Switch hitters

Isn´t part of the attraction of new venues the increased uncertainty?
Also of course the promise or hope of bigger and better fish. On one
´s home waters it is relatively easy to succeed after a suitable
apprenticeship, but it is often a lot more difficult on other waters.

TL
MC

When I am on a big trip that i have been planning all winter, I
generally want to have some good success. If I had a coulple weeks to
spend on a river, that would give me time to figure a few things out,
but This particular trip was only 5 days long and I was on the Missouri
for only one day. I still dream about those fish and wish I could go
back and have the right flies!

Pete

That is perfectly understandable, I know what you mean. Nevertheless,
there are still no guarantees. Obviously many places in America have
absolutely first class fishing, so it is maybe a little easier than it
is in other places. Lots of Europeans now fly to America regularly for
the fishing, and obviously because it is generally a lot better than it
is here. Really good fishing, in terms of accessibility and plenty of
fish, is becoming more and more difficult to obtain here, quite apart
from the expense involved.

Last time I was in England, I caught a mayfly hatch ( E.danica, or
Vulgata) large mayflies ( which are the only fly regularly referred to
as mayflies in the UK and Europe) on a chalk stream belonging to a club
where my brother is a member, and I fished as a guest. Fortunately I
had the right patterns, and the fishing was really fantastic. Some
really large fish ( by European standards), and some really challenging
casting and fishing. Probably the best three days fishing in terms of
actually catching large trout I have had for a long time.

On my local waters, there are not as many or such large fish, and they
are also a lot more difficult to catch. Many guests go home fishless. It
seems they often expect too much anyway. A two pound wild brown is a
rarity here, and very considerable knowledge and skill is required to
even find one, let alone hook and land it!

When I read some of the trip reports here, or in other places, or see
the photos like those Willi and RW have posted here, I often wonder what
it would be like to have more or less general access to such wonderful
places and fishing as many of you obviously enjoy.

On some days and waters here, actually catching two or three sizeable
fish would be considered a red letter day by the majority, and there are
not many people who can do it consistently. One of the reasons many
anglers from Europe fish mainly abroad, or diversify their angling
considerably to include pike, perch, seatrout etc etc. This is one way
of maximising their opportunities. Probably in America there is no
particular reason ( except the love of or interest in any fishing at
all) for trout fly anglers to do this, They can obviously get all the
good fishing they want.

TL
MC