Frustrated

[ShearMadness]

I'm about to snap this stupid fly rod in half. I have 16 hours without a fish. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. What makes it more frustrating is I know I can pick up the spinner and bang them up. I can't even catch the stockies all piled in the creek. Ugh!!! Another 16 hours and we can auction my stuff away. I'll be back. Going to try again.

 

[Dave_W]

Shear,
Well, even us old timers have days like this.

You know we're going to tell you not to get discouraged so. . .don't get discouraged.

Of course, every situation is different and it is hard to assess what may explain your lack of success, but I'd suggest that - like any sport - when you're struggling, it can be good to fall back on some fundamentals. You know there are trout in the stream - Is your fly actually getting down to the fish? You need to put some weight, typically a split shot or two, on your line to get the fly down to where the fish are (usually right on the bottom). If the fish are fresh stockies, they are often easy to catch on bright colored flies (this is a major reason for the success of Powerbait or "salmon eggs" - their bright colors). Try a fly like a San Juan Worm in pink or an egg fly that is bright yellow. Stocked trout like flies like this.

Finally, I always tell new fly fishermen (FFers) that are transitioning from spin gear. . . that that transition can be gradual. There's nothing wrong with fishing with an FF rod for an hour or three and then finishing up with a spin rod and a spinner or bait. If a gold spinner catches fish, try a gold streamer fly of about the same size and fish that streamer at the depth and speed that you had success with the lure. Putting these pieces together will help you build confidence.
Good luck. Keep us posted.
Dave

 

[duckfoot]

It's also 40 degrees out. Any trout in late winter / early spring are a victory.

If you're still having trouble in late May, then you've got some things to correct.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Relax and don't get discouraged. I would heed Dave W's advice. He is steering you in the right direction and I agree with him 100%. Flyfishing is a challenge! If it was easy everyone would be doing it. Flyfishing is a lifetime sport. No matter how long you have been doing it you never perfect it completely. I learn new things all the time. It's a gradual curve but I have no doubt if you stick with it you will be rewarded. Now get back out there and fish!

 

[ShearMadness]

Thanks. I used them all. Greenie weenie, san juan, egg, sucker spawn, pheasant tail. I'm pretty sure i was down all the way. I would add weight until i felt bottom. I could watch the sucker spawn ticking the bottom.
I should probably go get get some flies from a store instead of tying my own.

 

[MKern]

Just that time of year. Fresh stockies can be really easy to catch, but sometimes they can be frustrating.

As mentioned above: still struggling in May, then you really have to delve into a reason why.

Also, the fish may have been taking your fly and you just didn't notice. Takes with flies can be subtle. Keep as much of your line off the water that you can.

If you see fish but they are interested in what you are offing, either change what your offering or move to find fish who are interested (which is what I do).

 

[NewSal]

I spent way longer then 16 hours before I caught my first trout on a fly rod.. just keep fishing you'll get the hang of it.

Some people say that the flies don't matter much, but to be honest when I started I was using my own tied flies, wasn't catching anything, went to the fly shop and got the flies that he recommended and took some advice and did better.

I'm still a very fresh beginner but I get better every single time I get into the water, its amazing how much information you can obtain and how much better you can get in a short period of time by just fishing as much as you can.

One of the things that made a HUGE difference between catching and not catching fish for me was to shorten up my cast considerably. I don't fish anymore then 15 feet away (that's pretty far actually, more like 10 feet) , and keep a tight line, this made a HUGE difference.

 

[NewSal]

Oh, and make every single cast count, when I started I would get frustrated and start casting a lot and kind of just getting sloppy, spend more time concentrating on keeping a good drift and putting your flies in the right spot than worrying about if you have the "right flies" or not.

Good luck man.

 

[J55tyger88]

^This...good points.

 

[pete41]

Try some 14 o 16 close clipped deer or antelope hair nymphs with some micro split shot-when I first started fishing Pa. waters and didn't know or care if they were holdovers,freshly stocked or wild I did very well with those flies, having picked that pattern up from oldtimers at the paradise. Seems the stockers identified that pattern as hatchery food. Thought I was a natural even if stockers didn't know what naturals were..
Then came reality.Size 12 marabou streamers did pretty good opening day.

 

[Lunker_Bacon]

Hey Shear,

I know what you're going through, trust me. I am coming back from yet another hiatus from the sport, after countless trips to different praised streams throughout the south-central PA region left me with nothing but disappointment.. so much to the point where taking a 35 minute trip out to spend on the water wasn't even worth it anymore to me. I have 0 caught trout on a fly rod as well, and it's been 2 years since I bought my fly rod. I know I don't have expert advice, but if I could offer some words of encouragement:

1. Read and research until your brain explodes. There is SO MUCH information out there and the more you surround yourself with, the more you will be able to link pieces of the puzzle together when you are out on the water. For example, if the water is murkier than usual, what fly should I use? What insects are found on the bottom of rocks in this particular stream? What is hatching at this time of the year?
P.S. I am still in this phase!!

2. Tying flies helps me stay committed when I am out of the water, and I think it is a huge part of fishing - after all, one of the big pieces of being successful is identifying and replicating what you observe on the water. My first 10 flies were atrocious, I think I used a size 4 streamer hook to put together a tiny little elk hair caddis by accident because I didn't know any better. There are tons of great fly tying channels on youtube like Dave McPhail and IntheRiffle (they can get very very complex), but get very familiar with the terrestrials in the streams you choose to fish in. Fish do not care if their fly meal is home-made or store bought!

3. I personally believe that your fly should be on/in the water more than it is in the air. I had a big problem of just whipping my flies off of my line trying to make these huge, elaborate 50 foot dream casts only for no result. I have read on multiple threads that alot (if not most) success comes from within 15-20 feet of you, so a technique such as roll casting would allow you to cover a ton of water in a very short amount of time.

I'm going to be trying to get back out there this spring, hoping for my first trout on a fly rod since all I catch are chubbs. Feel free to PM me anytime so that we can share our woes (and hopefully some successes). Good luck out there!

 

[NewSal]

Hey Lunker, like my previous post said... Im literally only about 1-3/4 years into fly fishing, and this is my first season doing it seriously.

The biggest difference in my fishing was just making short casts, short tight line high stick nymph casts. Literally not even a cast at all. More like a flip back upstream. My fly spends about a half second out of the water when I cast because its just a flip back upstream now.

My fishing went from catching ZERO fish, to catching a few everytime I go out and I contribute that almost entirely on making short tight line presentations... try it out man it really may help...

 

[NewSal]

Oh, and concentrating on fishing riffles a lot more
I didn't spend much time in riffles with spin gear so when I started out I didn't FF much in riffles either.
But now most of my fish are caught in the riffles rather then in the tailing ends and pools

 

[Cold]

Don't take it personally.

Take freshly stocked fish in cold (and wildly varying) conditions, and there's no rhyme or reason to them.

A week ago, I threw everything I could think of at a half dozen stocked fish, from a #8 big black stonefly down to a #22 zebra midge...not to much as a second glance from any of them. A few days later, I'm just reeling up my line to move to a new spot and pick up a fish.

If you *know* you could get them with the spin rod (you don't, it just seems like it), then tie up some buggers in the colors you''d normally use rooster tails in (for me that's black, white, yellow, and olive) add in a bit of flash and go get them. If you're not getting them, then I doubt a spin rod would help.

It also helps to pack in a camera and a can of beer as well. When the fishing frustrates you, reel it in, crack the beer and sit down on a rock. Take a few pictures, enjoy the scenery, and if the fishing isn't fun, don't feel bad not fishing and instead just enjoying being outside.

 

[DocPow]

If you can afford it, consider a guide. Of all the money I have spent learning to fly fish, that was the best return on investment. Though I don't need one these days to have a nice day on the stream or river, I still like to hire a guide when I am on vacation (in Maine). It's his job to help me get better and maybe help me catch fish.

Things like... don't step foot in the water until you have fished that close to the bank water first... and before you do, take a look at what is flying around, or on the underside of leaves on the shore, and under the rocks... Try to select a fly or nymph that at least comes close... Don't line the fish with false casts (He taught me a way to "slice the pie" so I could get some line in the air and not lose tension for the final placement)... Let a "bad cast" drift anyway... Don't line the fish... Move slowly and quietly to the next position, which is only a couple of steps... look for seams or glides in pocket water (I love pocket water, it is very forgiving)... drop a nymph from a fly or bobber... work close first then cast further out gradually.

He also corrected a few things with my cast, though often good form is way less important than the drift.

I still catch way less fish than the more experienced guys on this forum, I am sure... but having at least a clue and a model in my mind, makes me have a great day even if I catch little or no fish. I was just not getting it from watching the wrong videos or trying to read about it in a book.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

The first 100 or so flies I ever tied, I was lucky to even get a bluegill to look at them. Yes it can be frustrating when you first start out, both on the water as well as behind the vice. I don't know how many homemade WTFs (that's Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays if you didn't know!! I cut my unskilled creations off and started over again. Tying my own was the backup plan and not the first choice with flies as a beginner. Even with store bought flies I only became successful when a gentleman on Nashiminy Creek gave me a few of pointers. (use a dry fly as an indicator and run a nymph under about two to two and half feet.) & (When you see the dry fly drop set the hook.) If that doesn't sound like I was to auful of a starter- have you ever tried to tie the fly to the flyline? :lol:

 

[PAgeologist]

I would even set the nymphs down for the time being. Try your hand at dry flies once the hatches start becoming regular and trout are keying on them. You see the fish, see the fly, see the fish take the fly. I found it to be much easier to learn that way. My cousin must have missed the first 15-20 fish that rose to his fly, but once he hooked the first one he was hooked as well.

Don't get discouraged or frustrated. Fly fishing is definitely something that takes a lot of patience and practice.

 

[dsmith1427]

a big +1 on the following...

"The biggest difference in my fishing was just making short casts, short tight line high stick nymph casts. Literally not even a cast at all. More like a flip back upstream. My fly spends about a half second out of the water when I cast because its just a flip back upstream now.

My fishing went from catching ZERO fish, to catching a few every time I go out and I contribute that almost entirely on making short tight line presentations... try it out man it really may help..."

Not only did my fishing improve, the last two years I out fished my spinner fishing brother and nephews during our annual Memmorial day outing.

When it comes to tying flys (I'm far from an expert) I was taught proportion is key and I made some templates to help me with proportion. I drew triangles on a piece of paper and bisected them into three and four equal triangles. I held the pieces of paper up to the hook shank so I had a guide to get the proportions right. Catching fish on my own ties improved after I started using the templates. After a while, you won't need them and it will come naturally.

I hope this helps.

Don

 

[troutbert]

Try Wooly Buggers.

Try white ones. And try dark ones, such as all black or the classic black and olive.

 

[franklin]

Go to a local TU meeting and see if someone would go out with you. Plenty of TU members will offer to mentor a new comer. It will help you narrow down the variables and build some confidence.