An Introduction from a beginner Fly Fisherman....

[MikeCO]

Greetings everyone,

My name is Mike and I just became a member here on FAOL. I have been fishing for over 35 years (fresh and salt water) and am essentially an addict when it comes to fishing. One aspect of fishing that I have never been exposed to is Fly Fishing. I always thought it was something that was too hard or complex to learn so I stuck to what I knew how to do.

Health issues forced me to stop fishing a few years ago (also corresponded with my retirement) and I have been through the gamut of doctors over the years. Fortunately for me, I have some very compassionate doctors! One of them mentioned to me a program that I was not aware of, Project Healing Waters. I was told that it is a program for Veterans that teaches folks how to fly fish! This was something I was very interested in but thought that I could not actually do it.

I made a phone call three months ago and I was so happy to talk to the people in the program. They have literally changed my life for the better since that call! I am now in the process of building my own 9' 5wt fly rod! It takes a lot of patience and attention to detail but I have found that when I am wrapping guides and attempting to put some creativity into my rod, I am essentially pain free while doing this! It is very therapeutic for me.

I am learning tons each day and am very excited about actually building my very own rod and then learning how to fly fish with it! My next step will be learning the art of Fly Tying soon!

As with anything in life, this will take time and a lot of practice.

Thanks for letting me become a member here in this community! I have been reading TONS here and am picking up things as I go along.

Best wishes,

Mike

[Bob9]

Welcome and thanks for your service.
FAOL Beginners Fly Swaps signup is in October, swaps start in November. I was in last year, it's a great way to learn.
Parnelli (Steven) will help you a lot.

Bob

[Royce]

Welcome aboard, Mike! This is a GREAT site with a lot of GREAT folks lurking about. Never be afraid to ask questions. Everyone here LOVES to help budding flyfishers!

Oh, and thanks for your service to our country! Project Healing Waters seems to be a great organization!

Royce

[FishnDave]

Welcome, Mike!
Hope you'll be posting pictures of your fly rod build soon.

[BigDan]

Welcome to FAOL!

Glad to hear you hooked up with Project Healing Waters. They are a great organization.

[WarrenP]

Welcome to FAOL from TN! Stick with Project Healing Waters. I am volunteer for them and know first hand what all they do for disabled vets. It is a good group.

[MikeCO]

WOW!!!

What a WARM welcome!!!!! It took me a bit to get signed up here....might have been an issue on my end...who knows? LOL

I really love the folks in the Project Healing Waters program here in Colorado. While I may not be a Fly Fisherman "YET", I am bound and determined to help out wherever I can with the program. Fortunately for me, I have a loving and VERY understanding wife who is probably more happy than I am for discovering Healing Waters. It keeps my mind occupied and off of my pain so anything that does that is a GOOD thing!

I was brought to tears after my first contact with the members from the program. I am NOT a person that asks for help or things like that. It took a TON of effort on my part to even make the first call. I am sure that there are folks like myself that are in a similar situation. Now I am determined to get fellow veterans involved (if they are interested).

You all don't even know just how much this has helped me. Even in just a couple of months it has given me a sense of pride in making something! Heck after the first rod building class I made my very own rod wrapping jig from some oak I had in the basement. The one I was using was simply too small and unstable for my hands and the one I made is doing well! I even put the Healing Waters emblem on both ends of it! It may not be perfect but it is perfect for ME!

I will be certain to ask for help here if I have questions. Something that I used to be very hesitant about...asking for assistance.

Mike

[Betty Hiner]

Ask...then ask again....and then once more, till the answer you got sounds right to you in your understanding.

I'm glad you found us. You'll feel right at home here. Ummm, you did bring donuts, didn't you?

[MikeCO]

Welcome, Mike!
Hope you'll be posting pictures of your fly rod build soon.

Dave,

I am really cruddy at taking pictures but here is a shot of some of the guide wraps thus far. I put a coat of color preserver on them and the pictures don't show that I think.

The single bands were a pain and I have a couple of practice rods I am using that were damaged in shipping to and from overseas.

The rod blank is a really nice blue/teal (depending on lighting) and the thread is matched well when in good lighting.

For my first try I am pretty satisfied but I will most likely re-wrap them tonight as I can see where things aren't even.

photo(61) (Large).jpg

Not certain if I uploaded the pictures correctly but this one seems to go through

Mike

[herefishy]

Your wraps look wonderful, Mike. We'll look forward to seeing the finished project. Thank you for your service, and welcome to FAOL