fire instructor
Well-known member
Many of you know that I'm just finally learning how to fly fish, after having it on my "Bucket List". I started studying what I needed to learn late last Fall, I bought the necessary rod, reel, and lines, I got involved with this forum and learned even more, I took a tying class with the local Federation Club, I watched You-Tube and DVD videos, and I practiced casting in my back yard.
Well, this evening, after work, I took it all to a local stream. A stream that I used to ride my bicycle to when I was a youngster, and visited several times over the years, but hadn't fished in 20+ years.
The water was low, as we've had no rain, and there was very little snow melt, so I headed for a rock-ledge pool that I remembered. Tied one of the BHPT's that I tied in class to my 7' 3/4wt, and then embarassed myself with several pathetic casts into the breeze. Since I was casting directly into the breeze, I decided to move to part way upstream on the pool edge and cast diagonally across, at an angle to the breeze. This improved my cast some (not much), and on the 7th or 8th cast I actually had a FISH ON!!!
I sucessfully landed my first fly rod trout, caught on my own tied fly! A 9" brown, clearly a recent stocky (I was fishing about a mile downstream from one of the locations where that state fisheries stocked about 3 weeks ago), as the trout wasn't brightly colored and teh spots seemed almost "washed out". But who cares??? I sucessfully landed my first fly rod trout, caught on my own tied fly!
I had left my cell phone in the Jeep, as I didn't want to drop it in the water, and in my rush to get from work, home to change, and out to the stream, I had forgotten to bring my camera.
So you'll have to take my word.... I looked him over for a minute or so, then held him in the current to make sure he would survive, the released him.
About 10 minutes later, same big pool, but back down closer to the tail of the pool, I snagged bottom. Since the bottom there is almost all angled shale, I figured that if I changed my position, the fly would come loose. So I started to walk upstream, along the bank, and that's when i realized that the "bottom" was moving!
Almost 20 minutes later, I landed a 18" carp that had taken the same BHPT. I was absolutely amazed to catch a carp in 40 degree clean water! But the fight was amazing on the 3/4wt.
Continued fishing until dusk in an upstream beaver dam pool, with no further luck, but it was peaceful enough, and I must have been quiet enough, that I actually got to watch two beaverrs swimming and working the same pool that I was fishing.
In the end, by the time the sun was going down, and I had to make my way back to the Jeep, I was like an excited little kiid! I have to teach after work tomorrow night, so i won't get fishing, but I'm thinking Friday may have me out on another local stream that I used to fish, and that I recently scouted.
Thank you to ALL on this forum, who have provided information, guidance, answered my questions, or who have offered encouragement! The feeling of the first cath was even better than I expected,and a lot of the credit goes to folks on this forum!
Well, this evening, after work, I took it all to a local stream. A stream that I used to ride my bicycle to when I was a youngster, and visited several times over the years, but hadn't fished in 20+ years.
The water was low, as we've had no rain, and there was very little snow melt, so I headed for a rock-ledge pool that I remembered. Tied one of the BHPT's that I tied in class to my 7' 3/4wt, and then embarassed myself with several pathetic casts into the breeze. Since I was casting directly into the breeze, I decided to move to part way upstream on the pool edge and cast diagonally across, at an angle to the breeze. This improved my cast some (not much), and on the 7th or 8th cast I actually had a FISH ON!!!
I sucessfully landed my first fly rod trout, caught on my own tied fly! A 9" brown, clearly a recent stocky (I was fishing about a mile downstream from one of the locations where that state fisheries stocked about 3 weeks ago), as the trout wasn't brightly colored and teh spots seemed almost "washed out". But who cares??? I sucessfully landed my first fly rod trout, caught on my own tied fly!
I had left my cell phone in the Jeep, as I didn't want to drop it in the water, and in my rush to get from work, home to change, and out to the stream, I had forgotten to bring my camera.
So you'll have to take my word.... I looked him over for a minute or so, then held him in the current to make sure he would survive, the released him. About 10 minutes later, same big pool, but back down closer to the tail of the pool, I snagged bottom. Since the bottom there is almost all angled shale, I figured that if I changed my position, the fly would come loose. So I started to walk upstream, along the bank, and that's when i realized that the "bottom" was moving!
Almost 20 minutes later, I landed a 18" carp that had taken the same BHPT. I was absolutely amazed to catch a carp in 40 degree clean water! But the fight was amazing on the 3/4wt.
Continued fishing until dusk in an upstream beaver dam pool, with no further luck, but it was peaceful enough, and I must have been quiet enough, that I actually got to watch two beaverrs swimming and working the same pool that I was fishing.
In the end, by the time the sun was going down, and I had to make my way back to the Jeep, I was like an excited little kiid! I have to teach after work tomorrow night, so i won't get fishing, but I'm thinking Friday may have me out on another local stream that I used to fish, and that I recently scouted.
Thank you to ALL on this forum, who have provided information, guidance, answered my questions, or who have offered encouragement! The feeling of the first cath was even better than I expected,and a lot of the credit goes to folks on this forum!
