Learning on the Fly

Fly-fishing doesn’t have to be complicated

By Mike Zlotnicki

Although I don’t consider myself a fly angler, I own a fly rod. However, I do consider Scott Wood a subject expert on fly fishing. Scott, a buyer and product manager for Great Outdoor Provision Co., sat down with me to talk about getting into the sport, one he’s been doing since childhood.

“I grew up with a stream in the backyard … so naturally I gravitated to fishing,” Scott says. Eventually, Scott figured out he could catch more fish on fly rod poppers than on hardware.

If one is shopping for golf clubs, it helps to get fitted at a pro shop. The same goes for fly rods, as one size doesn’t fit all. A big-box retailer is likely not set up to allow customers to cast lines, a significant part of the selection process, Scott explains.

“With a fly rod, there’s personal preference in casting style,” he says. “A rod that casts better for me might not be the one that casts better for you.”

Fly rods were once made of split bamboo, then fiberglass. Most rods today are graphite, although Scott explains fiberglass is making a comeback.

“It’s what we call ‘slower,’ so it bends a little deeper into the rod and doesn’t rebound as quickly,” he says. “That can be good if you’re trying to cast in a jungle where you want to cast short and you want to cast slow in a delicate presentation.”

Scott explains that fly-fishing rods are measured in “weights.” A 3- or 4-weight rod is best for mountain trout, for example, whereas an 11- or 12-weight rod is suited for species like tarpon, amberjack or tuna. If you want to use a rod for bass and bream fishing, a 6-weight rod is best, Scott says. “It’s got enough oomph to cast heavy-bass flies, but it’s not so heavy that a bream isn’t going to be fun.”

Selecting the right line is another consideration — Scott sees the rod and fly line as equally important. A weight-forward floating line is standard. One misconception is you must fish floating flies with floating line, but you can also use a sinking fly and it will simply hinge down on the leader, he explains. Scott uses a monofilament leader, which is a length of line between the main fly line and the tippet, or what the fly is tied to.

In the fly-fishing world you have “poppers,” or topwater flies; “floating flies,” or dry flies; and “wet flies,” also known as streamers and sub-surface flies. A decent combo, or outfit — consisting of a rod, reel, line and leader — costs from around $200 to $250 or more. Pro shops can also design an outfit for specialty fishing.

“A lot of people will benefit from a lesson, whether in a class or individually. It can be hard to learn to cast on your own — even just one lesson can help,” Scott offers as final advice. “Also, buy decent equipment. You get what you pay for. There’s a tendency in the fly-fishing world to make it seem way more complicated than it is. It’s just fishing.”

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Grandma’s Cranberry

Congealed Salad

With Krispy Kreme crullers

Growing up, I can never remember a time my Grandma didn’t have a dish of this in her refrigerator. She loved cruller doughnuts and hated waste, breaking up the stale ones into her Jell-O salad. This dish would shine at a summer picnic — don’t forget the Cool Whip!

2 cups cranberry juice

2 boxes (3-ounce) red Jell-O (we used cherry and strawberry)

1½ cups cold water

1 can (20-ounce) crushed pineapple in juice

2 cans (14-ounce) whole berry cranberry sauce

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (pecans work, too)

6 mini Krispy Kreme cruller doughnuts Cool Whip

From Your Kitchen

Zucchini Bread

Despite how offended some folks are by that little bit of green in a sweet bread, they honestly won’t even know that little bit of extra nutrition is in this delicious bread! The bread also benefits from the added moisture. Be aware that this recipe makes 2 loaves.

3 eggs

1 cup oil (such as vegetable)

2½ cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon

½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Submit

Heat the juice to boiling in a large microwave safe bowl. (We used an 8-cup glass measuring cup.) Whisk gelatin into hot juice to dissolve. Add cold water and mix well.

In another bowl, combine pineapple (including juice) with cranberry sauce. Stir into gelatin mixture.

Pour into a 9-by-13-inch dish. Scatter with the nuts. Break four doughnuts into pieces and distribute evenly into mixture. Crumble the other two and dust the top of the salad. Chill overnight.

Serve with Cool Whip.

Note: This isn’t a firm gelled salad — it’s more ‘spoonable’ than sliceable. If you prefer a denser consistency, omit the pineapple juice.

Yield: 12–16 servings

Creamy Fried Chicken Salad Rolls

What’s a Southern picnic without fried chicken? or chicken salad? We’ve combined the two in these stuffed rolls! The salad can be a bit messy, so we stuffed it into top-split hot dog rolls so the goodness doesn’t fall out.

6 cups fried chicken*

¾ cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sweet pickle juice

¾ cup roughly chopped sweet pickle chips (we used Mt. Olive Sweet Heat Bread & Butter)

4 cups iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped

2–3 stalks celery, diced (about ¾ cup)

2–3 green onions, dark and green parts, finely chopped

½ teaspoon black pepper

Hot sauce, a few shakes (optional)

2 packages (8-count) top split rolls Chives, snipped as a garnish (optional)

Chop up chicken into small pieces. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients except rolls. Fold chicken into mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to serve or pack your picnic, stuff salad into rolls and keep safely cooled.

Recipe courtesy of Michelle London of Matthews, a member of Union Power Cooperative

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add to egg mixture and stir until just blended. Add in nuts.

Pour into pans and bake for one hour.

Yield: 2 loaves

*You can fry your own chicken, but save time by getting it from a local restaurant. (We used Bojangles’ 4-piece dark meat fried chicken and 6 tenders, including skin.) You can also use prepared frozen cooked tenders. Yield: About 16 rolls (2 per person)

Recipes by Wendy Perry, a member of Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative, unless otherwise noted. Learn more at WendysHomeEconomics.com

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