Water dripped from Jim Casey’s hood and raindrops spattered the river’s surface as he waded to midstream.
Rod in hand, he demonstrated casts for dry fly presentation, different types of line mends and which way to set the hook depending upon which fish took interest in the fly.
The rain hadn’t stopped from Moscow to this gravel turnout on the St. Maries River, but students from the University of Idaho’s fly fishing course still stood clad in waders and jackets, ready to fish.
“You’ll feel a good difference on the water compared to the grass,” Casey said, nearly shouting over the rain and the sounds of the river.
UI offers a one-credit elective course on fly fishing through the Department of Movement Sciences. According to the syllabus, students will “develop confidence and proficiency with a single hand fly rod,” as well as how to tie knots, handle fish and follow proper river etiquette. Casey, who taught the course for the first time this semester, said he wants his students to develop good casting fundamentals and to be able to diagnose when they’re doing it wrong.
Leslie Kiebert | Blot Magazine
A student casts their line on a rainy day on the St. Maries River.
For most of the class, students learn to cast on the lawn of UI’s Physical Education Building but that does not concern Casey. He said while casting on water feels different, casting with a single hand fly rod involves mostly aerial maneuvers with the line — which makes the sport easy to practice anywhere.
“It’s a limiting factor, but I don’t think it’s insurmountable by any means,” Casey said.
Though he grew up trolling for salmon in Puget Sound, Casey wasn’t serious about fishing with flies until six summers ago, when he and his dad went on a guided fly fishing trip on the Deschutes River in Oregon. It was then that Casey first felt the meditative power he said accompanies the sport.
“I have kind of an anxious mind, I’m a thinker,” he said. “It was just such a release to be so focused on something that I kind of forgot about thinking about the future.”
Casey said since he’s immersed himself in the sport, he’s found there are several misconceptions about fly fishing. He said despite popular belief, fly fishing is not an “old person’s sport.” Getting started doesn’t have to cost a fortune and lack of patience isn’t a legitimate excuse to not try it out.
“People say, ‘I don’t have the patience for fly fishing,’ which is interesting. It’s not necessarily a lack of patience, it’s all of the other little details that keep you from being able to do it right,” he said.
Leslie Kiebert | Blot Magazine
Fly fishing student Ryan Butler observes as instructor Jim Casey demonstrates a cast for his students.
Another misconception seems to be that Moscow is not a great location for avid anglers, he said.
“Fly fishing has given me this level of connection to this area that I don’t think a lot of people get,” Casey said. “People think that the Palouse is just this sea of wheat and there’s no rivers around here. But if you drive two hours, there’s all kinds of fishing opportunities.”
Casey graduated from Washington State University in 2012 and began teaching at UI’s McCall Outdoor Science School soon after. He said he applies his background in outdoor education to teaching UI’s fly fishing course, and that his teaching style transcends simply teaching the techniques of the sport.
“I think the bigger point is that (the students) have a connection to the rivers that are surrounding us, and that level of engagement,” he said. “That connection to contemporary issues is part of the class, especially when the weather deteriorates a little bit. We’re going to be inside tying flies and talking about natural resource conservation issues.”
This connection to rivers is something Casey said he wants to bestow upon his students not only for their well-being but for the environment’s sake as well.
“Rivers need friends,” he said. “The age of secrecy about rivers and spots basically has to go, because there are too many development projects that are always being pushed forward. If there aren’t people to stand up and say, ‘Hey, I love this place,’ they’re just going to get destroyed.”
Heidi Holubetz, a student in Casey’s class, said she’s appreciated Casey’s ability to tie the elective course to real-world issues.
“I think he’s done a great job of teaching us how to fly fish, but also encouraging us being good stewards of the rivers,” she said. “He’s kind of bringing to light what’s going on in the political side of rivers, and I think that’s important for every fisherman and woman to know.”
Leslie Kiebert | Blot Magazine
Fly fishing student Heidi Holubetz casts her line on the St. Maries River.
Holubetz caught her first fish on a fly when she was five years old. Her father, a fisheries biologist, taught himself to fly fish as a teen and passed his love of the sport onto his daughter.
“I personally love it, but I love watching my dad’s face when I catch a fish, too,” she said. “That’s kind of how we relate.”
Still, Holubetz didn’t always love fly fishing like she does now.
“I remember, we were in Montana and he was trying to teach me how to fly fish and I was just whipping (the rod) around,” she said.
Her dad tried to tell her to slow down and practice a more patient technique, but she didn’t want to take his advice.
“It’s definitely good that I’m taking instruction from somebody else,” she said. “It will be fun to reconvene with my dad and show him everything I’ve learned, and catch some fish, hopefully a steelhead on the Clearwater this fall.”
Holubetz said spending every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with her fly rod on the lawn outside the PEB took some getting used to. She said at first she felt silly.
“But now I realize it’s a really great place to focus on your cast and not worry about what the water is doing or what the fish are doing,” she said. “You could catch a clover, but you’re not going to catch a trout on the grass. It’s a good place to focus on your motions with no distractions.”
During the Sept. 17 field trip to the St. Maries and St. Joe Rivers, Casey continued his one-on-one teaching style — this time waist deep in river water and drenched in rain. He navigated the shoreline and waded continually to help his students choose flies, perfect their casts and practice realistic fly presentation.
Casey said he was impressed with everyone’s confidence on the river.
“Everybody is wading out and getting after it,” he said. “Now it would be really cool if someone connected with a fish.”