I saw the opening day swap, and it got me thinking about the first cast of the year. (Neat idea for a swap, BTW.) What fly did everyone have on for their first cast of the year, and why did you have it on? Is it a favorite pattern, did it match the hatch, or something entirely different?
My first cast was a #12 gold ribbed hare’s ear variant. GRHE is something I fish often, and it is usually what I start with on most trips just because I have confidence in it for most of the species that I fish for.
My first cast was with a Purple Wooly Bugger for about an hour with no hits. Swapped with a #16 Griffiths Gnat since I saw a few rises and caught 2 nice Rainbows. Good day overall.
My first cast was with John Scott’s PSC and although the first one didn’t connect, the next one did with a nice 16" rainbow. Hope he’s getting lots of nice fishies.
The fly, a # 6 Gray over White Bucktail Pond Smelt ( see photo )
There are usually some pond smelt at or near the surface on cold winter mornings here.
Rig: Six weight rod with type II shooting head and a six foot ten pound leader.
Target: Landlocked Salmon, Rainbows and Black Bass.
My first cast back in February featured a chartreuse squirrel tail micro clouser. I usually fish soft hackles early on, but this was something I cooked up over the winter and needed to test out. Turned out pretty well, and the fish do seem to like it.
