Catching fish on the fly all season long takes dedication and our new Ambassador profile series is taking a look at the lives of the anglers that are out there day in and day out, making it happen. Tennessee boy Jonny Barbuto (@thejonnyt02) knows how to find bass that will eat a fly and he’s sharing how fly fishing has changed his life forever. Use his lessons to start hooking up every time you go out there.
Postfly: What got you into fly fishing in the first place?
Jonny Barbuto: I got into fly fishing pretty early, My dad used to take me down to the local creek after school and let me lose a bunch of flies, but after a while I was able to get my popper out there far enough to fool some bluegill. After seeing them blow up and feeling them on the end of my line I was hooked.
PFB: How has your life changed since starting to fly fish?
JB: Oh man, on to the tough questions! Honestly, it’s hard to say. As far back as I can remember I’ve always had fly fishing in my life, but if I didn’t have fly fishing i don’t think i would have the confidence to challenge myself as much as I do on and off the water. It has also opened up a lot of opportunities to meet a lot of great people and be apart of something that is always evolving.
PFB: What does it mean to you to be called an ambassador to the sport?
JB: It means a lot. I really dig being apart of such an awesome team and promoting the fly fishing lifestyle.
PFB: What’s your favorite fish to chase on the fly?
JB: Ahhhh see this is a tricky one! Being in Tennessee I fish for a lot of largemouth and smallies which are a blast to catch. If we are talking about chasing though I’d have to say musky by far. I’ve yet to land one, but I think thats what makes the chase so much better than any fish I’ve caught. Since I’ve set out on my first trip for musky and gotten a taste of swinging 12-inch streamers on 10wts and had my first few follows it’s hard to compare anything to it. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to when I land one.
PFB: What’s the coolest trip you’ve taken this season? (So far)
JB: The coolest trip this season so far has definitely been our first musky trip ever. This trip was a long time coming. I remember years back being at the film tour with dad throwing back a few cheap beers and a clip of Zero 2 Hero came on and I don’t think I fully understood what i was watching at the time, but it’s something my dad brought up over the years like “Man, we need to get some shit for musky. We need big flies and wire leaders and 10 wts; we need a boat!”
Well homie snagged a boat so then it was on me. So I shot down to the fly shop in search of some sinking line and the dude behind the counter asked, “So what are you going after” and I responded “musky.” Now at this point it hit me, because it got so quiet in that little shop and the guy just looked up at me with a half grin like, “You ’bout that life?”
That’s when it kind of started to sink in that we were after something that not many people go after on the fly, and right then I knew I wanted to be one of those few that did. Neither of us landed a musky that trip, but we started paying our dues and got our first hundred casts on a fish of 10,000.
PFB: Where’s your next trip?
JB: We are mapping some stuff out, but its looking like we are either going to be after some tarpon or reds. Stay tuned!
This is part two of a series highlighting our Ambassador team to help you learn how to catch more fish and grow as a fly fisherman. Stay tuned for part three next Friday. Click here to read part one!
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