First Successful fly fishing attempt

[idratherbfishin]

After years of being a bait and wait angler, and using ultra lite spinning gear with lures, I decided to try to move up the fishing ladder to a more advanced form of fishing. I have always wanted to try my hand at fly fishing. It seemed like it would be the ideal way to fish the small creeks that are all around where I live. As is often the case in life, what we imagine and what is reality, are two totally different things. I quickly discovered that practice casting in your front yard is totally different than trying to cast into a small pool of water surrounded by trees, bushes, rocks, and a zillion other things that seem to appear out of nowhere. The first couple of times I tried to fish with the fly rod, all I caught was trees and bushes and a few rocks. I spent more time untangling my line than fishing. It was very frustrating, to say the least. So today I head out to the local creek to try again. On my very first cast I snag the tree behind me and lose my fly:mad:. So I say a few colorful adjectives and retie another one. I can see a trout rising in the pool in front of me. I cast again and actually get the fly in the vicinity of where the trout was. Bam! the trout takes the fly, fish on! My heart is pounding, I cant believe it, I just caught my first trout on a fly rod, with a dry fly! It wasn't big by any means, but I couldn't have been more proud:Big Grin:. So I successfully release the little guy and on the next cast I get snagged on a branch in front of me. Reality quickly sets back in. So I continue on and end up catching two more fish, the last being a very nice 12 inch brownie on a bee type fly fished wet. I am now definately hooked on fly fishing and know I need alot more practice and patience. The flys I used were: bee(wet), light cahill(dry),mosquito(dry) all size 14(I think).
Until next time, tight lines. -bfishin

[tacklejunkie]

Nice feeshes!
Almost that time of year again for me.

Just awesome when they smack it good isn't it?
Before long, you'll be predicting pools and strikes before they even happen.

Keep up the good work. Reminds me of my first fly missions not long ago.
Patience is really key.

edit:
Wait till you tie your own and lose them to trees! =0
Wait till you tie your own and hook one on it! =D

[seal]

Well done! Another addict in the making. Soon you will have about 10 fly boxes with patterns that you will never use but look pretty damn cool.

I'll be right behind you TJ!

[smalweld]

Welcome to the addiction!!! Its a great hobby and I will second what Tacklejunkie stated. Wait till you start tying flies, wait till you loose one in a tree.... Depending on how much time you have into tying it, you might be climbing that tree!!!
Sean

[quietdiver]

Congratulations, really cool to feel them pull on light gear.
I have been fly fishing for almost 30 years now, 6 of them on a pro level, shoot me a pm if you want any tips or ever have any questions, I will be glad to help..
leaving for the Sierras right now 3 days of tossing dries..
Tight lines
G

[steve092]

WTG! Remember, once you catch the fly fishing bug, there's no going back! Great job!

[mth1997]

How cool is it to have a two species day for your first time catching on the fly? Congrats, you are truly one of the few people who fly fish for the first time in SoCal and catch a fish, let alone two different species of wild trout. Awesome!

Hey smalweld, I'm so cheap I'm almost climbing trees to get my $1 BPS flies!!

[castle]

Cool, now try Mill Creek if there is still water in it.

[seal]

Congratulations, really cool to feel them pull on light gear.
I have been fly fishing for almost 30 years now, 6 of them on a pro level, shoot me a pm if you want any tips or ever have any questions, I will be glad to help..
leaving for the Sierras right now 3 days of tossing dries..
Tight lines
G

30 years? You might actually know what your doing by now. Oh and 3 days in the Sierras with drys, you suck!

What waters are you going to target?

[idratherbfishin]

Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement and support. I hope to have some new posts coming up soon, as my new addiction runs its course. Tight lines -bfishin

[DCCTrouserTrout]

It's a good feeling to get that first one... I still remember the first trout I got on my fly rod... ha ha

[hookjaw77]

Fly fishing is a disease that will haunt you the rest of your life. I've been hooked for 39 years now and may offer some advice. Attend your local fly club and hire a few guides if possible.
Clubs are there to teach and you meet some people that can bring you up to speed in a short time, thus shortening the learning curve. With the guide situation, if you can afford it occasionally, takes you to really great fishing with some one on one instruction from someone who does it every day.
I flyfished for 20 years before I hired a guide and that first day with a guide was the best money I ever spent. The catching part will increase immediately. Just put them back so that you can come back next week and catch them again. It kinda like bowling, you don't bring the pins home with you. Have fun and good luck.
Swanee

[idratherbfishin]

Fly fishing is a disease that will haunt you the rest of your life. I've been hooked for 39 years now and may offer some advice. Attend your local fly club and hire a few guides if possible.
Clubs are there to teach and you meet some people that can bring you up to speed in a short time, thus shortening the learning curve. With the guide situation, if you can afford it occasionally, takes you to really great fishing with some one on one instruction from someone who does it every day.
I flyfished for 20 years before I hired a guide and that first day with a guide was the best money I ever spent. The catching part will increase immediately. Just put them back so that you can come back next week and catch them again. It kinda like bowling, you don't bring the pins home with you. Have fun and good luck.
Swanee

I forgot mention it in my post but I am a C&R fisherman, I want to keep going back to the same places and still have fish to catch:Wink:

[Liteweight]

Welcome to the fraternity. :Big Grin:

Wait until you take up tying/entemology and start collecting a library of manuals, pattern books etc. Then if it gets really bad...rod building, bamboo etc.

LW

btw; if you think you're hooked now...wait until you hook that first "BIG" (10#+) brown or rainbow (and I'm not talking Alpers/brooder) on a fly that you tied.
Then Bass & Stripers and so on and so forth........GEEEEEEE do I need help!!!

[teejay]

bfishin,
Nice to hear that you had some luck with the bee pattern fly. I understand that it’s an old style called the McGinty that evidently isn’t being used much anymore. I haven’t yet tried that pattern but thought that it might be a productive pattern for certain areas where yellow jackets are common.
If you don’t mind sharing, what rod and reel combination are you using?

[idratherbfishin]

Im using a Reliance 7-1/2' 5/6 rod and a Fenwick 45D reel. The bee type fly was what I caught the brownie on, unfortunately I only got to use it once as I lost it on the very next cast. I think I am going to spend a fortune on flies, lol.

[City Dad]

"the tug is the drug"

[quietdiver]

30 years? You might actually know what your doing by now. Oh and 3 days in the Sierras with drys, you suck!

What waters are you going to target?
just got home,
we hit Hot Creek, and the East Walker....... ><(((('>
we worked hard but were rewarded very well

[PUDD MASTER BAITER]

it lookis like another fly junkie in the making. i normally roll cast which prevents losing flys in the back cast. its actully my casting tech 80% of the time. now go for some pan fish and you will never go back.

[seal]

it lookis like another fly junkie in the making. i normally roll cast which prevents losing flys in the back cast. its actully my casting tech 80% of the time. now go for some pan fish and you will never go back.

Panfish, heck target the LMB's and stripers! Stripers love a basic black wooly bugger early in the year and then just try and imitate the baitfish (shad, silversides etc..) with clousers, minnow patterns etc..

[tacklejunkie]

LMB from shore on fly owns all but is the hardest type of fishing I've come across (in socal) next to surf fly fishing or icefishing.

[seal]

LMB from shore on fly owns all but is the hardest type of fishing I've come across (in socal) next to surf fly fishing or icefishing.

Yup not a numbers game for sure.

[BrownTrout]

just got home,
we hit Hot Creek, and the East Walker....... ><(((('>
we worked hard but were rewarded very well


i fished hot creek over labor day weekend, did ok but we got there kinda late. the upper owens was on fire. got a few nice browns on the lower but the water was very fast.

FYI i dont like to tell people what to do, but you might want to check the water temps on certain rivers later in the summer, especially when water levels are low, the water temp was 70 degress over labor day on the east walker. trout will swim off, but will almost certainly die or be very very stressed out after a fight in water that warm. something a lot of people dont think about just thought id throw it out there.

[smokinflies]

nice job working those flies.

[quietdiver]

i fished hot creek over labor day weekend, did ok but we got there kinda late. the upper owens was on fire. got a few nice browns on the lower but the water was very fast.

FYI i dont like to tell people what to do, but you might want to check the water temps on certain rivers later in the summer, especially when water levels are low, the water temp was 70 degress over labor day on the east walker. trout will swim off, but will almost certainly die or be very very stressed out after a fight in water that warm. something a lot of people dont think about just thought id throw it out there.
thanks for the heads up, I'm very aware of temps and fish mortality rates, I guided professionally for 6 years on the East Walker river.
You are right most people have no clue to the fact that they might be killing the fish even though the released it..again good point I hope someone may get some insight from this info.