Ding!
Going fly fishing for the first time this week. Probably Thursday. Don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm excited to give it a shot. Everything I know, I learned from watching a few weeks of Fly Fish TV (OLN) and casting practice in the front yard. I predict lots of leader tangles, expensive flies cut loose, and hours of cussing.
Probably going to hit the Lower Provo River. Supposed to be some big-ass browns in there.
I'll report back on Friday.
Scott you will have a blast, are you going to fish dry's or nymphs?
Also, keep your wrist locked up, the motion is all arm, the wrist stays solid, like hammering in a nail. The rod tip should not move beyond '10 and 2 oclock' on your casts, and remember that the interval in the forward and back movement increases with the amount of line out.
Thanks for the tips. I'll keep them in mind.
I'll probably be using nymphs, mostly. The hatches don't start until around 1:00 pm there, and I'll probably have to leave around that time.
watch a river runs through it before you leave too
Good luck, lots of pics
LOL. Watched it about a month ago. :^)
I caught nothing yesterday, but still had a lot of fun, and learned quite a bit. Turns out I didn't go into this with the knowledge or rig I need.
Right before we left, we ran into some old dude who explained some stuff to us. Then we stopped by a local fly shop, and got some more tips (and flies) there. Gonna sign up for the shop's 3-hour nymphing class. $50 is a steal, if I learn what I need to learn.
I also learned that it's very cold on the Provo river at 8:00 am this time of year. Holy shit, were my hands cold!
After being in the river for about 10 minutes, I started having a lot of trouble casting, and I couldn't figure out why. The line just wasn't sliding through the eyelets. I figured I had a tangle somewhere, so was looking, as I was casting, and didn't see anything. Then I stoped and looked at the eyelets more closely... Turns out ice was forming inside of them. We're talking ice as big around as the eyelets, and about an inch long, centered in the eyelet.
I'll be starting later in the day from here on out.
Round 2: Went today. Failed again. It's a bit frustrating having blue ribbon flyfishing waters 30 miles from my house, and not being able to catch shit.
I'll try again next weekend, if not sometime this week.
Thanks for the post, martinburke. I did the floater/dropper thing yesterday. That was actually the recommendation given to me by the fly shop.
As far as I could tell, I didn't get any strikes. But that floating fly didn't float all that great. I think I might try a different kind of strike indicator next time. Maybe one of those little orange foam thingies. I saw a few others using them.
I'm also probably going to take a few classes. There are a few in town that look descent.
I suspect the primary problem may be the river I'm fishing (Lower Provo). It's a "Blue Ribbon" trout river. I've heard claims of 3000-5000 fish per square mile, and a lot of them are really big. Problem is, it gets fished a lot. The fish are very savvy. I hear that you really have to do everything absolutely perfectly to get them.
Water temperature probably has a lot to do with it too.
I'll be on the Lower Provo for a few hours next Saturday. After that, I'll probably move up to the Middle Provo, which is also great, but doesn't get fished quite as much.
BTW, is Gene Fullmer still calling you a fat bastard?:)
LOL! Great memory! No, I haven't trained there in quite some time. I only lasted a few months. Nobody would work with me. They spend all their time with promissing young prospects. Not interested in working with the 38 year old fat guys, I reckon.
Okay, so which is better, or does it matter? I bought two different kinds:
Cool. Thanks for your help. I'll take all this into consideration and give it another shot this weekend.
Son of a motherfucking bitch!!!
Round 3: Strike 3.
Tell me about it! I must conquer the Provo, though. It's the only reason I took up fly fishing. If bait was allowed on that thing, I'd never fish with flies.
Although I can fish the river in front of my Dad's cabin in Wyoming with anything I want (all private), I'll give files a try there. I'm sure I'll have luck at that place. Tons of really big fish that die of old age, rather than being caught.
Okay, so which is better, or does it matter? I bought two different kinds:
Use the one on the right. I tried using the floater on the left last time I went fishing, and it always managed to snag line and create all kinds of wicked knots...
Okay, I think I finally found the strike indicator I'm looking for: The Fish Pimp! Worth trying out for the tag line, if for no other reason:
Remember: "Every Nymph Needs A Pimp!"®
I bought some yesterday. I actually decided to try them out before I even noticed the name. Frankly, they look perfect.
They're like "the one on the right", but more sturdy. Instead of having a toothpick to shove into them, they come with a little stretchy rubber thing. You stretch the rubber, put it on your line, then let go of the rubber. If you need to move it, you simply stretch again.
It looks almost perfect. The only potential problem I see is trying to stretch both ends and maneuver the line with only two hands.
I'll let y'all know how it works out.
Hey S.S.
If the regs in your area allow, instead of going with a strike indicator, tie on a buoyant dry fly, and attach the nymph to the bend in the dry hook (called a 'dropper')
This way you can fish a dry up top that acts as a strike indicator as well. Nothing is more frusterating than watching fish 'take' your indicator.
Also, are you getting a 'dead drift' action on your fly? Part of the trick is to 'mend' your flyline to avoid having the current add un-natural movement to the fly's drift.
Yeah, I tried that buoyant dry thing, and didn't care for it much. The 3 that were recommended to me weren't very buoyant (floaty, right?). After 5-10 seconds in the water they started sinking a bit, and I had a hard time seeing them.
I think I have the mending thing down. I think I'm just not getting close enough to the bottom.
The 3 that were recommended to me weren't very buoyant (floaty, right?). After 5-10 seconds in the water they started sinking a bit, and I had a hard time seeing them.
You putting gink on them?
Gink? I don't think so. What mean "gink", Rambo?
Floatant. Put a dab of that on your dry fly and it won't sink so easy.
I'll give it a shot. Thanks.