intro

I posted a few things here, and i think iI should introduce myself.

Im 15 and im very new to fly fishing. I am experienced with spinning and casting gear. I fish mostly for carp, bass, stripers, blue gill, etc.

I dont live near any good fly fishing places. In fact i have yet to go to a swim and find that i can do anything other than a roll cast.(damn trees)

The reason I became interested in fly fishing is i heard about how my great grandfather was an avid fly angler. I saved up bought some gear, and hear I am.

Its hard to practice casting in my area. I sometimes get my line stuck on the power line(even without a hook). I have to decide whether I should cut the fly line(ouch!) or shut off the nighbor hood power if its light out i opt for the former.

Call me old fashined, but i fish mostly fish dry flies because of the excitement. (also becasue my pond is a murky bottomless pit of trash in which any fly would surely get lost on the bottom)

My impression of fly fishing so far is as follows:

I love casting. When casting is fun, that brings a whole new enjoyment into fishing. I have also noticed that to fishing with spinning gear, it doesnt neccesasrily take any experiece and may be a onetime affair. Fly fishing to me seems much deeper, and reuqiring more dedication and knowledge, but it looks like its worth it

[Wednesday Caster]

"Fly fishing to me seems much deeper, and reuqiring more dedication and knowledge, but it looks like its worth it."

So very wise and only 15.

Yes Anthony you have just started a wonderful journey. Welcome to the board.

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God Blesses!
A wing & a Prayer! ----*<(((><~ ~ ~ ~
Quinn

[Jim Hatch]

Hi Anthony,

Welcome to FAOL and welcome to the
obsession of fly fishing.*G* Glad to have
you aboard. We have a number of members
from your state and I know that there are
some clubs up that way. Try looking for
local or club sites using Google. Perhaps
you can locate a buddy in the area that
might share some better fishing holes with
you or some local info on line. Check out
the chat room here as well. Never know
when a neighbor might log in.*G* Warm
regards, Jim

[drolfson]

Anthony;

Welcome!! Glad to have you join the group. Join in the discussions, ask questions, answer questions and mostly enjoy yourself.

Oh, and when you say "I dont live near any good fly fishing places." If there is water with fish in it, you live near good fly-fishing places.

Don

[Eight Thumbs]

Hi Anthony,

Welcome to the group. If you have any questions about fishing or casting, this is definitely the place to get them answered. Please join us regularly with questions, comments and suggestions. 8T

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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.

Anthony;
Welcome aboard! It's nice to see young men and women getting into this sport.
We need new blood to keep us old timer's on our toe's. Do not be afraid to ask a question, there are no dumb ones except those not asked.
If you have anything that belonged to your Great Grand Father put it some place safe or display it.
For that murky pond try some yellow or green wooly worms and a strike indicator (Bobber) to keep it off the bottom.
I tie my own fly's and build my own rods so if you have any question's fire away.
Again Welcome Aboard!!

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I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here!

Cactus

[ELKHUNTER]

Welcome Anthony, You will like it here. If you need to know anything just ask. There is always someone here who can give you the info you are looking for.

Rocky

[billknepp]

Welcome Anthony,
Seen a few of your first posts and also where you said of the area in which you fish...and according to a member here who also fishes your area...It's loaded with oppertunities....But I bet having a car and such lends greatly to his view of your area...Hopefully the two of you might be able to chat or even fish...He's a seasoned Flyflinger....

Glad your not discouraged and sticking with it...sure you'll find that your pond has more to offer than meets the eye!!

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"I've often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before" A.K.Best

Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) "Spinner'd Minner Fly"

"Wish ya great fishing"

Bill




[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 14 February 2006).]

[Joe Hyde]

Anthony,


If you live where there's carp, bass, stripers and bluegill, then you actually DO live near good fly fishing places. All those fish can be caught on fly tackle and the people here in FAOL know all about it.

If the places where you fish the most often have tight cover -- trees and stuff behind you that limits you to doing roll casts -- then at home you need to practice roll casts more than overhead casts. (And that way you won't be hanging up on the power lines so often!)

Because of where you fish the most, roll casts might become your most-used cast. In which case with practice and experience you will soon become one of the best roll casters in town. So never feel bad about using the roll cast; it's a very useful cast.

I understand the excitement of dry flies; dries are a ton of fun when fish are hitting up on top. But keep in mind that before water insects rise to the top to hatch out they've already spent most of their lives underwater as nymphs. I could be wrong, but I think fish see more nymphs and eat nymphs more often than any other type of insect prey item. You should get into using nymphs as soon as you feel comfortable taking the risk.

I've always hated losing hooks and lures. When I was 15 years old my buddies and me, we never had any money to speak of. We learned how to buzz Mepps spinners just below the surface so they wouldn't get hung up and lost. Bit by bit I would gradually work my spinner deeper once I felt more confident that I wouldn't hang up.

In nymph fishing you can do the exact same thing, using different size nymphs, and speeding up or slowing down your retrieve, and controlling your rod tip height, doing all these things to make your nymph swim back toward you at whatever speed and depth you like.

A roll cast is perfect for delivering a nymph to a hungry fish. You don't need to do any false casting to dry off a nymph, because you want it to be wet when it hits the water so it'll start to sink.


Joe

"Better small than not at all."

Thanks everyone. The pond is actuall quite interesting. It turns out that in order to make room for the annual stocked hatchery trout, they poisened the pond to eradicate the carp and koi(which are the same exact species as carp). Obviously the posion worked on all fish, but some of each catagory survived. So despite being no more than an acre or two, there are 25 LB commons and 5LB LM bass, although there a few. The fishing can be very dificult. When the trout are first stocked, they can be readily caught.