I`m go`in nuts!

[wypatch]

Hi from WY. First, I`de like to say what a great site this is and I`m glad I found somewhere I can share my thoughts with. I live in Thermopolis WY. and been here 9yrs, fishing the Bighorn and Wind River often w/ spinning gear untill last June when my Dad got me a 9' 5wt fly outfit and since all my high dollar spinning stuff is obsolete. Last year after getting the rig in the mail and figuring out how to get a fly 20" away from me I went to the Wind River canyon( right down my street ) and on my very first cast in the water w/ a brown wollybugger I caught a 22" 4lb brown-BLISS... I got three more that day, the biggest was 24". That was the best summer I had in my life! Some days I`de catch 20+ and none were under 18" till August and the switch seemed like it got shut off and I could`nt catch squat. Mind you, I still did`nt know how to fly fish!

I got started this year in Jan. My first fish this year was a 20" bow on a, guess what, wollybugger. This month I met a friend who fly fishes too and he showed me what nymphing is and how to mend and he`s got a real cool drift boat that I got to go down the river on a few times so far and this fly fishing thing is really starting to take off in my head, you know what I mean? Works been kind of slow so on early days I`m wadeing, Still getting my fly about 20" away from me and catching BIG fish almost ervery day. I was out today and they started jumping all around me so I got rid of my indicater and tied on a parachute dun and a elk hair emerger( I catch on quick) and, well, I think I`m just plain nuts now. How does a guy cope with this?

 

[HuronRiverDan]

Welcome to the Forum...You are hopelessly addicted by the description you gave us...Nothing you can do about it but fish...

Dan

 

[futuramille]

Thermopolis is a great place (grew up in Greybull Wyo) if you like fishing/hunting (like most places in Wyo) or small towns. I never got to fish wind river but isn't there some of the river on the rez? Beautiful place for sure. Welcome, I know I look forward to pictures and stories of those big'ol trout you have around there.

 

[peregrines]

Wow! Sounds like you're living in trout heaven. Welcome aboard, it sounds like you're doing great--- and catch on quick.

There's no known cure for what you've got, but the condition can be managed. Just get plenty of exercise (fly fishing) and meditate (tie flies) on a regular basis.

We're looking forward to your posts, and to your trip reports. Feel free to ask questions if you've got 'em, share you're wisdom and experience with others and make yourself at home.

mark

 

[Jimmie]

No way to cope so just give in to this addiction. At least it's a healthy one. Now if you want to take it to another level where you can do it day or night anywhere start tying. CAUTION: can get sneaky expensive, lol.
Oh, and :welcomean

 

[ab fisher]

your pretty much stuck man think of it as being stuck in a prison of the river with a fly rod, all you can do is accept it and have some fun

 

[mcnerney]

wypatch: Welcome to the forum and the great sport of fly fishing. You live in an excellent area to fly fish with the Wind River in your back yard. What a great place to learn to fly fish. If you have a camera post some pictures of your area, you will make a lot of folks on this site jealous! I live in Laramie and have been through there quite a few times but it was always on a road trip on the motorcycle and I never stopped to fish. One of these days I'm going to make it up there, it sure is a pretty part of WY.

Larry

 

[wypatch]

Thanks for the welcome, I guess I just got to face the fact, I`m hooked... I got home from work today about 4:30 and the wind was blow`in and I was all peter`ed out from a good hard day so I went scout`in. After spin fishing for over 30yrs off the bank this wadeing thing just opens a whole new world and now I can move out to spots I could`nt get to. I just stayed on the bank and looked over some new water downsteam from town and spooked a 26"+ monster brown out from a dead tree. Way too much cover to fish from shore but I know were he`s at. Tomorrow the Bighorn is getting a flush of 4500cfps from 800cfps, it will be back down by Wedsday. Last summer I started when it was about 2500 and by the end of June it was MOV`IN at 6500. Thats when I got most my fish! That was from the bank, you do not want to get in the water...

My freinds going to show me how to tie fly`s and from there I can be sure to get a new habit.

 

[mcnerney]

Thanks for the welcome, I guess I just got to face the fact, I`m hooked... I got home from work today about 4:30 and the wind was blow`in and I was all peter`ed out from a good hard day so I went scout`in. After spin fishing for over 30yrs off the bank this wadeing thing just opens a whole new world and now I can move out to spots I could`nt get to. I just stayed on the bank and looked over some new water downsteam from town and spooked a 26"+ monster brown out from a dead tree. Way too much cover to fish from shore but I know were he`s at. Tomorrow the Bighorn is getting a flush of 4500cfps from 800cfps, it will be back down by Wedsday. Last summer I started when it was about 2500 and by the end of June it was MOV`IN at 6500. Thats when I got most my fish! That was from the bank, you do not want to get in the water...

My freinds going to show me how to tie fly`s and from there I can be sure to get a new habit.

The snow pack isn't anywhere it was last year so unless we get the constant rain like last spring the flows on the Bighorn should come down fairly quickly making wading safer. One thing you can do to help learn is to search on YouTube, there are hundreds of very good videos covering just about everything to do with fly fishing and fly tying. If you get into tying, I would highly recommend getting Charlie Craven's Basic Fly Tying book. It is the best I have seen. Also check out his web site, he has 158 patterns listed with detailed instructions.
Charlie's FlyBox - Colorado's Best FlyShop and online Fly Tying Tutorials

Larry

 

[wypatch]

Your right, it doesnt look like a good year for run-off. One real bad thing about the Bighorn is moss. If the water don`t move like it did today for a few weeks in the summer the river becomes almost unfishable by August though December. The last two years were good but it dont look good this year. Maybee useing dries will work?

Someone asked about the Wind River. There is only about one mile of it that you can fish w/o a Res. license. The name of the river changes at The Wedding of the Waters to the Bighorn. The indians didnt want to change the name of the whole river so the name changed outside of the res. I dont think any other river does that in the US.

I need to get a good waterproof camera to take with me. My buddies got one so next time I drift I`ll get some shots. I look forward to being a part off this forum and my new way to fish. I`ve got spoiled by the fish I caught over the last nine years. The year before last I took a break from fish`in(and just shot praire dogs) because catching a 20+incher on a spinner was EASY and fish under 18 were small. I couldnt get over how the thrill had gone-serious mental disorder, really. Now I got a way better way to "get`em" and after 30 years its all new again. Can you see why I`m go`in nuts?

 

[mrfzx]

After dunking 2 film cameras (canon Elphs), and finally a nice little kodak digital, I got smart and purchased a water proof model. I bought a Pentax W60 waterproof camera. Its submersible to 13 feet (I think), and is 10M pixels. I must admit it is not easy to get actions shots with it, as it has a horribly slow shutter release, but it takes great still pix. Pretty easy to use too. I think if I had to do it over, I would buy the Olympus waterproof model...I think its called the Stylus SP1010, in a 10M pixel model....could be wrong on the model number.

 

[Brewmaster]

After dunking 2 film cameras (canon Elphs), and finally a nice little kodak digital, I got smart and purchased a water proof model. I bought a Pentax W60 waterproof camera. Its submersible to 13 feet (I think), and is 10M pixels. I must admit it is not easy to get actions shots with it, as it has a horribly slow shutter release, but it takes great still pix. Pretty easy to use too. I think if I had to do it over, I would buy the Olympus waterproof model...I think its called the Stylus SP1010, in a 10M pixel model....could be wrong on the model number.

You can still get a Pentax W60 (I have one and have used if for a couple of years) but the current version is the W80 - available for less than $170.

My son just purchased and used an Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 for a scuba trip in Mexico. The Tough 8000 is more expensive (about $260) but is much more durable and shock-proof. Also waterproof to 10 meters (33 feet), and my son actually took the camera below 40 feet with no problems.

The last reviews I read said the Olympus Tough 8000 is more durable, but the Pentax Optio W80 has better picture images.

 

[crittergetter]

Welcome... and welcome to the addiction. It is truly a very healthy addiction. You will never get enough and as soon as you think you are good somebody will step up next to you and out catch you 3 to 1.

By the way after you get some more help and casting help. Tie on doubles. Then you will start thinking of all the combination's you can to try. or better yet catch a 24" on a #22 midge. Or start getting that nymphing zen moment when you catch fish off of subtle takes that you don't even see you just feel.

And the best is the day where you "Giggle like a Girl" with more fish than ever

:welcomean

Crittergetter

 

[tray]

You are in one of the few places that does not see a lot of traffic except from the more knowledgeable fly guys. My wife's family live in Sheridan and I have spent many an hour fishing the Bighorn Mts from Buffalo to Sheridan and parts in between and around the Park. Enjoy every minute as one day we will be too old to get there.

 

[cromney]

Welcome and you're in the best place, in my opinion, to fly fish and wish I lived in the area. I grew up in Sheridan, learned to fly fish in the small creeks and lakes in the Big Horns and the Big Horn river in Mt.
Keep at it and do a lot of observation of the river and others around you. I've learned a lot putting my rod down and watching other experienced fishers do their thing.
Their is no cure to the addiction, just manageable like others have said!

 

[wypatch]

Not too much "giggling" the last few days on the Bighorn. After the flush up here we`ve had some cold fronts blow though and the bite`s not that good right now. We made a drift on Friday and only caught a few little ones, one was over 12". All but one on a San Juan and one on a scud. Tried lots of stuff but I guess they just stopped feeding. I`m glad for all the snow we got though, if we dont see more it will be a smokie summer...Sat morning I wadded the spot I seen the big brown and got zero but got a good scout of the river bottom and will know it better next time. Man I cant wait for that caddis hatch! I had to leave early and while walking back to the truck I saw some trico`s flying and the fish started to rise. I hate when that happend`s!!! I stopped and looked over a cliff upstream and seen a pod of 20+ browns with there mouths move`in 14 strokes per minute. Guess I know what to use.

Happy Easter.