Short-lived joy

[Colweb78]

So caught the first trout on my first 'proper' fly rod after just 15 mins but then managed to get my entire leader and tippet stuck in a tree 10 mins later!
didntbring a spare leader with me. Guess this is what happens when you go from a 6' to a 9'....lesson learned! Always pack for disaster, hey?

 

[Aducker]

Congrats on catching your first on our new 9' rod.

 

[KeithS]

Live and learn, hopefully every day.
So, have you bought spare leaders yet?

 

[Colweb78]

Ha will be picking up a few before my next trip out! fortunately i'd only popped out to fish for an hour so it was too much of a downer.

 

[Colweb78]

*wasn't

 

[joseywales]

I'll never forget my second time on the water with a brand new Orvis reel. First cast and the reel came apart in my hands. Spare reel anyone?

 

[pete41]

As I mentioned several times before somewhere in the middle of the Yellowstone river near the Mallard rest access there is a Hardy multiplier fly reel on the bottom.Young guy then,not much money but I sprang for one and so proud of it,until I hooked into a REALLY nice trout,reel jammed.tippet broke and worthless piece of crap was sent sailing.I know,I should have been fined for littering but learned my lesson well...junk in, junk out.

 

[krayfish2]

Cole,
Your next downer is being on the water and absolutely killing them on a specific pattern. After catching then cast after cast.....snap. Your fly is gone. No biggie, just tie on another one. Bad news is that was the only one of that pattern you had. Been there, done that many times.

Josey,
Yep, I make sure there's a spare reel on me or hidden in the car. Had gear break after driving hours.

 

[pcray1231]

Your next downer is being on the water and absolutely killing them on a specific pattern. After catching then cast after cast.....snap. Your fly is gone. No biggie, just tie on another one. Bad news is that was the only one of that pattern you had. Been there, done that many times.

That is annoying, ain't it? Happens all the time.

And it's pretty simple. You've got 5 or 6 of every pattern, and think you're prepared. But at any given time of the year, 1 or 2 patterns are carrying you day after day. So that's what you run out of. Then you got 5 or 6 of all the patterns you don't need, and run out of the ones you do need.

By the time you stock up (tie or buy) on what you need, the fish switch on you, and you start running out of another pattern you'll need in the next few weeks.

 

[pcray1231]

btw, congrats on the first fish. Sucks about the leader.

 

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

Alright I may be laughed off the board on this one, but is it completely stupid to just tie on like an 6 or 8 foot piece of 4 lb mono?? I mean I do it sometimes when I'm sick of buying leaders. I'm sure it's not helping my already horrible casting, but I catch fish on it so it can't be completely wrong? Yes, no??

 

[SlingerFlyRods]

If you catch fish and it works for you it shouldn't even be a question
. Right?

 

[Nate540]

I have one of those little leader wallets with a couple of every size I use in it. Just keep it in my vet so I'm always ready.

 

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

Well yea I suppose you're right. I guess I should have asked if anyone else is this cheap as to just skip actual leaders altogether. I mean yea it works, otherwise I wouldn't keep doing it. I still buy actual leaders on occasion if I'm really getting serious that day.

 

[troutbert]

Just carry spools of 3x, 4x, 5x and 6x leader.

If you lose half your leader in the trees, just rebuild the rest of the leader using sections of tippet from those spools.

You don't have to be constantly buying new leaders.

You just have to be constantly buying spools of tippet!

 

[Chaz]

Colweb78 wrote:
So caught the first trout on my first 'proper' fly rod after just 15 mins but then managed to get my entire leader and tippet stuck in a tree 10 mins later!
didntbring a spare leader with me. Guess this is what happens when you go from a 6' to a 9'....lesson learned! Always pack for disaster, hey?

This should never be an issue, tie tippet to the end of the leader, it's what you do. Get tangled in a tree, cut the leader at worst tangle, fix leader/tippet and return to fishing. Always have extra leaders along. It's not being cheap to not have extras, it's dumb and will ruin an outing if not a trip.
Also, never cary just one fly of a pattern.
When I go to camp I take along fly tying equipment and material so I can tie more flies when needed, or tie flies that may be hatching that I don't have with me. Example; the last couple of years fishing green drakes on Pine and tribs, trout were chowing down on the drakes and coffin flies such that I couldn't use the ones I brought with me. I quickly tied more the next morning.