A beginner and I need a little one on one help

[DeaDrift]

Ok I am 17 years old, have many creeks and streams by my house, and my family owns a cabin at a lake. I need a little personal help. I have caught fish on fly but im not the best. I would like it if i could show somebody my gear, and pictures of the waters I fish..Tell them my techniques and go from there. Hopefully that person can teach me sdome new stuff and tell me what im doing wrong. Thank you so much and hopefully somone will take me under their wing.

[rookie]

DeaDrift,

Just wanted to let you know, while I am not the person qualified to help you with your request, you have come to the right place.

Very shortly, I am sure you will have many responses from very qualified people, and very willing to take you under their wing.

This place has great people and always very willing to help.

By the way, welcome to a great family.

[Jed]

I am also too far away to be of direct help but there have been several threads here from new fishermen in recent days and you might want to check out some of them for lists of flies etc. Good luck and I'm sure we will be able to answer anything you put in writing (I know its not the same but its the best we can offer).
jed

[Humber Brad]

Jed: You'ds be surprised just how helpful that kind of advice and sharing of knowledge can be to a newbie

DeaDrift: you're definitely heading in the right direction as far as looking for one-on-one advice and help for this craziness called fly fishing....I wish I had a little more access to it, myself. I'd say try getting on some of the more heavily fished rivers in your area and see if you can strike up a conversation or two. You might get led in the right direction.

[DeaDrift]

Jed: I dont want to sound ungrateful but I think you got it all wrong my friend. I would love it for someone to go out on the stream with me and have a workshop..but what im looking for here is someone I can come home to (and come on here) from fishing and tell them about my day and look for feedback..Kinda like when you sit down on a park bench and talk to the older guy about fishing and he throws u a couple tricks of the trade. well let the forum be the park bench, understand now?

[FF4Fun]

DeaDrift: You might look into joining a local FF club, if you have access to one. They can be a wealth of info! Keep coming back to this site, also. The folks here always offer advice freely!!

[jsmartt]

Although you certainly can learn alot from others experience, you can also learn from your own. Try lots of different flies (or lures and baits if you're spinfishing). Pay close attention to what works and under what conditions. Look along the banks and in the water to see what natural baits are presenting themselves to the fish. Are grasshoppers jumping all around you as you walk to the river or lake. Are there lots of crawdads or minnows in the water. Are there insects hovering over or in the water. See whats currently available to the fish and try a similar bait or fly. If you can't tell what the fish might be feeding on then try different baits and techniques until hopefully you find something that works. Try floating your bait with the current. Try different depths. Try retrieving your fly with different speeds and cadence. Try different types of water. Sometimes where fast water meets slow is good. Sometimes the fish are in the faster shallow water. All the while you're experimenting pay close attention to whats working and what is not. After some time you will start noticing patterns to what works and when and under what conditions. And as the years go on you will begin to become a master.
Of course there are lots of fishermen with years of experience on this forum who will be glad to offer advice and answer your questions.

[Photojoe4]

I'd say you should try to figure out this whole fly fishing thing one step at a time:

Start by looking at the bugs on/below the water, and imitating them as best you can with the flies in your fly box(es). If you don't have something that looks like a prominant bug on your stream/lake, either tie something up yourself, or pick something up from your local fly shop (which is also a good place to get some advice, though it can be a bit intimidating for someone just starting out).

Next, work on your casting. Don't worry so much about copying technique (different casting siuations call for different methods of casting, so the whole 10 and 2 thing may not always apply), just worry about trying to make your fly behave like its natural counterpart. If you see caddis skittering across the surface, try to make your fly do the same by swinging it across.

Third, I'd start paying attention to the water. Look at the stream/lake, and try to imagine where you'd want to be if you were a fish. The frothy areas behind rocks are nice because they oxygenate(sp?) the water and carry "food" right to the fish. Calm pools are nice too beacuse the fish doesn't have to fight the current.

Finally, I'd worry about gear. Find a rod/reel that works well for YOU. If that happens to be some cheap SA combo from Wal-Mart, fine. Just don't let anyone tell you that you need better gear to catch fish. That's just stupid. Find a rod length/weight that suits the sort of fishing you do (an 8'6"-9' 5wt usually well in most situations for me).

If you want more advice from people much more knowledgable/experienced than myself, you have most definitely come to the right place.

Regards,
Joe Martin

[Jed]

If your looking for a place to sit down, share a cup o' joe and talk through what you've seen and done, then here is the place. Make sure you fill the pot when the coffee starts to run low and kick the mud off your boots before you walk in.

I know we'd love be that place for you.

jed

[slinger09]

I'd say try getting on some of the more heavily fished rivers in your area and see if you can strike up a conversation or two. You might get led in the right direction.

I was very thankful for a guy that helped me the first day I went to the river with my fly rod. I am sure he felt sorry for me because I was really struggling with my equipment and had not caught a fish. He gave me a quick casting lesson and rigged me a nymph with an indicator. I caght my first fish on a fly rod shortly after. I don't know whether thank him for the lesson or curse him for the addiction.