Fly Fishing Clubs: Do They Really Offer Better Fishing?

Ask most fly fishermen why they like the sport so much and many of them will tell you that it’s about the solitude. It’s about getting away from the rat race and connecting with nature. It’s about clearing your mind and having time to just think. However, as the sport has grown in popularity, the once secluded, peaceful rivers have become as crowded as a Home Depot checkout line with guys waiting all day to get the opportunity to fish the best holes. In addition to the crowds, over fishing has caused streams and rivers that were once teaming with trout to drop to just a few healthy fish per mile. Serious fishermen looking to find conditions like the old days have given up on over-fished public waters and standing shoulder-to-shoulder on crowded banks in favor of private lakes, streams and rivers.

Catering to serious sportsmen who see their time with nature as nothing short of spiritual, fly fishing clubs know they have a tall order to fill. Their members pay dues for much more than the opportunity to fish top-quality streams.

Beyond pristine waters, members of fly fishing clubs also seek dream fulfillment; the kind of day on the water that yields moment after moment of euphoria, excitement and enjoyment. The kind of day that finds them angling from sun up to sun down, never realizing that the day has slipped away. It’s an escape from the everyday grind.

What is the purpose of fly fishing clubs? In short, to create the penultimate fly fishing experience. At the end of the day, members never walk away thinking, “You know, that was a pretty good day out there.” They think, “Man. It’s going to be hard to top that,” and then the next day, they head out to the stream again… and top it.