Couples’ Fly Fishing Trip: Your Guide to Your Best Adventure Together
If you still think that fly fishing is only for men who are past their prime, we are here to change your mind on that! This sport has not only won the seal of approval from Millennials, but a couples’ fly fishing trip is one of the hottest summer trends.
Fly fishing with your spouse has become so mainstream that even Fly Fishers International offers membership options that include spouses. But you don’t have to be a seasoned angler to go on a couples’ fly fishing trip. You just have to enjoy relaxing in nature. Here’s how to make the most of your first fly fishing trip with your significant other.
4 Tips to Make Your Couples’ Fly Fishing Trip a Success
Don’t worry; there aren’t any hard rules to couples’ fly fishing trips. But there are ways to make them unforgettable and incident-free.
1. Hire a Guide
This is especially advisable if both of you are on your first fly fishing trip. A Montana fly fishing guide can save you a lot of hassle: you won’t have to waste time looking for fishing accesses or figuring out how to attach your fly. The guide is there to help both of you get only positive memories.
If one of you is more experienced than the other, the guide can help with leveling the playing field. While he teaches the basics of fly fishing to the least experienced person, the other one can enjoy casting on their own. Let the guide do his job. Encouragement for your partner is nice and welcome, but it complicates both the teaching and learning process if someone in addition to the guide is trying to give coaching or instruction.
2. Respect Each Other’s Wishes
Discuss the duration of the whole trip together and make sure you agree on how much time you will actually spend on the river. Don’t try to impose your preferences on the other – it will result in a bad time for both of you.
Odds are that one of you will enjoy the experience more than the other. It happens to the happiest of couples. Allow your partner time to adjust to the setting; don’t force them to try and appear more excited than they really are. Who knows, maybe this will be their new favorite hobby!
3. Avoid Being too Competitive
It’s very likely that one of you will master casting and tying knots faster than the other. Don’t gloat! If you want to make your couples’ fly fishing trip a success, allow your partner time to learn and support their effort.
Even if your skill levels are similar, don’t turn the whole trip into a competition. In the end, it doesn’t matter who could the biggest trout or who caught the most fish. What matters is the bonding moment you shared when you were both struggling to get a huge catch out of the water.
4. Don’t Jump in to Help to Quickly
Learning how to fly fish is an experience in its own, one that relies a lot on trial and error. That being said, if you notice that your partner is struggling, allow them to try and solve the problem on their own before you jump in. If you do end up helping them, try not to do the whole task for them. Show them how to do it instead!
Remember that you are equals. Giving your partner the best place in the boat or the best gear may put too much pressure on them, despite your good intentions. Struggling is part of the process and, believe it or not, it’s one of the parts that creates the best memories.
Whether this is your first couples’ fly fishing trip or your tenth, you need to keep one thing in mind: you are here to have fun and spend time together. Because its your loved one, you don’t have to prove yourself or make it a competition – they love you already (and this trip could make them love you even more)! Remember this and you’ll have a great fly fishing trip together.
