Snakeyes Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 And so begins my new fishing experience. Now entering the world of fly fishing......... after being handed my father in laws fly tying stuff and vice make in the 1800s. Visiting every dollar store in the niagara region, Petes and the Sale store couple hundred dollars later I make my first fly. Take a look at it and pop it in the garbage..... Next i watch several hundred videos on youtube, think to myself wow that is easy. LMFAO Ummmmmm no its not as it turns out. OK so I make a couple flies some look great some not so great. Now to find a used rod and reel. Kijiji here i come. WOW 500 dollars for two rods OMG i keep looking. Rob29 from this forum was really nice let me borrow an extra he had. Wicked time to get my first ever fish on a fly. I mean how hard can this be. Rod back rod forward badabing badabom its that easy....... again I find out LMFAO Ummmmm no its not So to make this short went to St. Johns pond yesterday I've seen people fly fishing before down there when i had the kids there trying to get small bows. Awesome the place is empty can't hook anyone by mistake walking by. ( that would be my luck) and if i hook myself as I've heard does happen a fair bit only the geese and ducks will laugh at me. Walk around the pond to find the ideal spot to get my fish ever. Creep around the pond see bass out the ying yang. just sitting all just above the surface just begging for my fly to hit the water so they can smash it. Ok now I'm ready strip some line stomach is all butterflies hands alittle shakey can't wait. begin with the back swing...... CRAP my stripped line is all in a weed at the bottom of my feet. How did I not see it??????? Grrrrrrrr ok untangle the line..... Here I go again back and forth feeding in back and forth all my line is in the air. getting ready for the first hit.... I launch the line towards the water.............. 20 feet of line and leader lands three feet infront of me in a tangled mess.................. After a few choice words thank god I was alone there. Try # 2 same result try #3 same #4 same.... and so on. after an hour or so i can now get the line 8 feet infront of me. Its progress I guess. I was able to drop the fly right on the nose of 10 bass they all just looked at it and swam away. Day number 1 fish 100 Jeff 0 ducks and geese laughs lots. Go back today with hoppers I made last night same result zero fish. Plus a school had out to the pond day and i was swarmed by a hundred 6 yr olds trying to get me to hook minnows LOL. Cute kids I humored them as much as I could. Gotta get them into environmental stuff now. Anyway thats my fly fishing life to date. Hope it gets better. cheers jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YakFisher Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Ha Ha. I remember that feeling, it was only last year that I began fly fishing as well. Trust me, the learning curve gets faster after you can get a few basics. Try the orvis.com website, they have a ton of resources to help you get better. If you want,I could bring you to a spot on the upper Niagara where you could catch 20+ chubs,rock bass and baby bass in an outing. Get your feet wet, so to speak. I'm not even close to an expert, but I'm as good teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Great story Jeff....keep at it, it will come. Check youtube for video on techniques to cast and practice. Take a look at the flies you see in stores or maybe buy a few and then replicate them. If Cliff the owner here offers the fly tying lessons take it...he will give you a good start and get you well under way...Like anything else practice. Were the kids laughing at you....thats even worse...LOL. Keep at it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Sounds like my first fly fishing adventures years ago. Don't get discouraged. . . it will come together. Tying flies is fun. Don't worry about the "mistakes" too much, as you'll often find that they will catch fish too. As for the casting, keep at it. If you can find a big expanse of lawn, practice there and not on the water. Find an experienced caster to help. If you're using videos or books, look for Joan Wulff. . . she is quite possibly the best fly caster in the game and an excellent instructor. I'd also suggest learning some spey techniques, as they are ideal for fishing in areas where you don't have a lot of room for back-casting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeyes Posted September 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 Don't get me wrong I think this is funny and fun. I love the art of tying flies I'm getting better every try. In my younger days I'd see these "old" guys ( now I'm that old guy ) casting flies on the water and I would wonder why in the world are these guys putting so much work into putting that tiny little thing in the water. How my thinking has changed LOL. Now I can't wait till that tiny little thing gets smacked by a fish. Its all about the art of tying your own, the art of the cast, and the pride of putting it all together and seeing that beautiful finned fish in the net or on shore. Start to finish like in life its about the journey not just a single moment in time. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob29 Posted September 27, 2012 Report Share Posted September 27, 2012 That sounds like my first few outings with the fly rod. I think I spent about 10 hours "practicing" on the water until I caught my first fish. A small sunfish that was barly large enough to fit in my hand. If you want to get some time in I can come out with you and show you my uber secret fly practice spot by decew and merritville hwy. Its a long stretch of concrete that is about 100 yards out into the water. Or we can go wade somewhere for trout and Meag can come along with her spinning gear. As for a rod, check this one out; http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sporting-goods-exercise-fishing-camping-outdoors-St-Croix-Fly-Rod-W0QQAdIdZ404245018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeyes Posted September 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 Update....... day number three. Go back to the pond yet again. got 30 min to kill. Watched a few more videos on line last night while having a couple drinks. Have to try this roll cast or so I think its called. WOW not bad it worked. try that for a bit just to practice. OK I can see those bass still stiiting there mocking me. put on this mutated hopper i made front legs fell off back ones all messed up but hay I'm trying to get a fish to bite not build a rocket right. start casting trying to remember how the guy did on the video. Not too too bad its a step in the right direction. start the retrieve holy crap a STRIKE!!!!!!!!! heart pounding i forget what to do rip the rod back and get a face full of line and water LOL. 30 min later two strikes no fish but awesome time none the less. this is sooooooooo awesome. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron4blues Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Congratulations on your first strikes on the fly! You actually chose a bit of a challenge by trying a topwater/dry fly as an intro to fly fishing. Wait til you see the fish roll or turn away after a topwater take. Then just lift your rod tip while sharply stripping a few inches of line. You should then hook up in the corner of the mouth rather than the lip. It takes timing and patience. Too soon and you pull the fly out of the fishes' mouth, too late and the fish spits it out. It won't be long before you have a good hookup! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Update....... day number three. Go back to the pond yet again. got 30 min to kill. Watched a few more videos on line last night while having a couple drinks. Have to try this roll cast or so I think its called. WOW not bad it worked. try that for a bit just to practice. OK I can see those bass still stiiting there mocking me. put on this mutated hopper i made front legs fell off back ones all messed up but hay I'm trying to get a fish to bite not build a rocket right. start casting trying to remember how the guy did on the video. Not too too bad its a step in the right direction. start the retrieve holy crap a STRIKE!!!!!!!!! heart pounding i forget what to do rip the rod back and get a face full of line and water LOL. 30 min later two strikes no fish but awesome time none the less. this is sooooooooo awesome. jeff Too funny......sounds like your having fun at it....keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Husky_Jerk Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Best $40 I ever spent was to get an hour lesson from a guide. Well worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidp16 Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 I started fly fishing this year and i first really sucked and did not know what to do so i just watched vidoes on youtube and practiced in some ponds for panfish and now ive gotten to the point i know what im dooing and i love fly fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakeyes Posted October 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 Day 4,5,6....... St Johns pond again this time with my son. He was spin casting for bass, myself mutated creature I tied the night before LOL glad I do not know how to post pics here yet. Day started out like the past ones bass all over the place. My son got two on a ultra small spinner bait. I had much less luck on the fly. Loads of follow ups and zillions of sunfish little hit and runs but no bass. Went back yesterday and found the park main gate closed and no fishing sign up. So just took a walk down to the pond and yes one more no fishing sign up. I guess casting practice is done there. Off to firemans park. Little pond but open areas to practice. Again bass hitting surface bugs just out of reach with my casting skills getting better slowly. Roll cast getting much easier. Anyway all as usual great days zero fish but still out on the water is better than nothing. jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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