first catch on the fly rod

Boy this CRS stuff sure kicks in sometimes. Now it seems like that day that
Waldo took Frank Church and I over to Bass Lake both Frank andIi were skunked
and it pains me to say that since I have been playing with fly rods since the
early 50's.I can't even remember whether Waldo caught one or two fish, but Bass
Lake was some very tough fishing. Beautiful and I would not take any amount of
money for those couple of hours, but it had to do with the friends, not the
fish that we caught.

Big Dale

Good to hear! Sorry I missed ya, but things came up that I had to attend
to.

We'll try again, if you wish, in the near future.

Mark
"snakefiddler" wrote in message
...
got up this mornin, loaded up the car with all the goodies that frank sent
me, as well as the numerous psychedelic, green, and black spiders
generously
given to me by big dale, popped some indigo girls into the tape player,
and
headed out with my daughter to wildcat lake in banner elk for a day of
fishing an swimming. as is typical in the higher elevations of the blue
ridge, the afternoon became fairly cool, so more time was spent fishing
than
swimming.
after picking out our spot in the sand, and unloading our gear, my
daughter
and i picked up our rods, she the spin rod, while i gleefully assembled
my
new fly rod for my first time out with it. since i knew this lake to be
stocked mostly with bluegill, i used the psychedelic spider that dale said
would be best for these fish. what fun to watch the fish swim around it,
and come up and nibble at it. i made the spider jump and skip around a
little bit in the water, and before too long i had hooked my first fish
( a
bluegill) on my new fly rod. what a rush!! with much anticipation of my
next catch i recast, and repeated several times- with no further luck. i
had many more bites, but hooked none. my daughter and i went home after a
couple of hours, and ate dinner, which was followed by a trip to bass lake
in blowing rock. this lake too, is mostly stocked with bluegill, and the
like, and so the spider was returned to the rod. dale had suggested
looking
for a bluegill bed and trying to cast around it, and even though i didn't
know what one looked like beforehand, it was not difficult to recognize
one.
i cast my line right at the bed, where the bluegill guarding it could not
miss it. but that son of a bitch was so on task! nothing was going to
deter him from the duty at hand- not even such a culinary temptation! i
soon realized, after watching him run off any other fish that came near
the
bed, that there would be no point attempting to fish in that spot. i
moved
over some, between two sections of lily pads, and watched as the fish bit
at
the spider, but again i hooked nothing. finally , being driven home by
the
chilly evening winds, i drove off, satisfied with the first catch on my
new
fly rod.
thank you frank, and big dale ;-)

snakefiddler- who is ready to quit school, and become a fishin bum

"Mark H. Bowen" wrote in message
...
Good to hear! Sorry I missed ya, but things came up that I had to attend
to.

We'll try again, if you wish, in the near future.

it's all good- i'm sure we'll get around to it sooner or later, and yes i
still want to- there's nothin like one on one instruction.

snakefiddler





Mark
"snakefiddler" wrote in message
...
got up this mornin, loaded up the car with all the goodies that frank
sent
me, as well as the numerous psychedelic, green, and black spiders
generously
given to me by big dale, popped some indigo girls into the tape player,
and
headed out with my daughter to wildcat lake in banner elk for a day of
fishing an swimming. as is typical in the higher elevations of the blue
ridge, the afternoon became fairly cool, so more time was spent fishing
than
swimming.
after picking out our spot in the sand, and unloading our gear, my
daughter
and i picked up our rods, she the spin rod, while i gleefully assembled
my
new fly rod for my first time out with it. since i knew this lake to be
stocked mostly with bluegill, i used the psychedelic spider that dale
said
would be best for these fish. what fun to watch the fish swim around
it,
and come up and nibble at it. i made the spider jump and skip around a
little bit in the water, and before too long i had hooked my first fish
( a
bluegill) on my new fly rod. what a rush!! with much anticipation of
my
next catch i recast, and repeated several times- with no further luck.
i
had many more bites, but hooked none. my daughter and i went home after
a
couple of hours, and ate dinner, which was followed by a trip to bass
lake
in blowing rock. this lake too, is mostly stocked with bluegill, and the
like, and so the spider was returned to the rod. dale had suggested
looking
for a bluegill bed and trying to cast around it, and even though i
didn't
know what one looked like beforehand, it was not difficult to recognize
one.
i cast my line right at the bed, where the bluegill guarding it could
not
miss it. but that son of a bitch was so on task! nothing was going to
deter him from the duty at hand- not even such a culinary temptation! i
soon realized, after watching him run off any other fish that came near
the
bed, that there would be no point attempting to fish in that spot. i
moved
over some, between two sections of lily pads, and watched as the fish
bit
at
the spider, but again i hooked nothing. finally , being driven home by
the
chilly evening winds, i drove off, satisfied with the first catch on my
new
fly rod.
thank you frank, and big dale ;-)

snakefiddler- who is ready to quit school, and become a fishin bum

"snakefiddler" wrote in message
...

"Mark H. Bowen" wrote in message
...
Good to hear! Sorry I missed ya, but things came up that I had to
attend
to.

We'll try again, if you wish, in the near future.

it's all good- i'm sure we'll get around to it sooner or later, and yes i
still want to- there's nothin like one on one instruction.

snakefiddler

"things came up....", "try again...", "get around to it...", "still want
to...", "one on one..."
WHEN are you gonna learn to drop those sexual innuendos?? ;-)

--riverman
(by the way, the one thing better than 1:1 instruction is LOTS of 1:1
instruction. It wasn't until near the end of my first year of flyfishing
that I finally hired a guide. What a difference it made on that trip!! Now I
try to hire one the first day out at every new venue I fish.)

"riverman" wrote in message
...

"snakefiddler" wrote in message
...

"Mark H. Bowen" wrote in message
...
Good to hear! Sorry I missed ya, but things came up that I had to
attend
to.

We'll try again, if you wish, in the near future.

it's all good- i'm sure we'll get around to it sooner or later, and yes
i
still want to- there's nothin like one on one instruction.

snakefiddler

"things came up....", "try again...", "get around to it...", "still want
to...", "one on one..."
WHEN are you gonna learn to drop those sexual innuendos?? ;-)

i guess i just can't help myself ;-)
(you just wanted to beat forty to it, huh? SEG)

--riverman
(by the way, the one thing better than 1:1 instruction is LOTS of 1:1

yeah, i could use a lot of that if i ever want to get to the point where i
can brag on myself- you know- tight loops and all.............




instruction. It wasn't until near the end of my first year of flyfishing
that I finally hired a guide. What a difference it made on that trip!! Now
I
try to hire one the first day out at every new venue I fish.)


yeah, well, maybe one day when i finish school and have money. unlikely
though, considering my major! not a huge money maker .....

snakefiddler-( who did it for love- not money)

Congrads on your first catch.....It will get better it won't be long before you
are looking around and saying looks like a spinner fall or they were hitting on
tan caddis last night...We have millions of blue gill around here i could catch
them all day long if i wanted to.......I am not trying to step on anyones toes
here but i find that in Ct. i use flies that have been beat to death by trout
on blue gill and bass and crappie...I have a Plueger (sp) 5wt at my camp here
last year one night i caught two largemouth bass in excess of 2lbs on a #12
grey fox.....I have used BWO's sulpurs, march browns,caddis almost anything
will work but then i have never heard of stocking bluegills...... Where I have
lived all my life they are plentyful matter of fact downright pesky........Make
a nice cast to where you think a bass will be and bang a friggin bluegill and
another and another well you get the drift.....Don't get yourself into the idea
that spiders are the only thing that will catch bluegill if spiders don't work
try a dry fly try a wet fly try anything you happen to have in your
vest....Best of luck on your flyfishing apprenticeship...Watch out for that
Opie guy he won't admit it but he does know his way around a flyrod..........


Handyman Mike
Standing in a river waving a stick

"snakefiddler" wrote in
:

snip a waay cool TR

Now you've gone and done it Snake, you are lost in the world of flyfishing,
never to return to ordinary pursuits such as dirt track racing, skydiving,
cliff climbing and other humdrum stuff. :-) Such therapy you're gonna get
you won't believe (not that you need any) I will add one other technique to
those already suggested...if they're not hitting one of Big Dale's spiders
(for instance) tie a little wet fly or beadhead fly on an 18" tippet then
tie that to the spider hook (there should be a spool or two of
tippet/leader material in the vest) Cast it out and move it around a
little....watch the bobb..er...spider for any movement. Sometimes those
little beadhead bugs can save the day, and you're not *really* bobber
fishing. :-)) I tell myself that every time I do it.

Frank the Elder

"Frank Church" wrote in message
9.11...
"snakefiddler" wrote in
:

snip a waay cool TR

Now you've gone and done it Snake, you are lost in the world of
flyfishing,

true that- each evening i think about my schedule for the next day, and
wonder where i might be able to fit in some fishing, and whether my
schoolwork that day is something i can take along with me ....
right now i am p.o.'d becasue i have very little schoolwork to do, and i
could be out fishing except for the regular afternoon thunderstorm with
which we are blesses here in boone, north carolina! oh yeah, and the fact
that i need to wash dishes , and go to the grocery store, and.............
oh well, that stuff can wait. uh oh, i think i'm in trouble ;-)


never to return to ordinary pursuits such as dirt track racing, skydiving,
cliff climbing and other humdrum stuff. :-) Such therapy you're gonna get
you won't believe (not that you need any)

don't be so sure.......

I will add one other technique to
those already suggested...if they're not hitting one of Big Dale's spiders
(for instance) tie a little wet fly or beadhead fly on an 18" tippet then
tie that to the spider hook (there should be a spool or two of
tippet/leader material in the vest)

yep, found it

Cast it out and move it around a
little....watch the bobb..er...spider for any movement.

sounds like fun

Sometimes those
little beadhead bugs can save the day, and you're not *really* bobber
fishing. :-)) I tell myself that every time I do it.

would that be bobber or *indicator*? SEG

snakefiddler

Frank the Elder