By Colleen Kane
Enquirer staff writer

Green Township resident Tom Herr has been fly-fishing for about 30 years. A manager at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Cincinnati, Herr offers private lessons and all-day fly-fishing outings. Courtesy Tom Herr

Tom Herr has fished most of his life but began fly-fishing about 30 years ago when he received a fly rod as a birthday present. He found he really enjoyed the sport - so much he has made it a career.

Herr, 56, of Green Township, is the Fly Fishing Team Leader at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Cincinnati, where he manages the fly shop, helps customers select equipment and does public relations. When he's not at the shop, he gives private lessons ($50 per hour) and guides all-day fly-fishing outings ($150 for one person, $225 for two).

And in his spare time?

"When I'm not working or guiding, I'm fishing," he said.

Here is a conversation Herr had with the Enquirer:

Q: Why fly-fishing?

A: It's relaxing. You're always doing something, constantly casting the fly. You can't just let it sit and wait for a fish to hit it. It's not boring. ...You also try to match the fly to what the fish is feeding on. You try to be somewhat of an entomologist. It makes you think a bit. It's fun.

Q: What can people expect on your guided tour?

A: They can expect to learn the proper way to fish whatever species they're going after. ... I don't know any guide in the world that can guarantee you'll catch fish, but I can guarantee that you'll have a good time in areas you'll enjoy.

Q: Is learning to cast as difficult as everyone thinks?

A: I don't think so. I can teach someone to throw a fly rod in an hour. ... It's not hard. It just takes a lesson and practice and getting used to the timing. It's a four-stroke procedure with a series of stops and starts. The stroke is kind of like throwing a dart or hammering a nail.

Q: Do you recommend people tie their own flies?

A: I don't recommend when they're first starting, but once they get into it, it adds to the sport. It's fun to catch fish on something you made. I like to tie flies. It relaxes me almost as much as fishing. It's an additional way to enjoy the sport.

Q: Best place you've fly fished?

A: The North Fork River in Arkansas that comes out of Lake Norfork just because of the number of fish in it. It's a very cold river, and it sustains a heavy population of trout. ... I had an experience there when I was fishing it that there were so many fish in the stream that there was actually a trout lying behind each of my legs. ... I also like to saltwater fish, do what they call flats fishing in the Florida Keys.

Q: Favorite local places?

A: I like to fish below Brookville Lake for rainbow and brown trout. ... Mad River, Four Mile Creek and Indian Creek, and below Lake Cumberland - they have world-class trout fishing there. I also like farm ponds. In other words, I like to fish anywhere.

Q: Best catch?

A: Two years ago up in the Rocky River by Cleveland. They have steelheads in Lake Erie that come in the river in the spring to spawn. I caught one that was 18 pounds that I was after for almost an hour before I got it. It was really fun. But I released that fish. I release all my fish.