8-year-old fly-tying instructor Rosie Clifton embodies the spirit of fishing
“Hello everyone. My name is Rosie and we’re going to make three flies tonight that mimic cinder worms.”
Cinder worms spawn annually on the surface of coves and estuaries and are a highly desirable food source for striped bass in the spring. Saltwater fly anglers wait anxiously for the event to start each year as the mud the cinder worms live in warms up and worms travel to the surface to spawn. The spawning event lasts just a day or two as low water heats the mud to spawning temperatures.
“I am going to take it step by step,” said Rosie Clifton, my fly-tying instructor. The class I attended for the last two weeks ran at the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Kettle Pond Visitor Center in Charlestown. After the first session last week, Rosie said, “Now next week, we are really going to have some fun tying three more flies.”
The program is run in partnership with USFWS and the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Aquatic Resource Education Program in conjunction with charter captain and guide Ray Stachelek and fly fishing expert David Pollack. I was one of 40 students, with 10 volunteer instructors present.
Being a newcomer to fly fishing and tying, I had only made about a dozen flies. So the patience and understanding Rosie shared with me and fellow students were outstanding.
“Dave, can I help you with that wrap,” said Rosie. “Carl, are you having a little trouble over there.” She was remarkably kind, patient and skilled as a fly tier and instructor along with expert assistance from her father, Hugh Clifton.
What is amazing is that Rosie is 8 years old. Her father and mother encouraged her to become a fly-tying instructor. “Rosie sells her flies to both Maridee Bait & Tackle Shop in Narragansett and Fin & Feather Outfitters in North Kingstown,” said Jeanette Clifton, Rosie’s mother. “She has given demonstrations to kids at craft fairs over the winter. She has a good head on her shoulders and is excited to share her knowledge with others.”
“I like making flies in my own style and when they work and catch fish it is really great,” said Rosie. “And being an instructor allows me to share my skills. By teaching others, I am spreading the knowledge. Maybe someday those I teach will become instructors, too, and spread the knowledge further.”
Rosie is a remarkable young lady with a full life of fishing ahead of her. Her desire to help others by sharing her knowledge is the very spirit of fishing. Teaching someone how to fish has been passed down from generation to generation.
Fishing teaches patience, allows us to spend time outdoors to be inspired by nature, provides us with adventure, excitement and a nutritious food source.
The Cinder Worm Program will culminate on May 20 when students and instructors will travel to Ninigret Pond in Charlestown to test their flies with a bit of fishing from 4 p.m. until dusk.
Congratulations to all the Cinder Worm Program partners and volunteers. And Rosie, keep doing what you are doing. You are an inspiration to all of us.
For information about future fly tying and fishing instruction programs offered by DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education Program, contact Kim Sullivan at kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov .
Where’s the bite?
Striped bass/bluefish. “The striped bass bite continues to be outstanding in the East Passage all the way up the Providence River and this week monster bluefish arrived,” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle in Providence. "I fished Saturday with Steve Burstein of North Kingstown. We caught multiple bass to 30 inches with tube and worm in Greenwich Bay. When fishing on Monday with Mike Weaver of Plymouth, N.H., the gator bluefish were there too." ... “Huge bluefish in the 10- to 15-pound range were being caught off the Charlestown Breachway. Now they have moved to the West Wall in South Kingstown,” said Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown. ... Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, Eddie Doherty, said: “Surfcasters have found success on various sections of the canal on different days with the breaking tides kicking off great fishing last weekend. I caught nine fish, including a 39-inch, 18-pounder on the Cape side.”
Tautog. “Tautog fishing is good, but anglers are working for them. We had one customer pick up a 10.5-pound fish off a wreck,” said Cahill. ... Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle said: “Tautog are moving into the shallows to spawn. This gives shore anglers a wonderful opportunity and they will not say no to a clam or sandworm,” Henault added, “Tautog fishing in the bay and out in front of Jamestown, Newport and Narragansett has been good. Customers have also had some luck from shore at Pier Five in Narragansett.”
Squid fishing is picking up, but anglers are having to put the time in. Some days it is hot and other days it is not. Cahill said: “Squid fishing is good for customers off the South County beaches and in Newport.”
Freshwater. “Largemouth bite continues to be good at Turner Reservoir in Rumford, Lincoln Woods, Waterman Lake, Greenville and Spectacle Pond, Cranston with a strong pike bite at Waterman Lake and in the Blackstone River at the Central Falls/Lincoln line,” said Henault. ... Ponds stocked with trout again this month are producing for anglers. For license and stocking information in Rhode Island visit www.dem.ri.gov/fishing and in MA www.mass.gov/service-details/trout-stocking-report.
Dave Monti holds a captain’s a master's license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Fly-tying instructor Rosie Clifton, 8, embodies the spirit of fishing
