Question:
Anyone have any recommendations for a place to stay where I could
combine some fishing with activities for the wife and 9 y.o. daughter?
Answer:
What he said -- almost. I know exactly what Tim is talking about, and not
only is ignoring your family a risk but I've seen fly fishers burn out their
families to such an extent that even fishing related vacations are out of the
question. But it doesn't have to be that way; this is an instance where you can
have your cake and eat it too. Spending lots of time with your family does not
necessarily mean "no fishing".
I think you should include fishing as part of the trip, but plan to involve
your wife and daughter in the fishing as well. A float trip down the Madison,
for example, is something that they would remember for a long time. It is quite
common for the local shops to take novices out on the river, and most fishing
guides love the opportunity to teach. Just be sure you leave them wanting more,
and you may soon find your wife and daughter demanding more time fishing on
vacations.
That is basically how my wife got started fly fishing. Now our only vacation
question is "What river?" She now takes a back seat to no one on the river, has
strong opinions about her equipment and even ties some of her own flies. Be
warned: having two people in a family willing to spend anything on fly fishing
can be a little hard on your discretionary income. It is also very important to
note that even though we are both hard core fly fishers, fishing is only part of
our fly fishing vacations. Not only can you burn your family out, you can burn
yourself out as well. For example, when we're in YNP you're quite likely to find
us kicking back with all the rest of the tourists and watching Old Faithful
spout. True, we might hit the Firehole on the way home...
