European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Who says Fly fishing is an elitist sport despite the tremendous Boom of Fly fishing in he inst two decades Many non Fly fishermen View it As a difficult mysterious pastime. This is a vestige of the time when the sport was Ibghy the Domain of Tweed Jack Tod pipe smoke a englishmen who fished with Bamboo rods that Cost a Small Fortune and were handed Down through generations. Thanks largely to americans ingenuity and belief that the outdoors belongs to everybody Fly fishing today is very much an egalitarian sport. Part of the reason is the technological developments that have transformed it. These began in the 1950s with the first mass production of fibreglass Fly rods. Though they did not cast As Well they were priced at a fraction of the Cost of Bamboo rods bringing the major item of equipment within Roach of average people. Another Factor in the democratization of the sport was Lee Wulff who died last year. Wulff was one of the most famous fishermen of his Era and had a special love of Fly fishing he believed it should be accessible to everyone and his invention of the fishing Vest helped relegate tweeds to the status of a foreign affectation. Still Many outdoors men who grew up with a spinning spin casting or bait casting Rod retain an unfounded Awe of Fly fishing. They think it requires expensive exotic equipment Long years of practice and study and special initiation these Are misconceptions. There Are two main reasons for the Fly fishing Boom the first is that most people who have tried different fishing methods Are convinced that Fly fishing is the most exciting one part of the reason is that the most popular method dry Fly fishing allows the Angler to see the fish when it slams lie Fly. The second reason is its effectiveness though Trout Are the no i Fly fishing Quarry More and More fishermen have discovered that a Fly Rod can be deadly for Bass Coppies and Many Salt water fish. These Days people get hooked on Fly fishing not to join an elite fraternity but to catch an a f Sti if Trout Are rising All around you Are not Pom. J to catch Many fish by dunking a worm or is Ling a Pinner. I by fist ing makes sense for other reasons. In Emo pc it Gams angles Access to some of the Best fishing Waters. Austria s 1 Mun River some sections of which abound in 5-Pound minnows and Browns is Fly fishing Only. So is the franconian Switzerland Franzische Schweiz area of Germany 1 his Region East of Bamberg has excellent Chalk Stream fishing amid spectacular scenery a Basic Fly fishing outfit includes Rod reel line leaders and a Fly selection. Some of the american mail order sporting goods companies a Orvis Zabelas l l. Bean Oiler  emt beginner packages in a variety of Price ranges Somic am less than $100. It mgt Iri a a number of excellent books for beginners one of the Best is Fly fishing by the late Joe Brooks. It Ith my i. I to my instruction equipment descriptions pm is m i i Lerent fish and explanations of the various readers action tin clothing allowances done to cover costs a. I a is in the Navy and  l id he Conod a to very rapidly. However it has been a i Quot i nude l-7, e-8 and o-1  Tom Quot t. M ances Vivero allowed i had Toa a Quot Oqui red uniforms at Counsi Doruelo out a i understand that chef Petty a h be. I Quot $900 for their i Torr quotm1 a a i �\0d $600 is them a ,v.i\ to i re. A a even i port on cd  a a. ,. A a i if id a s. Larson types of Flics wet dry streamers and nymphs americans in Europe can learn All aspects of Fly of Shing at one of the German american Fly fishing clubs. These clubs also organize fishing trips. Here is a list Frankfurt Hanau area a heartland Fly Fishers president George backed ulme Strasse 16, 6467 Hasselroth 2, Germany Telephone 06055-6433 or vice president David Bryer Telephone ets 348-3835 or civilian 06073-63964. Nurnberg Bamberg area a bavarian Fly Fishers Theo Maschewsky Lar Chenwen 2, d-8508 Wendelstein Telephone 09129-6184. Stuttgart area a Black Forest Fly Fishers president Mark Boyd use com unit 30400, Box 152, Apo a 09128, Telephone ets 430-5280 or civilian 0711 -6877488. Ramsten a Kaiserslautern area a Rheinland a chief Petty officer Audrey Micheles Public affairs office . Naval forces Europe replies clothing allowances for both officers and chief Petty officers in the Navy Are set Forth in the department of defense military pay and allowances entitlements manual do pm. Periodically the clothing allowances Are increased to keep Pace with the Cost of acquiring the necessary uniform items i he latest increase effective oct. 1, 1991, entitles a male e-6, advanced to chief Petty officer a clothing allowance of $806.85. All officers commissioned in regular Navy components Are entitled to a one time payment of $?00, regardless of the source of commission or previous enlisted status. The exceptions Are those officers commissioned upon completion of aviation of cer candidate school Rosc and Hose a to d due a Titi. M aviator candidates commissioned in a i. A i a in All i Light training who am m d f a c Zee Al id he Pfalz Fly Fishers president Marco Monteagudo Telephone ets 496-7812 or civilian 06357-7682, one aspect of Fly fishing especially cloaked in mystique is Fly tying. I Learned to Fly fish 20 years ago with the help of an instruction Book and a Friend who knew the Basic casts. In the intervening years i met Many other Fly fishermen a Good number of them were also Fly tiers. In Austria several years ago i watched a 7-year-old boy the son of a fishing acquaintance effortlessly tying flies late into the night. Some excellent and knowledgeable fishermen including . Montgomery Boston Globe writer and author of the Way of the Trout take Little interest in Fly tying. But creating artificial insects and other fish food out of fur twine and feathers remained a fascinating mystery that i knew would eventually Hook me. Nearly a year ago i even bought a Fly tying kit. But it remained in the Cabinet throughout the Winter. Two weeks ago at a meeting of the heartland Fly Fishers i watched a couple of excellent tiers demonstrating their Craft that night i got out Vise Hooks and Hackle and sat Down to give it a try. About an hour and a half later i had produced my first Royal Coachman the wings were too far Forward the Hackle too sparse the Tail too Short but amazingly it looked almost like it was supposed to. It might even catch a fish. Now my wife watches apprehensively As i peruse High end Cata logs with $300 vises and Rainbow selections of feathers costing additional hundreds of dollars. But for now the basics Are enough. A a the Heidelberg Rod and gun club will hold its grand opening on june 6. There will be a free Buffet for members. Non members will be charged $5,50. Children under 6 eat for free. On june 20 at 10 . The Heidelberg club will conduct a fishing course participants who successfully Complete the course will receive the German fishing certificate which is necessary for obtaining a fishing License in Germany. A the Ramstein archers based at Ramstein a Germany will Host the european outdoor Field championship july 11-12, the tournament is open to anyone who is a member of the National Field Archery association or the Archery association of Europe. The event will take place at the Ramstein Archery Range a qualifying round will be held june 7 at the Range. For More information Call Fred Bridger at ets 496-7487/7383 or civilian 06385-6110. A fishing permits for the Wiesbaden Germany Rod and gun club s Stream in Weilburg Are available from the Rod and gun club sales store at Mainz Kastel depot. The Cost of the permits for members is $5 per Day $9 per weekend and $60 per month. The Cost for non members is $8 per Day $15 per weekend and $60 per month. This column can be a useful tool for sharing information among outdoor enthusiasts if you have questions or information about outdoor activities in your area or just want to talk about your particular interest Contact Norm Zeigler stars and stripes unit 29480, to 265, Apo a 09211, Telephone ets 3400230 or civilian 06155-601230 i n Germany. Unfortunately there Are no provisions for paying an individual the current rate for an advancement before that effective Date. To write us -1 readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. V pm my