photo by Derek Redd Brendon Sprowls, left, and father Bill have a love of fly fishing that goes well beyond Brendon’s job at Cabela’s. The two, along with Bill’s son Zak, are avid fly fishermen.

WHEELING — There’s a reason Brendon Sprowls handles fly fishing lures with the reverence of a priest serving communion. Several generations of reasons. Fresh water practically flows through the family veins.

Sprowls is a Washington, Pennsylvania, resident who sells fishing gear for Cabela’s at The Highlands and fishes on a weekly basis all year long. He remembers the very day the call of the river sounded to his generation.

“I had a little Zebco (spin fishing rod) on the front porch and my dad drove his truck into the middle of the yard,” Brendon said. “As soon as I could cast to the tailgate, I could go out with him. It took me about three hours.”

They wound up at a friend’s pond soon after. Success was gratifyingly immediate.

“We caught a lot of bluegill that day.”

They’ve caught (and mostly released) a lot of all kinds of fish since, noted his dad, Bill Sprowls. Bill also taught son Zak Sprowls to both spin fish and fly fish.

“Both my boys are better fly fishermen than I am,” Bill admitted with a chuckle.

That might be a function of time. Bill said he didn’t learn the rhythmic technique — which involves standing in the water and unfurling fishing line and a lightweight, fly-like lure in a whisking motion — until his late teens. His own father, who taught him to fish, was strictly a spin fisher.

Bill considers himself a “trout fisherman” rather than a fly fisherman because he will use either method, depending on what the fish want. “If they want flies, you have to cast with a fly rod.”

That is generally a matter of location, he said. The Sprowls have a cabin at Pymatuning Lake in Pennsylvania. But, they also fish in multiple other spots including Middle Wheeling Creek Lake in Ohio County.

“Where there’s a lot of flies in the natural ecosystem, the fish tend to key in on them,” Bill said. “That’s the best way to catch them. It’s the most honest way, too.”

NATURAL WISDOM

That kind of philosophy resonates with Brendon, who even has a favorite dad quote on the subject of fishing.

“My dad always says, ‘trout don’t live in ugly places,’ “ Brendon said. “I just like getting outdoors, being around fishermen, being on the water.”

That last comment is something Bill suspected was at work in both of his sons. Having fished through generations of family life, he’s decided there is an emotional trajectory to angling.

“I could go days without catching anything on a trip and still have a good time,” Bill said. “You change as a fisherman. Early on, it’s about numbers and size. Later, it’s about being there. My boys have almost reached that point.”

CONTEMPLATION

Perhaps such thought is an outcome of fly fishing itself. Brendon noted the sport’s quiet nature.

Fishing with his dad, his brother or friends still has a solo feel. There’s bonding, but not necessarily talking because, well, fish.

“Usually, we stay more quiet when we’re fishing. But, we talk about some stuff,” Brendon said.

Then there’s the dramatic casting technique. It is beautiful, but Brendon said it’s basically about sport.

“Everyone seems to think it’s 98% magic, but it’s not,” Brendon said. “It’s the same as every kind of fishing. It’s just a different cast. That’s all it is.”

He noted it took him a couple of weeks to master the motion. He said that’s faster than some, slower than others. It’s something he likens to athletic ability.

“Some people are better at rhythmic sports than others,” Brendon said. “Just be patient with it. It’s going to take a while to get good at it. But, once you get going at it, you’ll enjoy it a lot more.”

There’s also the tying of the flies, which is basically an art form. The small lures carry names such as “elk hair caddis” and are made of sometimes colorful bits shaped to resemble specific insects. The Sprowls generally don’t tie their own flies anymore, but they continue to appreciate them.

Cradling such a lure in one palm, Brendon said the artistry pays off in the water. “The first dry fly cast that I caught was with a fly like this.”

It’s a good memory. Maybe not as good of one as that first day, casting off the front porch and onto a pickup truck with his dad, but a good memory, he said.

Such words are good to hear, Bill noted.

“It was very gratifying to pass the skills along to a new generation,” Bill said. “I’m glad that they enjoy it. It’s something that we get to do together.”