Richard Formato

Richard Formato is an avid catch-and-release fly-fisherman from Wytheville, Va. When not on the water, he operates a small business there. Formato loves to fly-fish in his native Southwest Virginia because of the great water and wonderful people. He also loves to fish the flats and shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic whenever work and weather permit. He is on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's board of directors and is a trustee of the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive.

Recent columns

• What about Bob?
• Notes from the Charlotte Fly Show
• A chance meeting
• A wish for Jack

• Column archive
• Talk fly-fishing

Last weekend I went to the Charlotte fly show.

One of the purposes of my visit to the show was to show a friend and novice fly rodder, the real fly industry.

He has a piece of property with a stream running through it and was excited about turning it into a going trout business.

Intriguing him most was the concept of making his stream into a pay-to-fish operation.

Even better, he was told by Orvis that they would bring clients to guide at this venture.

He thought this sounded great. "A new business where fly-fisherman plop down $75 a day to catch and release fish on your property. What could be better?"

As a scratch golfer, this man had taken one sport as far as he could, and was ready to lay down his 5 iron for a 5 weight.

There is nothing like a new sport, especially as you get a little older.

On Sunday, I took this new acquaintance to Charlotte to meet some of the guides who earn a living on the region's streams and lakes.

After I made my introductions, he broached the subject of his fly-fishing business to two local national known fly-fishing guides.

With the most gentleness, he was politely told by the guides that’s they do not guide on a “pay-to-fish” stream.

The reason wasn’t disregard. The reason was their love of the sport of fly-fishing and their desire to help.

The guides told him that stocked trout are not acclimated to anything other trout chow and fishing pressure, and all the rules of fly -fishing like mends, drifts and presentation go out the window with your money when you pay at the gate.

The local outfitters explained that the roots of fly-fishing are in teaching people how to catch fish on the fly -- and that is a mismatch with stocked fish.

A true fly-fishing guide is more than an escort.

He or she is a counsel on casting technique, how to read water, and how to use the day’s bugs to the angler’s advantage.

A real guide consorts with their clients to be a better angler, a better sportsman, and better steward of the water.

The first time I went fishing with a guide, he sat on the banks of the Jackson River watching the water for about 20 minutes.

I chided him about it must be nice to take a customer on an hour’s drive just to sit and watch the river.

I can still remember the feigned smile, and downturned glance. To this day, I apologize to this guide for that remark, and I am still embarrassed by the misstatement.

He wasn’t looking for flies.

He was studying the water, because that’s where the fish live, and he was looking for wakes and rises, studying the water clarity and “remembering.”

Remembering all the years before he had sat on that same spot, and catalogued all the flies that he used, and all the fish he caught and missed through the years.

A good guide knows before he gets to the water what will probably be hatching. A great guide reads the water and knows almost exactly what variation of fly before he takes his first back cast.

This is what makes fly-fishing so sublime, and this is precisely what is missing at pay-for-fish streams.

At a pay-for-play fishery, the fish are there because they were trucked there. And chances are they are in a particular stretch of stream because they were netted and dropped there.

The answer is not more pay-to-fish streams.

What would help is more streams converted into naturally sustaining fisheries.

Our state-stocked streams seem to be getting worse and there are fewer of them every year because the landholders can’t stomach the abuse anymore.

Unfortunately, owning a pay-to-fish business is like having all the liabilities of state-stocked stream without the free rainbows.

In exchange for a rod fee, you get constantly poached, your land and stream get abused, and you hear constant complaints from anglers who don’t think you have big enough fish, enough fish, biting fish, or even any fish.

One of the most astute questions my new friend was asked in the Queen City: do you want fisherman or a fishery?

Unfortunately, often times, it seems both are impossible.