Tough love

When I start guiding to beginners who has not been fly-fishing before, I give them warning. I won’t take any responsibility about they starting new hobby and buying gears for fishing.  They normally laugh like it is a joke. After trip or even before it is ending…. They understand why I said so. Wednesday I had a case like that again. I told them as joke this but it turned to be true. There are two more people in the world who are hooked to fly-fishing.

But let’s go on headline, Tough love. You probably now what it means, you use it with children or something like that. I use it with Finnish men. Finnish men are difficult to teach, like any other men. Women are easier, they do like you told them. ( unless she is your wife or kid). Women are anxious to learn and they do listen a guide. (beside you can get close contact while teaching casting)

In Finland we have some kind of idea that we man know everything, I heard that there is word for that which is man-explaining.  When I give basics about casting they are saying yes, yeah etc, which gives you signal that they understood. It is not necessarily the case, they just say it that I would move on. But what they don’t know is that all this yeah and yes are coming to their face later.

I have one place where it is really easy to get start with fly-fishing. That place is easy to wade, space to make all kind of casting and of course some fish, if not grayling then roach but you will get lot of strikes and bites. There is bridge going over river so I can see everything from there including how flies are going, fishes etc.

So I teach them to cast and fish, fixed some mistakes etc. You know what we guides do, I did like nice way. I had patience, nice tone etc. That is how proffessional guides are doing, not making guest feeling bad. But…. with some Finnish men it won’t work, so I have to give some tough love. This was case on Wednesday. Fishing technique was okay, line control also, roll casting was nice etc. So it was time to fix small things to make them better. And it came to wrist, that bloody thing which is between fingers and elbow. You know that you have joint in your elbow. My guest was using lot of wrist while over-casting which made some errors with landing the fly, loops etc.

I was watching from brigde and fixing small things. His friend joined me and he probably learned more just watching his friend casting than casting himself. And my tough love is something like this:

• You are using your hand like doing masturbation, your wife won’t give you anymore?
• You are using rod like a whip. If whipping is something you like, please keep it in your bedroom with your wife.

Things like that, I know that you won’t want hear things like that from your guide but….. It is working. He was laughing and fixing the things. I know that his friend enjoyed a lot about situation but this is how sometimes things goes. Both of them went afterwards to  buy new gears and we probably meet again next summer, at least they were booking all ready.

Have a nice weekend and tough love

Mika the Legend