rod is longer and more flexible, "which makes catching even small trout exciting," he says. And, one of the biggest differences between the two types of fishing is that spin fishermen aim at staying out of the water, while fly fishermen wade right in. In Long’s mind, fly fishing is much more fun than conventional spin fishing.
Although he grew up on Douglas Lake in eastern Tennessee, Long’s interest in fly fishing didn’t take hold until about three years ago, when he saw the movie A River Runs Through It. At the same time, one of his dental customers encouraged him to purchase some fly fishing gear and accompany him on a day trip. "It’s not hard to get started," says Long, who knew from the get-go that this was the sport for him. "Fly fishing does take practice, but if you know what to do and where to go, it really isn’t difficult to get started."
What’s involved
That’s not to say the sport is an easy one. "It does take practice," Long admits. Casting requires some getting used to, and it can be can be challenging in windy weather when the cast blows back in one’s face. To get started, the fisherman must tie a tiny, nearly weightless ¼-inch Nymph (designed to resemble an underwater insect) to a tippet, or small monofilament line. Long favors a Copper John nymph, which is characterized by a copper bead and sinks under water. Some individuals prefer to tie their own "flies," but Long would rather spend that time fishing, he notes. And, with "hundreds of ties available in every size imaginable," there really isn’t any need for him to do so.
The tippet is connected to the fly line (attached to the rod), which is thicker and heavier. "The fly line has some weight to it," says Long. "That’s how we can take something so small and throw it so far." Other paraphernalia generally stashed in a fly fishing tote include a line cutter, something to hold the flies in place while re-tying them, and strike indicators, or small yarn-like strings that float atop the water and indicate whether the fish has bitten the fly. "You must take the rod out of the water and mend the line (remove the slack), without letting the hook slip from the fish’s jaw," Long explains.
No matter how well-stocked one’s tote is, no fly fisherman is ready to wade waist-deep in a frigid river without a substantial pair of boots and GOR-TEX® waders, layered with warm wool socks and a good quality fleece liner. "The water coming out of those dams in eastern Tennessee is cold," says Long. "If you stay dry, you stay warm. Indeed, last January, he and his customer ventured out in 15-degree F tempseratures. "We had to stop occasionally to break the ice out of the rod eyelets," he recalls, adding that spring is the preferred time to catch fish.
Today, fly fishing is employed to catch a wide variety of fish, including salmon, trout, pike, bass, panfish, grayling and carp, as well as several marine species. Generally, Long fishes for trout – mainly Rainbow and Brown trout in eastern Tennessee. "I turn all of my fish loose," he notes. "When I eat fish, I eat salmon. Although most spin [fishermen] keep their trout, fly [fishermen] usually are there for the sport and tend to let the fish go." In the course of a three- or four-hour local fishing trip, Long estimates he catches between eight and 10 trout and loses just as many.
Notable trips
Last summer, Long traveled outside of Tennessee for a fly fishing trip, and he has plans to do so again this year. "Last year [one of my customers, his colleague] and I went to Slough Creek in Yellowstone National Park," says Long. "Slough Creek is one of the top trout streams in the country. We were about eight miles off the beaten path, where it wasn’t very crowded.
This year, the trio will head to Big Sandy Lake in western Wyoming, where they plan to fly fish for 16- to 22-inch-long cutthroat trout (marked by their red throats). "We plan to hike in for about eight miles with horses packing our gear, and then another two miles on foot," says Long. "In the final two miles, [we cross] Jackass Pass, and [the trail] is expected to be rather steep." Still, it’s a popular area among outdoor enthusiasts, so they anticipate running into more people than last summer. At some point, they expect to visit Cirque of the Towers, a well-known rock climbing haven, although Long plans to sit that one out!
Be prepared
It may surprise some sales reps to know that fly fishing and making sales calls have at least one thing in common. "It helps to be prepared," says Long. When standing waist-deep in chilly, swift water, it pays to have extra supplies readily available in case you need to re-tie [a fly] or if [you’d like to] try something different."
The same goes for calling on customers. In fact, preparation and organization are two things Long never overlooks on his job as a sales rep. "I spend an hour or two every Sunday evening preparing for the week," he says. With a 10-year history in corporate sales and having been with Nashville Dental for the last eight years, Long knows what it takes to be successful.
This summer, when he treks out west, it will take more than fly fishing gear to be prepared. "We will need our clothes, a tent, food and more," he points out. "So, we will be limited in what we can bring [on horseback and foot]." That said, in higher elevations, it can get as cold as 30 degrees at night, so they’ll have to pack wisely. Not to mention, "trout like cold water!"
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