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Steve Schwartz demonstrates fly fishing technique in front of his home in Equinunk, Pennsylvania. (Matt Smith/WHYY)
Steve Schwartz demonstrates fly fishing technique in front of his home in Equinunk, Pennsylvania. (Matt Smith/WHYY)
Steve Schwartz demonstrates fly fishing technique in front of his home in Equinunk, Pennsylvania. (Matt Smith/WHYY)
Airdate: October 25, 2022
Fly fishing has never been the most popular type of fishing, but over the years it has consistently grown in popularity. According to the Outdoor Foundation, about six to ten million people go fly fishing ever year.
James Widmaier, senior master fly tying fly fisherman, said fly fishing is an art form, which involves making artificial flies with feathers, furs, and synthetic materials to entice a fish to bite on a fishing line.
Widmaier said, for those interested in fly fishing, it’s best to find a mentor who is good at the sport, contact someone in the local Trout Unlimited chapters, and develop a love and passion for it.
He also said, the sport made a positive impact on his life as fishing outdoors is calming and requires some physical activity.
Through the course of Widmaier’s fly fishing career, he was able to achieve many accomplishments, one of them was catching the unofficial world record pacific sailfish on a flyrod.
“It’s a very satisfying accomplishment and it does take time. It does take patience,” Widmaier said. “It’s a lot of trial and error in the fishing activity, also in the fly time. You can’t become an expert overnight. It takes years of patience and also, you have to continue and make sure that you renew some of the skills that you’ve learned.”
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