Foxgap/HA/brother bringing it together...my first trout!

[joseywales]

I woke up at o'god-hundred today and met foxgap at the VC. I walked it a bit last week, but those fish seemed skiddish. So I was especially surprised at how close I could fish those pools. This is a bit longwinded, since it is the newbies section and I'm hoping someone can learn from it.

Now, I have fished many times and even delved into FFing briefly in the past. To give you an idea, my 5x tippet says, "best if used before 2001". So yeah, it's been a while that I really wanted to get fly fishing again. I had only been out a few times and never landed a fish.

foxgap was great about showing me a nice "roll" technique (not really a roll cast). In fact, he showed it once on my rod and landed a fish, which I had already bounced over more times than I care to admit...

Newbie Note they are in the pool you're fishing. Keep trying. I never saw any of the fish I caught. They were simply too deep, but they were there as fox proved with his cast. I could see others in the open water, but they were not the ones we could target.

Newbie Note Also goes to show you, that spooking fish is relative. These guys dart from the banks, as you walk the creek's edge, yet you can walk in the water properly and still hook em'. And trust me, George wasn't whispering. I thought my voice carried...holy cow!

What I found as the biggest hurdle was being distracted and not focusing totally on the indicator or the nymph, which in this case was the world-renowned foxgap inchworm.

Newbie Note forget about whether it was a perfect cast, or if it landed where you wanted. Play it out - watch the indicator!

Newbie Note manage your line better than I did. I lost a few fish, and I think one was a thumper, all because I was distracted by "finding" the line in my hand, so too much slack, plus watch the indicator! Get your routine down in the backyard, so on the water it all jives.

So, without further adue, here is my first trout. A nice 10" brown. I'm not sure who was smiling more, me or fox. When he took the picture, I was looking to change the fish's angle to give a better broadside view. Trust me, I was smiling.

Thanks to HA for leader/tippet info, my brother for getting me back into FFing and shaking the cob webbs out of my cast, fox for letting me tag along and his proprietary inchworm, and this entire forum which is honestly one of, if not the best forum I have been on.

I did catch another 8" shortly after this and also got to meet the engprof. He asked why the heck I wasn't using 9X? I told him no one told me where to buy it yet!

SORRY: I have my camera on lowest setting. One picture is 150kb, but it won't upload. Will keep trying.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Congrats but Josey ...

 

[delta_dog]

Great job guy! Many more to come I'm sure.

 

[joseywales]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, the forum is having photo issues. There's a thread about it and the webmaster is working on it.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Nice job, Mr Wilson!

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, so if you turn into 1/10 the fisherman your brother is, your arm will get very tired from catching fish.

Testing the picture posting - this is your brother at the 2009 Steelhead Jamboree.

 

[Aducker]

I'm very happy for you. Congrats.

 

[Foxgap239]

Congrats Mark. And I was smiling more! Great student too, made me almost look like I knew what I was doing teaching him. His two fish were totally on his own. I was tired of uh-ing and ah-ing, so he was able to concentrate. He did everything right on those two fish. Good cast, good line work, drag free drift and timely hook set. The first fish jumped about 2 feet in the air on the hook set. Landed and netted himself, all I did was take the picture. He released it and about 10 casts later in the same pool, he got number 2.

Stag, you are next. PM coming!

 

[joseywales]

Thanks HA.

Yeah, he can certainly get the job done. We'll be spending many hours trying to help me catch up.

I'll try posting it again. I did notice yours is 30kb. I need to check my camera settings, but I believe I'm down as low as I can go.

I resized mine to 72kb, jpeg,but no go.

Hmm...when using Upload or Preview key, they don't load. When simply Sumbitting, they load up fine.

 

[joseywales]

Foxgap239 wrote:
Congrats Mark. And I was smiling more! Great student too, made me almost look like I knew what I was doing teaching him. His two fish were totally on his own. I was tired of uh-ing and ah-ing, so he was able to concentrate. He did everything right on those two fish. Good cast, good line work, drag free drift and timely hook set. The first fish jumped about 2 feet in the air on the hook set. Landed and netted himself, all I did was take the picture. He released it and about 10 casts later in the same pool, he got number 2.

Stag, you are next. PM coming!

Thanks Fox. Yeah, that first one was fun on a 4wt. Would have been a real hoot on a 3wt. I even pulled what will be known as a Stag. When he hit, the first thing I did was step back, as if readying to play this large marlin. Fox said that's a Stag kinda thang... Too funny.

The uh-ing and ah-ing was from me looking at my hands, the reel, line, etc. Everything but that damn indicator! Lesson learned.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Nice fish, josey.

Was the sun that bright, or did Fox take his hat off again?

 

[joseywales]

You put me a tough spot there HA...

BTW, I got a couple PMs. That wasn't my first trout, but my first on a fly rod. Next will be my first on a dry fly, although like Fox said, that first one was in the air. Maybe it was the glare..

 

[djs12354]

Congrats, Josey

First one on the fly is a kick, isn't it

 

[joseywales]

djs12354 wrote:
Congrats, Josey

First one on the fly is a kick, isn't it

Thanks Dave.

A bit more fun than the chubs your brother and I caught, that's for sure, Gotta start somewhere though!

I still get a kick out of brother's smile in that one picture. What's funnier is the chub I caught looked like it was foot long, but it was the same size as his. Camera angles...too funny...

 

[BelAirSteve]

I LOVED reading that story...I found I was smiling the entire time...you really did a nice job helping the reader experience what you did.

I have been FFing almost 5 years, and I still remember my first trout on a fly - a 10 inch Gunpowder wild brown in the plunge pool below Pretty Boy dam, on a size 8 olive bead head wooly bugger.

As you evolve more with this passion, I highly encourage you to document your firsts and milestones. I enjoy reading your posts, as you clearly have a passion for the sport. Not sure if you tie yet, but that brings a whole new perspective to the game - you get to start keeping track (all over again) of the fish you catch on flies you tied yourself.

Haven't thought about this for a while, but here goes -

-First wild brown on a fly - above
-First wild brown on a dry - Galloups flying ant, Gunpowder
-First wild brown on a fly I tied myself - Tiny little fish on a bead head pheasant tail, Bee Tree Run
-First wild brookie on a fly - Pale morning dun, Shenandoah National Park
-First wild brookie on a fly I tied - CDC Blue wing olive, Shenandoah National Park
First wild rainbow (on a fly, also that I tied) - Hares Ear soft hackle, Gunpowder
-First smallie on a fly - Orange stimulator, Little Gunpowder Falls
-First smallie on a fly I tied - Murray's strymph, Winters Run

Thanks for giving me a reason to bring back all of these memories, and good luck as you continue to catch more ( and bigger) fish!

btw, for the record, I don't keep track of stocked fish ONLY because I don't have the opportunity to fish for them, NOT because I have anything against fishing for stockies.

Finally, if you have the opportunity, I encourage you to fish warm water for sunfish and smallmouth - they are a lot more forgiving in terms of presentation, and it gives you the opportunity to work on technique.

Steve

 

[joseywales]

Thanks Steve. I was writing fairly quickly, as my daughter's bday party was starting. I actually did forget the part about that 10" leaping out of the water. It reminded me of bass fishing on Chambers lake in Coatesville. We hooked a few there, that's for sure.

Years ago, I took my father-in-law out on Chambers in a 14' row boat I had at the time. I don't know what the heck he hooked into, but I'm telling you I was looking for old Quint to hook it, as I readied another barrel. It had to be a bass, but I've never seen on that big, up close like that. It ran deep and fast. By the time I got the rod, it was too late. I worked it for 20 minutes, but he must have buried himslef into something. My father-in-law hadn't been seriously fishing in many years and didn't stop smiling for days.

I do plan on some WW fishing, mostly because of how much fun bass can be.

I not only log the fish, with pictures, just as Henry Winkler does, I also log conditions, as well as any lessons learned about the water, fish, or any tips I pick up from a more experienced angler (seperate notepad). It's like preparing a thesis paper that you'll never finish!

 

[Volksnurse]

And THAT's why Fox is so much fun to fish with....

Nice fish Mark! And great story....now take your daughter fly fishing....doubles the challenge and halves the fishing...

 

[Fishidiot]

Two thumbs up!

 

[Stagger_Lee]

now i an see siht

nice looking fish jw!

 

[Stagger_Lee]

I also log conditions, as well as any lessons learned about the water, fish, or any tips I pick up from a more experienced angler (seperate notepad). It's like preparing a thesis paper that you'll never finish!

Why doesn't this surprise me?

He wrote a bunch of notes @ last weeks jam and forwarded most if not all of them to be which was much appreciated

 

[joseywales]

Stagger_Lee wrote:

I also log conditions, as well as any lessons learned about the water, fish, or any tips I pick up from a more experienced angler (seperate notepad). It's like preparing a thesis paper that you'll never finish!

Why doesn't this surprise me?

He wrote a bunch of notes @ last weeks jam and forwarded most if not all of them...

Most? I even sent you the recipe for Pineapple Stuffing!