All of us struggled through the beginning of our fly fishing journeys. It's a difficult sport, and it's even harder to pick up when you learn on your own. Thankfully though, most of us can point to someone who helped us get the hang of it, and it's only fair that we pass that along and get someone into the sport ourselves. With that being said, sometimes the best way to get a friend into fishing, is by teaching them yourself.

Start Them Out Easy

Taking your buddy to the local tailwater and handing them a box of midges is probably not the best way to start them out. You have to pick a waterbody or target species where you feel they have a good chance at finding success. Bluegill Ponds are a great place to start, and they're relatively easy to find. Sunfish will happily take surface flies and put up a good fight, making them a great species for the beginner. Once they have the basics down, introduce them to new waters to see what they're comfortable with, and what they seem to enjoy most.

The next step is to work with them on evolving their skills. Start with casting, then knot tying, then fly selection, and so on and so forth. There are numerous variables that play a hand in catching fish, so simplify the process and help them learn piece by piece. Once they start to fool a few fish, see how they perform on their own. This is the time to sit back with your popcorn and watch. Hopefully they'll start to gain some confidence fishing alone, and if they do, you've done a pretty good job.

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Find local stillwaters using the onWater app.[/caption]

Basic Fishing Etiquette

There's nothing worse than getting to the access point and seeing a bunch of clowns being obnoxious, or worse yet, breaking fish and game laws. People keep fish from catch and release sections, they litter, they build fires where they shouldn't, and they walk through Redds. It sucks, but it definitely happens, and we don't need any more anglers like this. So when you teach your friends to fish, show them how to do it the right way. Lead by example, and they'll learn how to handle fish, and how to treat a waterbody. Fly fishing is all about connecting with the outdoors, so show them how to do it with a conscience.

Donate them gear, and help them decide what they should buy

There's no such thing as having too much gear, but it's probably a safe bet that you have more than enough to share. So when your friend needs a little help getting into the game, lend them a hand, or a rod, or a pair of waders. Loan out the gear they need until they are able to upgrade on their own, and they'll be thankful for it. While fly fishing has never been cheaper to get into, there's nothing wrong with using second-hand gear, and it's how many of us first got equipment anyways. 90% of them time you won't miss the loaners, and you'll appreciate having a new friend on the water. That is, as long as they don't break anything, of course.

Stay Positive

There's going to be frustrating times, no doubt about it, but it will eventually be worth it. And when you're sharing a beer after a day on the water, you'll be glad you made it through the 30 minute knot-tying session that made you want to pull your hair out. Have patience, and trust the process. Fly fishing is likely one of the things you love most in life, so why not share it?

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