Thread: So I'm Learning to Fly Fish

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Justin, I can't tell you anything about fly fishing. But whatever you do, make sure you wear underpants! We con't want another "John's Old Dad" incident

James.

No worries James, but if it does happen --well let's just say my exposed member in all of its majestic glory would be sure to become a favorite local attraction --- just give it a name and a dot on the map . (Pike just thought he had a Peak)

Justin

Originally Posted by mhailey

Okay, dinner is over, and the kids are in bed.
If you ever get to Colorado, I can tell you some great places to go, which most people don't go, because you have to hike a ways in, and it is so worth it!!!!

Think of a mountain valley where a fire when through about 20 years ago, and cut a perfect path right down the stream from horizon to horizon. All the pine trees are standing dead, casualties to the raging flames. There is almost nothing to snag your fly since all of the trees have no needles, and only the stoutest of the branches still jut out of the dead trunks. The aspen are coming in new, and the wildflowers take your breath away with the purple, blue, red, yellow. The scent of summer hangs like French perfume, as you take as much of it into your lungs as you can on each breath. A lone hawk is circling above ready to streak down out of the blue, and catch some unsuspecting mouse out to munch on the grass and new aspen shoots. The stream about 10 feet wide meanders its way down the valley with the trickling sound of gently rolling water. About every 20 to 40 yards a dead tree has fallen into the stream and caused a natural dam, a perfect pool for trout to just sit and wait for a fly to haplessly land on the water, and lay its eggs. Not just any trout, but natural cutthroats. Great fighters, and renownedly skittish at any sign of a human. You stalk your way up to about 20 feet from the pool, crouching so the fish don't see you. You slowly start your cast, forward and back, forward and back. letting out your line. All you see is the pool, the dot of the fly obeying your every command. Then you let loose, landing the fly first, perfectly, almost no ripple detected by your keen eye through the polarized sunglasses. The rest of the line lays softly on the water, pointing its way to the target. The water just the right temperature where you don't have to wear waders, but still cold enough that you never quite get used to it, and constantly feel the water rushing past your legs, and into your old worn Nikes. The same Nikes which your wife desperately wants to give a one way trip to the dump, but they have been with you on every great fishing adventure, and you refuse to relinquish your cherished good luck charms. Then you see it, movement toward the fly as it drifts just past a branch of the fallen soldier who once stood as vanguard against others daring to cast their line into the stream in which it now lies. The strike, the end of your pole pulls down, your heart races, instincts take over, and you set the hook. A sharp pull up on the pole, but just enough to set it and not break your tippet. Your quarry takes off down the stream, you can't just stop it or the tippet breaks and you lose the fish and the fly. You increase drag on the reel with the palm of your hand as the fish dashes down the stream. The friction heats the palm of you hand. The fish begins to tire, and you being to pull in the line, slowly, methodically. The hawk lets out its loan scream as if taunting you that you will never land such a trophy. The fish breaks again, down the stream, you pray that it does not snag your line on a fallen tree. The fish tires, and you again bring in the line. carefully you get the fish at your feet, you reach around behind your back to grasp your hand made maple fishing net hanging off the grommet on the back of your vest. you dip the net in the water, praying that the fish does not again make a break for it, when you are so close to complete triumph. You maneuver the fish over the net, and BAM, you have it!!!

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

You are in for quite a ride my friend

Mr. MHailey, it think I've just experienced fly fishing's equivalent of erotic writing ----you had me blushing at the end and wanting a cigarette --- very good writing -- I think there's a job for you at some fly fishing magazine if you want one.

Thanks for the experience.

Justin

Here's a fish that bit off a bit more than it could swallow, but as you can see it had a happy ending.

Cheers
John

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Hey Lou, how are you?

Maybe one day I'll be able to experience real trout fishing --- and I will honorably not waste hours flipping flies.

Question: I can see the advantages of fly fishing ---particularly dry flies for even panfish and bass as you really can't present a top water lure as well with a bait casting setup ---Are there times when trout will ignore everything but a well presented fly?

Justin

I'm well, thank you very much! Yes...there are times when a trout will ignore a PERFECTLY presented fly!..One thing to learn when trout fishing is to 'match the hatch' - most of the insects that the trout feed on have very short life spans, and they tend to breed - and hatch - in cycles. Andwhen there is a new hatch, the trout often tend to feed on whatever is hatching exclusively - if there is a mayfly hatch, a perfectly presented mosquito fly (that just NAILED them last week) may be completely ignored. It's one of the frustrations/satisfactions of matching wits with the Wiley Trout.

(...for as dumb as they are, they sure are SMART!....)

Mhailey - in the interest of saving space, I won't re-quote your sonnett to King of Fish - but that, my good man, is one of the better descriptions of trying to outwit my favorite fish that I have ever read.

...Well said, Sir!...

-whatever

-Lou

fly fishing? you mean you can actually get them to flap their fins hard enough to get out of the water and get airborne? I'm impressed.




(jk...I know I know....never fished in my life though and I just HAD to make that comment)

I couldn't get Johnmw1's link to work - here is what he was linking to


Fly Fishing / Fish Flying

...never done THAT before!

-whatever

-Lou

Originally Posted by scarface

I couldn't get Johnmw1's link to work - here is what he was linking to


Fly Fishing / Fish Flying

...never done THAT before!

-whatever

-Lou

Thanks Lou,

I should have tried it shouldn't I

I shall go and change the original post.

Cheers
John

Hey Justin,
I hope you have a lot of fun learning to fly fish!!

Thank you for the kind words. that took about 15 min to write, and I had to cut it short or people might just skip it. I have thought of writing a book.

Originally Posted by mhailey

Thank you for the kind words. that took about 15 min to write, and I had to cut it short or people might just skip it. I have thought of writing a book.

And I'm sure that book will be a good one!