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.
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.
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
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.
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?
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!! :lol:
:lol: 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.
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
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
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.
Deadrift
Do you have a Trouts unlimited chapter or a fly fishing club near you? If so you may be able to get some in person one on one help. I joined my local TU chapter, I actually met 7 or so members at the PA fishin. But if you have any direct questions shoot me an email, I am just a beginner myself but am willing to share everything I know.
wireguy
Deadrift,
I have been a flyfisherman for 40 yrs. If you want to have fun and fool around with fishing that’s fine. If you want to be serious about flyfishing, you read literature, books, mags and this site. Find a reputable fly shop and ask questions.
DO NOT get expensive rod, reel or line. What is important is to do research and get organized. Latch on to a stream that has ANY size fish in it and keep going back there. Remember that the fish know what THEIR doing and it is up to you to figure out what they want.
One thing that confused me for a long time was why there were rise rings on the water when there were no insects flying around. The fish were eating the bugs just under the surface as they went through their emerging cycle.
Remember that being stealthy and patient are very important attributes.
Pinch the barbs down on your flies and practice casting. It is OK to turn around and view your back cast 10:00-2:00 Don’t be shy. Your going to make errors but don’t give up.
If you learn 1 thing every fishing trip, then your on the right track.
Be in charge of yourself and don’t worry about what you don’t know, you have to take this ONE step at a time.
The good news is that you are going to be making precious memories every time you go fishing.
This isn’t like school because you will never graduate and no one will grade you. Your a special person because most people don’t flyfish and they probably think were nuts!
If you can find a guide or mentor to teach you on the stream then you will be ahead of the game. Learning on the job is better than book training.
Good Luck!
Doug
Deadrift, we are on opposite sides of the country or I would try and help you out. My advise is to not be afraid to ask others questions. You can always come here to FAOL and lots of people will try and answer your questions . We all started from square one learning this sport. When you are out on the water and see others fly fishing just take some time to sit and watch them for a while. If they are catching fish and you are not, don’t be afraid to ask what they are bitting on. No matter how many times you trek to the waters to fish, you will learn something new each time. Just have fun when you are out and take your time to learn. Don’t get in a big hurry to try and learn it all in one season.
Rocky
DeaDrift, I see by your profile you reside in Buffalo. My residence is 35 miles South East of Buffalo. So, it would be very possible to meet up on a stream. If you like you can send me a private message and we can work out those details. I?d be happy to help as best I can. There is the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited to consider. Also, we have several very good fly shops. Both are in Williamsville. One is the Oak Orchard Fly Shop and the other is Buffalo Outfitters. I like the Oak ? very helpful people at the Oak. The experienced folks on this site have already provided you great words of wisdom. I?d encourage you to keep asking questions as there is a great wealth of info here at FAOL. Did you check out the beginners section here? It is great. Again, send me that PM and maybe we can meet up.