An Introduction from a beginner Fly Fisherman....

[newbee]

MikeCo

My name is Wayne Cook and I have found two places that will have all the info you will need in your adventure with fly fishing and all its aspects. They are Healing Waters and FAOL. I have been with Healing Waters program for a year here in Middle Tennessee and I will be making my first fly rod next week. At the first meeting I ran into a man there that has turned into my mentor, Warren Patterson. I found out this man can teach me all I need to learn about fly fishing and more if I would only listen to him and retain everything he is trying to teach me. If you ask Warren, he will say that this is one of my down falls. I have a hard time retaining anything. Warren says that if I tilt my head to one side everything falls out of my head. LOL, I Think. Glad you found Healing waters and FAOL and I know you will find joy for your life from both. Thank you for finding US and for your service to your country. Nice job on the rod wrap. When I get mine done I will post a picture.

WayneC
(Newbee)

[FishnDave]

Nice rod wraps, Mike!

[oldster]

Mike you have made my day! Fly fishing is a wonderful pastime and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. One of the best things about fly fishing is there is always something new to learn. Welcome.

[MikeCO]

Thanks everyone!

Wayne....finding a mentor is WONDERFUL! It truly helps a ton! I will find one soon but I am hesitant, as mentioned earlier, to ask for help. I simply do not want to impose on folks.

After re reading the FAOL FAQ 101 on here yet ANOTHER TIME there are things I simply do not know. I will be honest (probably not the first to admit this ) but I only comprehend the LINE weight and the rod!....I have that down pat now (unless I chase a rabbit and see that there are some folks that "mix" some lines)......

I have to go back to my bass fishing days.......I started in a club in Florida and learned a ton. When I actually started fishing tournaments (club ones at first) I realized I had a LOT to learn. After fishing with the "regulars" for a year or so in all conditions, I figured out SOME folks only fish with what they "like". Other folks tried everything on just about every cast/spot. I was totally confused. BUT after doing this for a few months I picked up on certain things that made "sense" to ME. Bass and trout IMO are different "animals".....the techniques are different but some things are the same. Cover, changes in habitat, etc seemed to work for me in my attempt at trout (I am a blasphemer here when I admit to catching browns, cuts, even rainbow on Berkley PowerBait!) But I was fishing for a different reason back then.

Now I am older, wiser, still a kid when it comes to fishing, and look at fishing from a different angle. A lot of the "thrill" of fishing for me is in the preparation...the "build up" when going to a stretch of water with friends (or alone) makes me happy!

I haven't even grasped the Nymph vs Dry vs Streamer thing yet.....but as anything involved with fishing I will learn and understand! I can relate a Bass Fishing analysis from one of my first outings for a tournament. I was always "good" at plastic worms.....However we had a launch at daylight and a new to me boat partner started fishing top water baits. WHAT? I never knew they even existed..... He snagged two bass around a flat of hydrilla and I was left empty. As a young 20 something I was befuddled......I never fished in the dawn hours for bass. I took that knowledge and packed it away.

For my next outing, I tossed some topwaters on a couple of my rigs and lo and behold I caught my FIRST TOPWATER BASS!!!! The thrill of seeing it inhale my lure was something that I will NEVER forget.

I think that trout fishing will be the same. At least I hope so!

Oldster.....I am happy to have made your day! I am not certain why I did so but I am glad I did. Can you explain?

Mike

PS..... If I come across here in a forum as being "strange" or "mad" or "weird" I truly don't mean to do so.....I don't get online a bunch and I am not a kid so some of the things said here might be new to me. I apologize for that but I will learn.

[tjulian]

Mike welcome to the forum. You will learn a lot here. I will second getting involved in the beginners fly swap if you start learning how to tie flies. I am involved now and its fun and educational. Just look about half way down the main forum page and find the fly swap link.

Remember above all else have fun.

[Old #art]

Welcome aboard Mike. Keep up the good work.

[ScottP]

Hi Mike. Hope you enjoy yourself here; lots of decent folks willing to share what they know.

Regards,
Scott

[Uncle Jesse]

Welcome Mike, there are a lot of folks here who are knowledgeable about catching trout and warm water species with a long rod. The dry fly - nymph - streamer thing, think Pop R or Hula Popper - plastic worm / jig & pig - Rattletrap / willow leaf spinner bait. It's not rocket scientist, it's similar but different. To me the bigger difference is moving water vs still water is one of the biggest differences. There are a lot of folks here who know a lot more about trout fishing than I do, bream and bass too, as far as that goes

Don't worry about being embarrassed about asking what you think is a dumb question, most of them has been ask before. Most idea tying flies, I have learned, have been tried before also. There is a ton of stuff in the FAOL "library"

[rayhill190]

Mike,Welcome aboard.There are alot of Vets here.Don't be hesitant to ask.This is a great group of people willing to do anything.The site has made my life a lot easier.Good people

[jimsnarocks]

Hello Mike, Welcome to FAOL from SoCal. Jim