First Fly....

The Magic Flybox

Once, long ago, I used to carry all my flies, inside an old tin box,
it survived a lot of drownings, and being dropped upon the rocks,
it only held about fifty flies, but this made the choice less hard,
that old battered dented fly box, really was my calling card.

When I arrived upon the water, the regulars would always grin,
"here comes that kid with the battered gear, and flies in an old tin".
this quite good natured banter often made me wish I had good gear,
and as I got older, but no wiser, I gave in to this impulse I fear.

Years later, I marched into a shop, and bought the finest box I found,
even after all this time, it has no dents, and has not been drowned.
It holds a couple of hundred flies, all the latest ties and trends,
but it is not quite the same somehow, my old tin box and I were
friends.

When I was wondering what to do, or what fly at last to mount,
for some strange reason, on my old tin box, I could always count,
the limited range of patterns, sitting neatly stuck in rows of foam,
fooled hordes of fish in many waters, where I was wont to roam.

Now I catch a lot more fish of course, and I can now afford good gear,
but I often miss my old tin box, and the youthful dreams of
yesteryear.
I have quite a few fly-boxes now, some large and quite expensive,
but I think often of my old tin box, and then become quite pensive.

My old cane rods have long since gone, replaced by shiny plastic.
they do not have the same too heavy, and slow feel, but cast fantastic
Most of my old gear is gone now, I can not recall exactly where it
went,
but for years my old tin box still sat upon my desk, reminding me of
times well spent.

Strange as well, when I opened it, and looked at the rows of well used
flies,
I remembered each and every fish I caught on them, could picture still
their lies,
I can not do this with my larger boxes, many of the flies therein are
new,
there are hundreds of them, and as I said, my old tin box had but a
few.

We moved house some years ago, and when we unpacked our stuff at last,
my old tin box could not be found, it too was now part of things long
past,
I still have the memories of course, good job these weren´t kept in a
tin,
but I still wonder if my old tin box is working still, or landed
simply in the bin.

I can picture it exactly in my mind, and still see the rows of well
used flies,
all I have to do is sit a moment, and think back awhile, and close my
eyes
often when I can not sleep, I visualise the box, and all the fish it
caught for me,
and I drift gently off to sleep, my box transports me then to dreaming
happily.

If you own such a magic box, take care of it, for such a box is very
hard to find,
some never own a box like this, and others may, but to its magic then
are blind.
a worthless piece of tin some think, not fit for use upon the lakes
and streams
poor souls, they never realise that such a box is not for flies, it is
for dreams.

Tight lines! ~ Mike Connor

On Feb 11, 11:20*am, riverman wrote:
Anyone remember the first self-tied fly that they ever caught a fish
on?

Mine was a #16 Adams in a stocked pond in South Africa. Sloppy wings,
although they were the best I could do, and the body was grey/green
with coch-y-bonddu hackle. Textbook stalk and cast, and a fat 14"
trout saw it land near the school, and took it smoothly. It all felt
so...natural.. *I still have the fly, and if it weren't for the fact
that it was my first catch, I'd be embarassed at how poorly it was
tied.

*Anyone else?

--riverman

It was a concoction called a Squash Bug. About a size 10, I think.
Orange wool body, with a dark feather tied flat over the back. I think
it had brown hackle fibers for a tail, but I'm not sure. I was 12 at
the time, fishing a small brook near the center of the town of Ware,
MA. The fish was a brookie , (likely a stockie), of about 8", and I
didn't catch another on a fly until the next season. The year was 1953.

On Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:20:18 -0800 (PST), riverman wrote:

Anyone remember the first self-tied fly that they ever caught a fish
on?

Mine was a #16 Adams in a stocked pond in South Africa. Sloppy wings,
although they were the best I could do, and the body was grey/green
with coch-y-bonddu hackle. Textbook stalk and cast, and a fat 14"
trout saw it land near the school, and took it smoothly. It all felt
so...natural.. I still have the fly, and if it weren't for the fact
that it was my first catch, I'd be embarassed at how poorly it was
tied.

Anyone else?

--riverman

I would have been around 6 or 7, it probably a bass on a deer hair popper or a
"brim" on a Royal Coachman, tyed on a Thompson/Herter's A, in the Pascagoula
River system, almost certainly on a either a Wonderod or a Silaflex with
Medalist (a "real" one). I think I remember it being the bass, but I can't
swear to it.

TC,
R

wrote in message
...
Just as well we don't give them intelligence tests here. Everythings's
harder in America it seems.

I just figured that any trout willing to eat my earliest efforts at a
streamer had to be either slow-witted, or lacking in eyesightg
Tom

riverman wrote:
Anyone remember the first self-tied fly that they ever caught a fish
on?

Elk Hair Caddis. I came to fly tying late, I've been fly fishing
since age 11, over 40 years now, but I've been tying flies for
only the last 10 or so. I grew up in southern Illinois fishing
for bass and bluegill, spent several years on Lake Guntersville
in Alabama, also fishing for bass and bluegill, and all my flies
were store bought. I didn't catch the trout bug until I was in
my late 30's.

Like many a clueless newbie I thought I could save money by tying
my own trout flies. In retrospect, what a hoot. ;-) But I was damn
pleased when a fly that I had tied fooled a dumb cutt on Soda Butte
Creek.

--
Ken Fortenberry

"Stephen Welsh" wrote

I can't wait till someone re-discovers fully emerged, in no way
crippled, imitative dun fishing,


I fish true dun patterns fairly often ... usually a mallard quill no-hackle
tied ala Mike Lawson

hell, I even fish cut ( burnt ) wing, thorax duns sometimes, for the same
basic reasons some guys fish bamboo ... to feel all tweedy and traditional
G

riverman wrote:
Anyone remember the first self-tied fly that they ever caught a fish
on?

Mine was a #16 Adams in a stocked pond in South Africa. Sloppy wings,
although they were the best I could do, and the body was grey/green
with coch-y-bonddu hackle. Textbook stalk and cast, and a fat 14"
trout saw it land near the school, and took it smoothly. It all felt
so...natural.. I still have the fly, and if it weren't for the fact
that it was my first catch, I'd be embarassed at how poorly it was
tied.

Anyone else?

--riverman

a miller mutant (gold ribbed hares ear, or nearbouts) in snowbird
creek...caught a 15 inch brown stocker apparently dazed and wondering
where the trout pellets went...saw him take it off the bottom from his
lazy lie in mid-pool, and laughed myself silly. trout thought it was
sorta humorous too, i'm sure.

jeff

On Feb 11, 10:20*am, riverman wrote:
Anyone remember the first self-tied fly that they ever caught a fish
on?

Mine was a #16 Adams in a stocked pond in South Africa. Sloppy wings,
although they were the best I could do, and the body was grey/green
with coch-y-bonddu hackle. Textbook stalk and cast, and a fat 14"
trout saw it land near the school, and took it smoothly. It all felt
so...natural.. *I still have the fly, and if it weren't for the fact
that it was my first catch, I'd be embarassed at how poorly it was
tied.

*Anyone else?

--riverman

Kind of a half-assed black gnat, tied on a bass hook held in vice
grips. As a kid in Nebraska, zillions of miles from trout, it was
used to catch many, many bluegills and a few very stupid bass.

Slightly more sophisticated black gnats have served me better, world-
wide, and "water-wide" better than any other fly.

cheers

oz

"riverman" wrote in message
...
Anyone remember the first self-tied fly that they ever caught a fish
on?

Mine was a #16 Adams in a stocked pond in South Africa. Sloppy wings,
although they were the best I could do, and the body was grey/green
with coch-y-bonddu hackle. Textbook stalk and cast, and a fat 14"
trout saw it land near the school, and took it smoothly. It all felt
so...natural.. I still have the fly, and if it weren't for the fact
that it was my first catch, I'd be embarassed at how poorly it was
tied.

Anyone else?

--riverman

size 12 Grouse and Orange tied in the classic wet fly manner with a floss
silk body rather than seals fur it became my pattern of choice for a long
while and still kills today tho' I have a pattern of wake fly that
outfishes it 10:1 and has been both my and my boat fishing pals essential
fly for 20+years
http://www.fastmailtackle.co.uk/popu...a0e8aaa9705bf0
DerekW

On Feb 12, 10:53*am, "Larry L" wrote:
"Stephen Welsh" wrote

I can't wait till someone re-discovers fully emerged, in no way

crippled, imitative dun fishing,

I fish true dun patterns fairly often ... usually a mallard quill no-hackle
tied ala Mike Lawson

hell, I even fish cut ( burnt ) wing, thorax duns sometimes, for the same
basic reasons some guys fish bamboo ... to feel all tweedy and traditional
G

:-)
On my recent Tassie trip "tweedy and traditional" flies were pretty
much all that worked.

Steve