On the morning of May 12, I drove from Sacramento to Redding to fish with Kirk and his wife, Lisa, on the Sacramento River in Kirk's Fish Rite drift boat. As we geared-up to launch the boat, I learned this would also be Lisa's first try at fly fishing and her first ride on Kirk's drift boat.

As we boated to our first hole, the wind was howling and Kirk was unsure how the fly fishing would be throughout the day. "We're going to stop up here and put some of Worden's new Fat Fish behind the boat and see if the fish are biting," explained Portocarrero. "Within a few minutes we should be able to tell how the day will be."

As we worked the lure in the current for a few minutes, nothing happened, so Kirk decided now would be a better time than any to learn the art of fly casting.

Kirk handed me a 9-1/2 foot G-Loomis GLX fly rod teamed with a G-Loomis Adventure 7 reel spooled with 7 weight floating line. Lisa was given a set up similar to mine, but of a lighter weight. Kirk rigged up the rod with a green indicator tied on top of a 12 foot leader. Tied below that was a #18 micro may fly and a #12 pheasant tail tied 1-1/2 feet below the top fly.

When learning how to cast flies, it is key to listen to the words of the instructor to make sure you don't wind up hooking yourself or someone else! With Kirk prodding us, Lisa and I made a few practice casts towards the bank, with each cast producing a better throw.

"First, let out a few feet of line and hold the line in your left hand while the rod is in your right," he explained. "No matter what happens, always keep that line tight in your left hand. Now, point your rod tip straight out towards the bank and come back with the rod so that it is parallel with your shoulders and swing it back towards the bank."

"If you can't get the fly out from the boat at least five feet within two or three swings, you're doing something wrong," he tipped. "The longer you try casting, the shorter time you'll be in the water where the fish are."

This new way of fishing was a bit nerve-racking to begin with, but I was able to catch on quickly and became very comfortable at what I had learned. Now all we needed to do was catch some fish, which brought up a problem I hadn't taken much time to think about: setting the hook!

The first dozen of so fish we missed were due to this problem. I was used to setting hook with bait casting and spinning rods and never had to hold the line when I set the hook. Another problem was hand lining the fish in when it was my instinct to reel and put pressure on the fish.

Third, too much pressure leads to lost fish. I had to remind myself, along with Kirk telling me, that the flies were small and could not hold in the fish's jaw with heavy pressure.

As the day progressed, the bite was sporadic with a few bites here and there, but nothing had stuck. We drifted over a shallow area with a gravel bottom and Lisa had a good pump on her rod. With the line tight in her hand, Lisa set the hook hard and watched as the rod slammed down.

"Don't put too much pressure, Lisa, that's a big fish," shouted Kirk. Keeping in mind all that she had learned, Lisa fought the fish like a pro fly angler and maneuvered the fish into the net. It was the big fish of the day, an easy 4-plus pounder. After a few pictures, Kirk revived the fish and set it free.

On the next drift, it was Lisa again who set hook on a fish. The fish ran, then came back towards the boat. As the fish tired, Lisa swung the fish's head into the net and released it after more photos.

The day was getting late and I still had no fish, but my responsibilities at home meant we had to get off the water early, so Kirk was more intense on getting me that fish.

"See that tree up there, that's where we're going to get it. Keep you fly right there, you're in the zone," offered Kirk. With his knowledge of the river, Kirk was able to produce right where he said it would.

The fish was feisty, but nowhere compared to Lisa's four pounder. However, I can't downplay the fish because it put up a great fight before I was able to get it in the net.

With us already running late, it was time to pack up fast and head home with a notch under our belt for our first fly-caught fish.