Never again?

[wildtrout2]

I almost always go solo when I chase wild trout, but I went against my better judgement and invited a buddy, who also fly fishes, to join me this time. He's a good guy and all, but what a mistake that was.

I spent too much time waiting for him to re-rig after each hang up he got involved in, which were way too frequent, considering how long he's been at this. There were other things, like he didn't bring extra leaders and didn't have the right patterns for the basic trout fishing we were doing. So I had to provide for him. No big deal, but it got to the point where it was almost like babysitting.

To top things off, he did what I told him not to do! He ventured off of the stream enough to lose his bearings. After waiting 20 mins or so, and not seeing him, I didn't know if he was still downstream or if he was upstream of me, so I had to stop fishing earlier than planned to make sure he got back to my truck. Luckily, he was there. He told me he got disoriented, and must have passed me somehow.

Anyway, I decided not to fish with him in the future. It just reminded me of why I like solo fishing so much. Anyone else ever have a "never again" experience?

 

[troutbert]

It's probably not a good idea to post that.

He may read it, or hear about it from someone else.

And he'll know it's about him.

 

[poopdeck]

Nope. I enjoy the company of those I fish with. Somebody else snagging, retying or using my stuff would not bother me in the least. It would not even register to me as a problem or a reason not to go fishing with somebody.

 

[salmonoid]

troutbert wrote:
It's probably not a good idea to post that.

He may read it, or hear about it from someone else.

And he'll know it's about him.

Sorry about that WT2.. I'll try to be more prepared next time.

JK - it wasn't me. Haven't fished since mid-June. But the post will likely ensure that WT2's future outings are solo.

 

[maxima12]

Wildtrout2, I think that whole post is very selfish of you. Seems like you had a bad day with yourself. I wonder if it was the other way around and your friend had to help you, what would be the outcome?

Never misrepresent yourself as selfish. I am sure you are not. It would rather be pleasing to everyone involved if you showed a little patience! Patience is a virtue. Grab it and hold on! It always gets better.

With that said, my suggestion would be Guns and Roses, "patience".

Maxima12

 

[wildtrout2]

maxima12 wrote:
Wildtrout2, I think that whole post is very selfish of you. Seems like you had a bad day with yourself. I wonder if it was the other way around and your friend had to help you, what would be the outcome?

Never misrepresent yourself as selfish. I am sure you are not. It would rather be pleasing to everyone involved if you showed a little patience! Patience is a virtue. Grab it and hold on! It always gets better.

With that said, my suggestion would be Guns and Roses, "patience".

Maxima12

No maxi, I had a good time as far as the fishing went, I caught fish and took in the beauty. But when I need to worry about somebody's well being, who's on my watch, it takes some of the fun out of it. This was a remote stream.

 

[maxima12]

The worry, the frantic notion, blood rising, heat is on! I had that once but as I kept fishing it all went away. To be alone is alone. To fish alone, is totally out of character with the brotherhood of fly fishing.

Hint, "that's why it is a brotherhood and don't ever forget, a sisterhood too".

Maxima12

 

[Dave_W]

To some degree, our fishing buddies need to be a good match.

If you're used to fishing alone and with a certain tempo, having someone else along can throw things out of whack. This is especially true on small streams where one is used to covering a lot of water. If the partner is significantly faster or slower, or inexperienced, it can certainly result in what seems like a lot of lost fishing time.

Sometimes the folks who join us just don't have our dedication to the sport and attention to detail. To them, it's "just fishin."

Of course it's always worth remembering that when we fish with friends it's not all about the catching.

Thinking about "never again" sort of fishing trip partners reminds me of the sunburn scene from River Runs Through It.

 

[maxima12]

Inexperience, Ha! We all were and quite a few are! I still am after 50 years of fly tying and fly fishing. Hopefully, an experienced fly fisherman or fly fisherwoman will take me someday. You can drive!

Are you experienced? If I am too slow, will you leave me. If I get tangled could you help me. If I get lost, will you find me? Will you take me by the hand in a fast riffle. Would you forgive me, if I did not fish well?


Maxima12

 

[drakeking412]

I recently did a class A trip with a competition guy I met online. He was way better than me at casting and all that and I snagged more than him but we had a phenomenal time. It was my first time sharing a class a which was different but I loved having someone to make jokes with and just bullshit. Example two I took my brother out to teach him class A a couple weeks ago and he snapped his rod twice out of anger. Still gonna take him out even though it was probably one of the more stressful days haha

I've never really been patient and sometimes get stressed easily but fly has helped with both and it's most likely going to bleed into normal life. Take your buddy out to the bar, bust his ears a bit over some beers and take him back out.

 

[afishinado]

Ever consider WT's buddy was selfish?

When someone invites me on a fishing trip I really appreciate it; especially when someone is knowledgeable and is willing to share their fishing spot and their expertise.

I make sure I ask about what is needed for the trip and come prepared.

Also, I stick close, listen to their direction and fish at their pace since I'm their guest.

I would never wander off and have someone worry about me and have to go off and look for me.

In other words appreciate the invite and show respect for your host.

And maybe they will invite you back again and you will have a new fishing buddy to share adventures together in the future.

 

[FarmerDave]

maxima12 wrote:
Inexperience, Ha! We all were and quite a few are! I still am after 50 years of fly tying and fly fishing. Hopefully, an experienced fly fisherman or fly fisherwoman will take me someday. You can drive!

Are you experienced? If I am too slow, will you leave me. If I get tangled could you help me. If I get lost, will you find me? Will you take me by the hand in a fast riffle. Would you forgive me, if I did not fish well?


Maxima12

Your post reminded me of a steelhead outing with a few friends. First time I fished with them. Two of which have me by about 20 years or so. One also had knee problems and was struggling to climb a bank. I reached down to give him a hand. He barked back at me ... "I'm old, not dead!"

The person I am talking about is a member here and knows who I am talking about. I consider him a great friend, and we have fished together several times since. I look forward to the next outing.

Maxi, we are close to the same age, and you clearly have more experience than me. I don't care about any of that, and you obviously don't either. I'm sure I would enjoy fishing with you, as long as you leave the poetry and philosophy lessons at home. Oh, and there will be no hand holding, not that there is anything wrong with that. ;-)

But I have to ask... how does one get lost while following a trout stream?;-)

 

[FarmerDave]

WT2's story reminded me of another outing, only I was the guy who was struggling to keep up. Pcray invited me to go steelhead fishing. I'm probably old enough to be his dad, but I still got around pretty well. Pat has me SIGNIFICANTLY beat when it comes to trout fishing experience. He is also way better at flossing steelhead than I.;-) ;-)

But I am a master at dislodging a fly from the brush, so that wasn't an issue. ;-)

On that trip, I quickly discovered my waders sprung leaks on both legs. I'm not talking about a little seepage, either. Cold normally doesn’t bother me much, so it was not much of a problem at first, but eventually my legs were giving out from the cold and the extra weight. I eventually headed back to the truck to shed those waders, changed my pants, and bought a new waders at Folly's. I was whipped though, so I quit fishing for the day and waited in the parking lot. I don't remember if I told Pat I was doing that, but he figured it out. We discussed it at Avonia tavern over dinner where I had a steak salad, and Pat ate half of a pig! The guy even out ate me!

Hopefully we will fish together again some day, but it's on at dinner.

 

[BradFromPotter]

Wonderful article on fishing buddies, it's a must read from one of the best general fishing mags published today.

https://www.anglersjournal.com/people/fishing-buddies

 

[moon1284]

I have a good time fishing with other people. I usually learn new things too. Sometimes the other people are better than me, sometimes they aren't. I tie my own flies and leaders so its not a big deal for me to give away flies. It's been years since I've needed to change an entire leader in the field. I don't carry spare leaders either but I usually have enough mono to make things work. I have no problem tying blood knots or cinch knots for other people, they only take a couple seconds. Sometimes I almost prefer to do it so that I know if a newer guy hooks a fish he doesn't have to worry about a poorly tied knot.

If I don't know the person, or I know they aren't a great fisherman I go into it just looking to have fun rather than pound fish. In these cases, I usually try to fish less and help more. But what usually (almost always) happens is I fish less and drink more beer. I always end up having a good time, but I end up hoping I didn't scare the other guy away from fishing with me again LOL.

IMO, if you're taking someone new to a river or any body of water that you know better than the other guy, you should almost act as a guide and try to give the other guy first shot at fish, etc.

If I'm with a buddy who is competitive or someone who is really good who I think is competitive its a different story. I have spotted rises plenty of times that I know the guy in the front of the boat hasn't seen, anchored the boat, had a buddy looking at me saying what are you doing, then get up cast and catch the fish. I also use the trick to anchor to a riser that I know is out of casting range for the guy up front when I'm on the sticks (but within my casting range), let him take 20 or 30 casts at it, get frustrated then say my turn and nail the fish. It's all in good fun, but I wouldn't do things like that with guys I didn't know or guys who are struggling and all it would take is to have one fish take to make their day.

 

[beeber2]

Nothing wrong with being wound a little tight, just fish alone.

 

[jifigz]

I've fished with people before that I felt that I had to "babysit." With that said, I view it as a teaching experience to those people. When I fish with them many many times and I still feel like I'm babysitting it can get a little tiresome, I admit. Sometimes it is nice to fish with people, other times not so much.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

WT2: You might want to ask the moderators to remove this post. Apologize to the one you invited for making this post when the time comes. And remember that the serenity prayer also includes those that struggle.

 

[tomgamber]

wildtrout2 wrote:

maxima12 wrote:
Wildtrout2, I think that whole post is very selfish of you. Seems like you had a bad day with yourself. I wonder if it was the other way around and your friend had to help you, what would be the outcome?

Never misrepresent yourself as selfish. I am sure you are not. It would rather be pleasing to everyone involved if you showed a little patience! Patience is a virtue. Grab it and hold on! It always gets better.

With that said, my suggestion would be Guns and Roses, "patience".

Maxima12

No maxi, I had a good time as far as the fishing went, I caught fish and took in the beauty. But when I need to worry about somebody's well being, who's on my watch, it takes some of the fun out of it. This was a remote stream.

I can't believe i'm saying this but I agree with Maxi. And your response to him verifies his accusation of selfishness. If its obvious that your friend could use some help, why not give it to him. I like to fish alone for all those reasons but I would never admonish a friend publicly or privately for not being as astute or skilled as myself. We'd have a big old laugh over it and i'd bust his balls maybe, but that was just rude.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

FarmerDave wrote:

maxima12 wrote:
Inexperience, Ha! We all were and quite a few are! I still am after 50 years of fly tying and fly fishing. Hopefully, an experienced fly fisherman or fly fisherwoman will take me someday. You can drive!

Are you experienced? If I am too slow, will you leave me. If I get tangled could you help me. If I get lost, will you find me? Will you take me by the hand in a fast riffle. Would you forgive me, if I did not fish well?


Maxima12

Your post reminded me of a steelhead outing with a few friends. First time I fished with them. Two of which have me by about 20 years or so. One also had knee problems and was struggling to climb a bank. I reached down to give him a hand. He barked back at me ... "I'm old, not dead!"

The person I am talking about is a member here and knows who I am talking about. I consider him a great friend, and we have fished together several times since. I look forward to the next outing.

Maxi, we are close to the same age, and you clearly have more experience than me. I don't care about any of that, and you obviously don't either. I'm sure I would enjoy fishing with you, as long as you leave the poetry and philosophy lessons at home. Oh, and there will be no hand holding, not that there is anything wrong with that. ;-)

But I have to ask... how does one get lost while following a trout stream?;-)

Hey, I remember that. I tend to be an independent cuss and am at best having a hard time admitting I am a step slower. That's why I don't fish alone anymore. I know you'll still fish with me Dave and I promise not to bark at you ,maybe. GG :lol: