When Did You Realize You Weren't a Beginner Anymore?

[phiendWMD]

I still haven't realized it. There is just so much to learn I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. I could FF for 40 years and still learn things it seems. It's almost like trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces when you start. As you get a few pieces in place, you discover there are pieces missing. Then you have to switch to finding the pieces before you can continue. Maybe a lot of people would be discouraged but it keeps me interested.

Since I don't have a story of my own to share I'd like hear your AHA moment when you thought you had fly fishing figured out.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

I'm still waiting. Flyfishermens desert is a slice of humble pie.GG

 

[krayfish2]

At it 33 years and still consider myself a beginner.

 

[duckfoot]

Like in music performance, when people start asking advice from you, it makes you feel humbled they consider you better than they.

 

[RLeep2]

There really isn't any such thing as "having fly fishing figured out". Not because its fly fishing, but because it is a portion of this larger thing we call "fishing". Too many species, too many varying situations, too many specific facets to the sport.

Even solely within fly fishing, the number of individually differing situations are for all intents and purposes, infinite.

You can become adept at putting a dry fly at 30 feet in a target the size of a pie plate in a rhododendron jungle, but this does virtually nothing to help you learn to cast 60 feet to reach that riser along the far bank of Kettle Creek. And vice versa..

Even within the simplest and easiest of fly fishing experiences, there are places where few anglers ever master it all. Almost anybody can learn to catch big bluegills on flies when they are on the beds. But how many of you guys have mastered the art of consistently taking these same fish midsummer in 10 feet of water on a dragonfly nymph and a sink tip?

And all of this is before we even get around to considering the mood of the fish on any given day.

Nope, no such thing as mastering fly fishing...

 

[Chaz]

When I found I could use my 7' 6" 4 wt to fish and cast on the LL with little difficult cover the width of the creek. And I can land big trout with the same rod.
I do not consider my self even close to an expert.

 

[mikesl]

Many things to learn yet but, some key milestones for me:

Getting skunked becomes a very rare event
Mostly about where / when to fish and knowing a few reliable spots on many streams

Being able to catch fish in big water ( lehigh )

Learning to fish hatches with emergers being the main target

 

[Coughlin]

I'm with everybody else: 35 years and learning. I will say this much, though: I no longer look at a piece of water with absolutely no clue what to do. Now understand, what I do doesn't necessarily work, but I'm reasonably confident that it might.

 

[Fishidiot]

Gave this some thought. . .

My unabashed opinion is that I'm a seasoned and experienced FFer and I honestly have no idea when I stopped thinking of myself as a beginner, but it was a long time ago.

Even in my early twenties I thought of myself as an experienced FFer. Perhaps this angle stems from the fact that I'm largely self-taught and learned fishing from books and magazines rather than from older mentors (generally speaking - did learn a good bit from Joe Humphreys in those days).

Remember, this thread is asking the question when you stopped regarding yourself as a beginner, not whether you're still learning new things (which, obviously, we all continue to do).

However, I suppose depending on one's outlook, an experienced FFer can still think of themselves as beginners.

 

[MKern]

I think you guys are underestimating your abilities or just trying to sound purest and hipsterish.

For me, losing the noobishness happend sometime during my second season fly fishing. At that point I tied my own flies and built my own rods. I could also catch fish every trip and rarely felt beat by the trout. I would also travel and fish all of the time, my knots held and I landed more fish than I lost. Consequently, this is also the time I learned to fish for mountain brookies as well as bigger stream trout.

That second year I could also diagnose errors that I was making.

Now, I still have bad days or times that are frustrating, but I can work my way through it.

 

[troutbert]

"When Did You Realize You Weren't a Beginner Anymore?"

After reading some of the posts on paflyfish.com...

 

[pete41]

When I thought to myself just another lousy 3 pounder when I was expecting at least a 4 pounder from that hold.Thats when I knew I was down right jaded,been laughing at myself ever since.About 30 years ago.

 

[tomitrout]

When I was able to teach something to somebody else.

Once you're able to share sound knowledge based on experience, I think that's where that line lies.

 

[poopdeck]

I just fish. Wether I'm good or bad at it does not factor into my enjoyment. It's not a sport to me it's just flat out enjoyment and I have never gauged my improvement or ability against others. That's what work is for. Fishing is for the peace and tranquility side of my brain. I guess that means ill be a novice for life.

 

[Luke]

It was around my 199th post on this forum.

Or maybe it was after three years when I finally became smart enough to remember to look above and behind me before making my cast.

Really though it was when my nymph technique improved enough that I could be confident that I was not missing takes and when my dry fly technique improved enough that I could actually get a good sustained drag-free drift most time.

It felt pretty good when my father-in-law told me that I was becoming a pretty decent fly-fisherman.

I still consider myself a hack with so much to learn and that is one reason why I enjoy browsing this site. The combined experience and knowledge on this forum is awesome. I really have got to make an effort to go fishing with some of you fine folks one of these days. I should probably try to head up to the Sasquatch Jam in Potter this year.

 

[salvelinus]

I'm 63, been FF'ing since I was in my teens. I still learn something every time out.

 

[Maurice]

RLeep2 wrote:
There really isn't any such thing as "having fly fishing figured out". Not because its fly fishing, but because it is a portion of this larger thing we call "fishing". Too many species, too many varying situations, too many specific facets to the sport.

Even solely within fly fishing, the number of individually differing situations are for all intents and purposes, infinite.

You can become adept at putting a dry fly at 30 feet in a target the size of a pie plate in a rhododendron jungle, but this does virtually nothing to help you learn to cast 60 feet to reach that riser along the far bank of Kettle Creek. And vice versa..

Even within the simplest and easiest of fly fishing experiences, there are places where few anglers ever master it all. Almost anybody can learn to catch big bluegills on flies when they are on the beds. But how many of you guys have mastered the art of consistently taking these same fish midsummer in 10 feet of water on a dragonfly nymph and a sink tip?

And all of this is before we even get around to considering the mood of the fish on any given day.

Nope, no such thing as mastering fly fishing...

I am pretty sure there may be a few steps between "not being a beginner anymore" and Fly Fishing Expert.

I certainly don't consider myself a beginner anymore. I.ve been at it over 30 years I guess. For me flyfishing the first year was brutal, I think I caught 3 fish. The second year I started to get it more and caught more fish...and started to go through technique focuses...Nymphing, Streamer fishing, Dry Fly fishing, etc. I'd say it was then. Although I didn't really try swinging wet flies until a few years ago. so But just because I havn't flyfished for bonefish or tarpon doesn't mean I'm a beginner.

It's kinda like taking a trip...You begin the trip with research and getting on the plane, bus or in the car. (a beginner)Then you enter the Journey stage. We are there for a long time with ups and downs. We only reach our destination when we die or get a TV show.

 

[dryflyguy]

The first few years I FF'ed, I didn't tie.
And I did OK with store bought flies - but still kinda felt like an amateur.
Then I took a tying class over the winter.
I can still remember the joy of catching fish on my own flies the next season. And finally feeling like I had arrived

 

[troutbert]

"Not a beginner anymore" is a totally different thing from being an expert or mastering the sport or knowing it all.

 

[pcray1231]

In my 3rd or 4th year of steady fly fishing, I went to a brookie stream I had fished many times with a spinning rod, but had not been back to since. It was my best numbers day ever on that stream.

I think it was then that I realized the superiority of fly fishing as a fish catching tool went beyond that magical half hour in the evening when fish rise, and that despite taking the leap into a steep learning curve, I was pretty much back where I once was and gaining. I'll call that "not a beginner anymore".

But anyway, fly fishing is a pretty wide spectrum. I'd consider myself a pretty good fly fishermen at some things, and a total beginner still at others. For instance, put me in the salt, and I'm a total newb.

Even for the stuff I am good at, HOW good depends on the previous night. There are nights when I figure em out and feel like I got this whole fly fishing thing down to a science. Not to worry, though, cause the next night the fish will switch, and I'll be as frustrated as the newbs...