I am not good at fly fishing.
I often make a commotion in or around the water. I usually manage to get my line tangle in some sort of tree branches or underbrush. That or, while casting, I somehow tie my leader in impossible knots just before delivering the fly.
I’m new to the game. I’ll learn.
But today, in between changing kinked tippets and dressing drowned flies, I did manage a few good casts. Just a few. And on one of those, a textbook, arrow-straight offering right to the edge of an underwater ledge, there was a flash, a splash, and then my caddis was gone. I felt a slight tug, saw the glorious golden shimmer of a trout on the take, and my heart fluttered. My emotions runneth over: ‘Oh yeah,’ I remember saying.
And then, just like that, he was gone. No tugging. No flashing. My caddis bobbed back to the top. I hurriedly picked up my fly and put it back in the same approximate spot. Nothing. Again, but a much sloppier cast this time. Predictably, nothing. One more pick-up, a loose back-cast, and my line was a mess, the fine tippet wrapped all around the fly line and leader butt and everything else.
I slumped back to shore, agonizing over what went wrong. Can’t wait to go back and do it all again.
Ahhh the memories…that sounds like me when I first started a few years ago. It sounds like you are well on your way to having a lot of fun . I know that I have had a lot fun since my first few trying moments and I wouldnt trade those memories for anything now.
Your tale brought a chuckle to me. I just finished reading a great book, “Trout fishing and Trout Flys.” It is a classic by Jim Quick. His advise on how to become a good fisherman is to develop:
1 Persistence
2 Patience
3 Optimism
4 An Insatiable Curiosity
5 The Habit of Observation
6 A Willingness to Experiment
These ideas are talked about in all the latest new books. His knowledge (book published in 1957) about the sport will always be current. Keep these ideas in mind and you will get a lot of years of enjoyment.
Welcome to the sport Flyguy!
Everyone’s casting goes sour from time to time. Learn to laugh when it happens, learn from your mistakes, and practice, practice, practice. I’ve been at this fly-fishing game since before Eisehower was President, and I still find myself “agonizing” on occasion.
Dick
…
You learn something new every single day of your life. If you don’t, you weren’t paying attention.
Glad a few got some enjoyment out of my tale of woe … that was my intention. I knew it would be a bunch that could sympathize. I talk to my friends about tippets and caddis and they look at me like I have two heads.
And, in truth, my casting isn’t all that bad all the time … it’s just funny how when you get out there on the water and get a fish to rise, you forget everything you’ve learned. But it’s all practice to me - if I somehow caught something, that would be a bonus.
Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement.
We all have days like that. I remember them almost as fondly as the ones when I catch fish. I sometimes have the fly line just not work for me, it is when I over cast. I am trying too hard to get to a target. It may not be out of my range but I find that I hurry to get it to a point and I make a mess out of it… I think the deer hunters call it buck fever. I just call it excitement. I once lost a fish and had to retie to cast again. The fish was swimming around and I could see the fish from my boat. I could not tie the knot for the life of me. I finally closed my eyes and tied the knot. I had to calm down, and take a few deep breaths. That fish was taunting me. The rest of the story is that I still did not catch the fish. <grin> But I remember the trip.
Now do us all a favor and tell us more about your fishing. Let us get to know you better. NO one is good at fly fishing. We are all learning. Remember this is always a contest with yourself. A more fun than work, or a lot of other things.
It helps to calmly talk to the fish, well it helps me. I always thank them for biting, and the fight they gave me. I turn most loose and eat a few. So they know with me that they have a 75% chance of fighting another time.
I for one would like to read more of your stories. Do not be shy around here.
Harold
[This message has been edited by Harold Hattaway (edited 16 July 2005).]
I resemble your remarks. I figure when a fish gets off my line then they’re pretty healthy fish, and it’s a good thing.
How did this sport get so deep that it consumes my every thought, regardless of my lack of success?
There’s almost nothin’ wrong with the first lie, it’s the weight of all the others holdin’ it up that gets ya’! - Tim
. I know that I have had a lot fun since my first few trying moments and I wouldnt trade those memories for anything now.