June presents the perfect opportunity to take up fly-fishing.

You don't have to break the bank to get started in fly-fishing. A combo reel, rod and line won't set you back any farther than a new baitcaster. Photo by John R. Ganter.

Sure, anytime is a fine time to fly-fish. But for the first-timer, or those who have given the sport a quick try, found it too demanding and sacked the idea, there is no better time to set aside your spinning gear and your bait-casting rods. It's time to allow fly-fishing to broaden your angling enjoyment. And you'll catch more fish.

I can envision some of you thinking, Why do I need this? I'm doing all right without fly-fishing in my life.

Maybe that's true. But before you turn to another article, bear with me a bit. Why should you consider fly-fishing? To answer this, let's look first at why we fish at all.

It's seldom about putting food on the table; we could drive to the fish market cheaper than driving to the lake or stream.

Competition, whether among fishing friends or simply between the fish and ourselves, provides real appeal.

Companionship, excitement, getting out and away, all enter into the equation. No single answer fully describes fishing's attraction.

So, why am I encouraging you to fly-fish? My answer is threefold:

1) In many instances, fly-fishing can be more effective than spin- or bait-casting.
2) Fly-fishing increases your pleasure by pushing you to expand your fishing knowledge and abilities.
3) When you get the hang of it, it's just plain fun. Fly-casting is a very enjoyable mode of catching trout, bass or any other game fish.

Bait-fishing and spin-casting both have their times of success, like when trout are eagerly chasing minnows, for example. However, when trout turn to ingesting insects for energy, as they do so often, nothing compares with fly-fishing.

Certainly there is nothing inherently wrong with other means of fishing. Worm is not necessarily considered a four-letter word. Take your fun where you find it. Fishing with flies provides just another experience -- a vastly more exciting, artful and humane way of tricking trout.

Yet, it's not difficult or demanding to begin enjoying the sport. It's quite easy, really. Just don't sweat it. Allow it to be the casual, enjoyable and effective sport that it is.

Picture a thoroughly pleasant preoccupation done in gorgeous surroundings in a graceful and thoughtful manner. And it is neither expensive to get started nor complicated to pursue.

Yes, you can spend a lifetime learning all of the many facets of the sport, but that dedication is not necessary to enjoy fly-fishing. You've probably seen fly rods and reels advertised at prohibitive prices. But the reality is that the equipment necessary to start catching fish by fly-fishing is no more expensive than other forms of fishing.

This article will show you all you need to know, and all you need to spend, to get out there and start catching fish with a fly. Let's start by looking at some of the differences between bait- or spin-casting, and casting a fly.

THE CAST: PUSH ME/PULL YOU
This is where some first-timers get started on the wrong foot and give up.

There is a great deal of misconception about fly-casting. In other forms of casting, the lure or weight is propelled through the air with a strong throw. This weight then pulls the line from the reel. This is a familiar move, much like throwing a baseball. Distance is increased by using more arm strength and by snapping the wrist.

Fly-casting is a totally different matter.

Typical flies have virtually no weight and are unable to pull line. The fly line, however, is heavy and once propelled will carry (or push) the fly out to where the fish are. Because you can't hand-throw the line, you must use the strength and flexibility of the fly rod to propel the line. This is accomplished by bending, or loading, the rod in one direction and then allowing the rod to unbend with force.