Keep Learning

When I go fishing these days I usually go with a purpose other than just catching fish. When working at the outdoors store I would tell people that I fly fish, some would respond “You can catch more fish ‘my way’”. I would usually reply back “I don’t just fish to catch fish”. I now fish to get away and to get better at the hobby that I have chosen to pursue.

I have had the chance to be serious about fly fishing for the last 15 years. I started fly fishing at the ripe old age of 12. My first rod was bough at the local drug store, and my first reel was from Cabela’s back in the early 80’s. The line came with it and as I look back I think it was a level line that didn’t cast very well. It was good enough for me at the time.

Back in those days I was a diehard cat fisherman and big into fishing for anything that would swim. Growing up in Southern Idaho I mostly fished the huge Snake River. In those days the Snake was all about Catfish, Suckers, Chubs and a few Carp. Since it was a 10 minute walk from my house that is what I usually fished for. Only a few times a year did I get out of town to fish the great Trout streams, but when I did it was fly fishing. I had a nice selection of 3 or 4 flies (mostly Grasshoppers) that I also picked up at the local drug store. Surprisingly I caught a fair number of fish with these flies. Then when I couldn’t I would thread a worm up a hook and fly fish with a worm. A kid has to do what a kid has to do.

Then the late teen years and 20’s hit. I didn’t fish a lot during those college and early marriage years. I was trying to get through college with a young child and just didn’t make the time to fish. Then in the late 20’s I picked it up again with a passion. I decided that I was going to learn to really fly fish. I bought all o f the equipment to tie my own flies. I read everything that I could get my hands on and I learned.

I started my learning with fly tying and small stream fly fishing. It took a few trips to actually start catching fish on small streams with a fly rod but I was determined. I also make a vow that I would only fish flies that I tied. I have pretty well kept to that vow to this day although it isn’t as important to me now as it was then.

Once I caught fish consistently on small streams I decided to try my skills at the local tailwater that is blue ribbon. I got there and there was one of the best BWO hatches I have seen to this day. I got skunked. I had tied 3 size 20 BWO parachutes. They were a real chore for a new tier. I quickly proceeded to lose two to fish and one to the weeds behind me. This was November of 1999 so I had to go through the winter with that failure. The next spring I was ready. I learned with some friend from work how to catch fish in that tailwater.

Next I learned to fish a dry dropper rig and I have been have good success every since. That doesn’t mean I don’t have some days that I just can’t get fish but those days are fewer and fewer all the time.

My next conquest was to learn to fish nymphs. I had the gear but had never been able to find success with nymphs. I couldn’t see the fish so it was very frustrating to me. I was on a little tailwater that was full of willing small fish. I had caught a dozen or so with a dry dropper rig and decided I needed to learn to fish nymphs. I cut off my dry tied on a Pheasant Tail and an indicator and started to try things that I had read about. With the number of willing fish in the river it wasn’t long before I started to get a few. By the end of that day I had built my confidence with a nymph rig and still use the techniques that I learned that day. I had once again taken another step forward in my progression as a fly fisher.

Next I realized that I needed to get better at casting. I really started to practice in the yard and got where I could reach casts, airel mends, and improved my accuracy. This is still going on and I am still not the best caster but I am much improved.

Currently I am really trying to learn to Euro Nymph. That is the next challenge that I have set before myself. I really want to get that technique down so I have another tool on those tough days. After that I really want to learn to get good with streamers. I have started tying a few and really want to move forward with catching the larger fish that are available with streamers. While learning and improving these skills I also would like to get better at lake fishing. These are all weaknesses that I have in my skill set and am working to improve.