"Flyfishing is an act of hope that leads to a net full of fish and a head full of dreams." Fennel Hudson
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In my almost two decades of guiding I would come across this type of individual a number of times a year. This is the absolute beginner (nothing wrong with that, I was one!) who gets his gear and heads off to the Swift River or the Deerfield River or the Farmington River, gets totally zeroed while seeing others deftly catch and release trout and then asks himself "what's wrong?
The simple answer is Nothing is wrong!! You just started in at way over your head on three very technical rivers and you should of started on a venue that most closely matches your skill level. What you need to experience more than anything else is the magic of the "tug" and that is best experienced on our smaller streams especially the ones that have been stocked.
How do I fish it? Cast across the stream and swing that fly in the current until it's directly below you and then start a slow retrieve guiding that fly through all likely holding areas as you move slowly downstream. Now, some expert will probably thumb his nose at you for using such a simplistic method but remember that early season streams are full of simplistic fish and you would like to catch some and your method is no worse than indicator fishing.
Always watch other anglers especially the ones catching fish.
Don't go out and buy a big box packed with large goofy looking flies. You know what I'm talking about: big gaudy dries with weird hackles lathered on or monster buggers. Stay with the flies that I mentioned at the beginner of this piece and then go to a good fly shop (UpCountry on the Farmington) and ask for some local advice or read this blog.
As I write on Monday a.m. at 10:30 it is 25 degrees and the wind chill is 12. The Quabbin is overflowing at 276 cfs and the Farmie below the Stillwater is up in the 700's with water only in the mid 30 temperature range. The Millers is rolling along at 1230 and the EB is doing the same at 638.
We have a ways to go!!
Ken
9 comments:
Good advice for the new fly rodder...I caught my first fish on a fly in a local pond, Redds Pond in Marblehead, a bluegill. That only whet my appetite to get a trout. I did start trout fishing on the Swift, that was my first trout river, it was below the bridge a few hundred yards. There were small brookies rising all over the place and I got skunked...My dad offered to help but I was a strong willed type in my early teens...I begged to come back the next day(only a 2 hour drive each way from home, lol). He agreed and that evening I poured over Ray Bergman's Trout...thought I should try a leadwing coachman wet fly or whatever I had that looked like it. We went back and I got one within the first hour...and proceeded to get several more little ones-basically using the advice you offered above. Itching to get out not long now I hope.
The tug is the drug as they say! I find myself encouraging others new to fly fishing to try the white mountains region of New Hampshire , ample stocking and relatively infertile streams make for trout that are quick to rise and fairly easy to find, also many smaller streams with gorgeous natives is always a plus. I have a lot of great memories fishing that area, especially the east branch pemi
Paul,
My first flyfishing "trips" as a young guy in his early 20's were to the white mountains to fish the Ammonoosuc and Little Rivers. Camping and hiking into spots to fish for natives made my day!!
BobT,
I still have my copy of Bergman's Trout!!
Ken
Ken, As always you gave some great advice. I would throw in some casting practice near or at home. I use a paper clip with some bright orange "sighter" material tied to the clip for visibility simulating the weight of a fly. Either check out the internet or hire a pro for a lesson or two. Some targets could be set up (a frisbee or a hula hoop) or get out there and just chuck away!
Hello Ken I am confused. I bought a 7.5 ft 3wt and the line I bought is 100 ft long. Looking at the reel (small Okuma) I dont think it will hold 100 ft of fly line plus some backing. Do you shorten the fly line? Dont know what to do. Thanks, Ed
Great advice Ken. I learned on a flowing stocked warm water stream. It was late summer, the stocked browns we're gone but there were plenty of Fall Fish and Blue Gills. They would grab almost anything I tied on and that's where I began to develop the basic skills needed to catch trout on a fly rod. A small stream is a great place to start. My first trout river outing was on the Swift. On my first cast that day a large rainbow grabbed my Elk Hair Caddis and the fight was on. Looking back now I had no chance. The hook set went well but I completely underestimated how important playing a large fish correctly in flowing water would be. I made all the rookie mistakes including allowing the fish to get too far downstream and into some fairly substantial riffles. Then my 40 years of conventional bass fishing instincts took over. I learned the hard way that playing a 5lb Bass on spinning tackle in a pond and playing a 3lb Rainbow in flowing water on 5X are two entirely different skill sets. Disappointing- but that's how you learn. So here's a tip for beginners. Take a 2 foot piece of whatever tippet your using and tie a perfection loop on each end. Then put a pencil through each of the loops and pull until the tippet breaks. This will give you a little better feel of how much force you can put against a fish before your tippet fails.
Great advice, Ken, for folks to get started fly fishing. Swinging soft hackles is a great way to go for anyone. I will never forget the first fish I caught on a fly rod, a smallmouth bass on a top water popper at gate 43. I was beyond thrilled. I wish I still had that Ted Williams outfit I saved up for and bought at Sears 50 years ago.
Sam
Anonymous Ed,
It sounds like you haven't loaded up the reel yet. Do that first and see if you have the room with line and backing. I would remove the backing until everything fits. Remember, on light trout outfits like yours (and mine) the backing serves one purpose: it keeps the fly line from getting too pigtailed on the reel.
Best beginner tip I can think of ----- Read this blog.
Charles
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