Thank you to the forum!

[Ike47]

(note to mods: if this thread belongs somewhere other than here, please move it there. Thanks!)



After some 30 years of not fishing at all (and bait casting before then), at age 72 I began my fly casting experience this last Thanksgiving Day. On my fifteenth day of fishing, I finally caught my first fish, a small but beautiful (to me at least!) rainbow trout, pictured (I hope) above. Yes, it was only 7 inches, but I couldn't be happier.

And it wouldn't have happened without the help of so many members of the forum, who responded to my several (so far!) newbie questions about fly casting with all sorts of very helpful explanations and advice. So... Thank You to all of you! I really appreciate it. Of course, I have many more goals: bigger fish, more fish, fish in harder locations (specifically, the GSMNP). So I'm sure there will be lots more questions forthcoming. If I get to the point where I'm asking too much, just let me know. I don't want to pester the wonderful resource that this forum provides: you experienced, expert, and knowledgeable fly casters. And if I ever get to the point where I can help any new members, I certainly will, although I'm not sure I'll get to that point.

Just for the record, details of the catch:

location: weir dam on the Clinch River, casting downstream
environment: about 10am, cloudy, breezy, cold, just after two days of heavy rain
fly: San Juan, #14
rod: 7', 4-5

Note to mods: previewing the post, I see that the photo is awfully large. If it should be made smaller, please do so, or tell me how to do it. Thanks!

 

[tcorfey]

Congratulations Ike! I hope there are many more fish that succumb to your charms....

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[scotty macfly]

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Excellent job Ike47. Good for you, now take that fly you caught that fish on and stick it in your fishing hat as the trophy of your first fish, and never use it again. You can use the same pattern, just not that fly. It now sacred and holy.

Ask away my friend, that's why we're here.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with large photo's, so it must not be me.

 

[Ike47]

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Excellent job Ike47. Good for you, now take that fly you caught that fish on and stick it in your fishing hat as the trophy of your first fish, and never use it again. You can use the same pattern, just not that fly. It now sacred and holy.

Ask away my friend, that's why we're here.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with large photo's, so it must not be me.

I hadn't thought of saving the fly as a 'trophy'. Cool idea! Alas, I lost the fly in a rather strange way. I do intend to keep and cook the first trout of 'dinner' size I catch, but this one was clearly too small for that, so I released it. (You may keep any trout under 14" on the Clinch tailwaters.) However, the release was an event in itself. I got the fish in my net, and then removed the fly pretty easily with my Ketchum Release tool. But then I had no 'control' over the fish, and being so small, it slipped through the net and also through the grill that covers the weir dam, down to the rocks several inches below. I couldn't reach the fish with my lip grippers or my hemostat. I tried a variety of creative, but ineffective, means to try to get the fish out, since it could not get back to the river from within the grill. One of them was to use the end of my rod to try to move the fish to a high rock where I could nab it and get it out. While I was doing that, the fly, far from where I was working in the grill, snagged on some other part of the grill and snapped off. No hope of finding it then, alas.

Btw, I did save the fish. I signaled to a wading flycaster not far away, and he kindly came over and help me--or rather I helped him. With me trying to maneuver the fish, and him pulling it out with his hemostat, we got it out of the grill and back to the river. He floated at first, but then disappeared into the river, hopefully recovered.

 

[JDR]

After reading your post two or three times I am not sure whether you caught the fish, or the fishing caught you? Congratulations, and as one rookie to another - it will get even better.

 

[iv_wjb]

Awesome post. So nice to see some genuine enthusiasm and gratitude for all this wonderful sport has to offer. Congratulations on that beautiful fish!!

 

[dennyk]

Congratulations Ike!! I'm glad you finally got into one, you broke the ice! Thanks for your post! And the picture isn't too big, being your first fish it should have been bigger!

Denny

 

[smoke33]

Congratulations Ike! I am not that far removed from my first trout on the fly and it is a great feeling. One thing I learned quickly is even the small ones are trophies! Nice trophy trout!


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[djfan]

Congrats, Sir! Welcome to the addiction! I hope you can get out here to Wyoming to fish. The first day is on me, if you do.

Wait until you catch your first fish on a fly that you tied. That's where it got real to me.

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to more huge pics!

 

[mcnerney]

Ike47

Congrats on your first catch using a fly rod, may there be many more in the near future!

 

[Ike47]

Congrats, Sir! Welcome to the addiction! I hope you can get out here to Wyoming to fish. The first day is on me, if you do.

Wait until you catch your first fish on a fly that you tied. That's where it got real to me.

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to more huge pics!

Fishing in Wyoming would be awesome! Heck, just being in Wyoming would be awesome. Haven't been there since the 60's.

 

[flytie09]

Good job. Quite the memorable experience. I bought something to mark the occasion.

View attachment 20766

 

[Ike47]

Good job. Quite the memorable experience. I bought something to mark the occasion.

View attachment 20766

Lol, great pic! I remember his presidency well, although my nickname here is based on another, not nearly as famous Ike.

 

[djfan]

Fishing in Wyoming would be awesome! Heck, just being in Wyoming would be awesome. Haven't been there since the 60's.

It hasn't changed too much. That's not our thing.

Tight lines!