4-F is a designation used by the Selective Service System in the United States to classify individuals who are not qualified for military service. It essentially means “registrant not acceptable for military service.” Many of these guys or ladies, classified as such, suffer very sight problems either from birth or acquired before age 18. This classification was particularly prevalent during times of conscription, such as World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. While the draft is not currently active in the U.S., the Selective Service System remains in place, and the 4-F classification, while less commonly discussed, still carries historical conceptual significance. It represent a recognized, documented inability to serve based on specific criteria.
Anyone like me who has been afflicted with FFD, (Fly Fishing Disorder) ponders whether a this point he could be classified 4-F on the basis of mental acuity. I was never fortunate enough to be called into our country’s military service. At the time of the Korean War, I graduated from high school at 17. I wanted to join the Nave but my wise father said, “Get two years of college under your belt first, the go in. You’ll get a better job in the service. He wouldn’t sign his consent. I did what dad asked. Then I secured a good job in industry. I refused to take a government deferment exam while in tech college. I proposed to join the local Navy Air Reserve but failed the eye test pending glasses. I didn’t get the glasses until five year later, during which I was married and became a dad myself. I was automatically reclassified for the draft from1-A to 3-A, and then the war and any concern of draft was over. By three kids later, in 1963, I was out of the running for Vietnam. I am sorry. In 1959, we moved to the Catskills from the second largest industrial city in New York state, “Go Bills,” and I became intensely interested in fly fishing for trout.
My own definition for 4-F in Fly fishing goes like this:
1-Find: Learn to read the water, as we say. It’s easy to spot a feeding trout’s rise to the surface even in rough water one you know ho. Many experienced guys don’t cast until they have targeted a specific trout holding around some protective covering under the surface like a boulder, or submerged or overhanging tree limb.
2-Fool: Know what lies are in season and select a pattern that matches what is on the water. Color, including tine and size are important. For example, yellow in one stream may mean more or less vibrant or pale in another, because of water chemistry and substrates in the rock at the bottom. May commercially acquired flies are overdressed. Too much hackle can be a turn off for wise trout especially in heavily fished waters. I prefer dull patterns for dull days and bright patterns for bright days. However, overall, fishing is usually best under low light conditions.
3-Fetch: Don’t snap instantly for a hard hook set. Be very gently but steady in the retrieve. Usually three or four runs or surges are performed by a good sized trout before one can even think about netting. Fine nylon .004 or .006 inch diameter tippits don’t stand much impact in cold water. Also, often what you may think may be have been a late an missed hook up, was simply a last instant refusal by the trout. You may have the right color but the fly may be too big. If he really wants it, he’ll take it.
4-Free: Catch and release. Lee Wolfe said it. “A trout is too beautiful to be caught only once.” Handle it very gently. Learn to unhook him (her) underwater. Mash down the barbs on your hooks so as to not rip lips. Don’t keep him long out of water for a picture. You need only one good picture for a season to prove you’re a good fisherman. You can buy good fish for eating at the grocery store - much less expensively, I might add.
Tight lines - as we say.
Dave Plummer is treasurer of the Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Oneonta and can be reached at dsplummersr@gmail.com
