But in fly-fishing, you need to set the hook, immediately.

Trout take flies the way you may taste hors d'oeuvres of indeterminate composition: with tentative restraint and a readiness for instant rejection. Trout will expel the fly if it feels unfamiliar.

A quick tightening of the line to press the hook into the lip of the trout will start the action. Hold the fly line between the first guide and the reel and pull it as you lift your rod tip high.

What a great feeling when you feel your line tight to the trout! His head shakes. He might lunge or cartwheel to shed himself of the fly. The play of the fish on a long flexible fly rod compounds the thrill of the fight. Unlike the shorter, stiffer rods, fly rods telegraph every motion, every tug and pull, directly into your hand, providing a touch or feel singularly achieved by the fly-rodder.

Bait is often taken deep in the throat. Lures with treble hooks often require a surgeon's skill to disengage the trout. But flies are most often attached to the outer extremities of the fishes' mouths. Should your intent be to release the fish unharmed, fly-fishing is the best means of doing so with a high success rate of survival.

TACKLE AND GEAR: LESS IS MORE
You need only five pieces of tackle to fly-fish: rod, reel, line, leader and flies. Things like polarized sunglasses, a fly box, nippers, split shot and dry-fly floatant are not necessary, but they will make the sport safer and more fun.

Select a graphite rod 8 or 9 feet long, and designated as a 4-, 5- or 6-weight, which corresponds to the weight of line you will use.

Start with an inexpensive reel. (For the beginner, it's merely a line-carrier.)

Select a floating fly-line to match the weight classification of your rod. Start with a 7- to 9-foot-long tapered leader. Make it 5X strength, which is the equivalent of about 4-pound-test.

Regarding which flies to buy, pick up a dozen basics. They are two size 10 grasshoppers dry flies, two size 16 Adams dry flies, two size 14 Elk Hair Caddis dry flies, two size 16 Bead-Head Pheasant Tail nymphs and two size 8 Stonefly nymphs.

Some other gear you'll want to pick up in the future include waders, wading boots, a fly vest and more flies.

Start as a minimalist, with little equipment and inexpensive tackle. Don't let the fly-fishing mystique trap you. This isn't brain surgery. You don't need medical-precision instruments, at least not at the start.

The basics will provide you the ammunition you need to stalk the wily trout. Keep it simple, keep it uncomplicated, and you'll keep it fun.