Why Fishing is the Best Sport

I was sitting around thinking the other day about deer hunting. I always wanted to try but I just couldn't see myself for one sitting in one place for hours on end waiting for a certain moment. The second would be killing an animal I have no interest in eating. If I could hunt with a tranquilizer gun that would be a different story. Imagine it. You shoot a deer go down and check it out. You can pet it, take a picture, then watch it run off woozy but not much worse off than it was before. That I could probably do.

That made me think how fishing is so much different than other sports. Especially ones that involve the outdoors. How many other sports link you so intimately to the goal you're trying to achieve then allow you to experience it all over again? I can see how bird watching or something like that would be similar. It would be something to capture a picture of a certain rare bird. Even then I doubt you'd ever train it or get into a situation where you could touch it. With fishing it's different. From the first fish you hook there's an instant connection between you and something wild. Unless it's a stocker of course. When the fish is in hand there is a feeling that can't be explained properly. The fish is released and the whole process can be repeated over and over. Then if by chance bad luck or poor landing technique there is a casualty, you have a free meal. There really isn't much like it.

Sour Grapes

There have been a ton of reports about fishing for stripers lately.   It seems like the local lake everyone fishes is really heating up.  It's always nice seeing pictures and reports but eventually you get jealous.  Sour grapes I guess.

The biggest issue with having so many buddies that fly fish is everyone wants to go on trips and you can't invite everyone. So when you start begging the question "why wasn't I invited?" You can just point to all the posts and reports you have given that didn't include others. In the end it's not personal.

Club Trout Trip

Today I attended a TFF trip to a trout stream.  I've visited this stream before and had great success.

The day had everything. Fish rising to dries and readily taking nymphs. There were big fish.

and little fish.

The best was people catching their first trout ever.

I wish all the trips could be like this. Everyone was hooking up.

The weather cooperated.

Good times were had.

A Day I Really Needed

There has been a project at work that was taking up a ton of my time last month. To top it off I got in an accident and made the hard decision of buying another car or fixing the old one. I went with getting a new used car and after working almost 2 weeks straight I got a couple days off. I really wanted to go to the beach but I heard after Sandy the fishing could be really bad. I'm always happy to go to the mountains but this time of year most of the leaves are on the ground. There's been a saying from other fisherman about a fall bass bite. "You fight pulling leaves off your flies more than fish." Supposedly bass try to fatten up before the cold weather hits. The rumor was their feeding is veracious and you have a good chance of hooking a lunker. I have never had this experience but I decided to give it a shot. You'd think my first fishing day off in a while I wouldn't pick a place that I have had some of my worst fishing days. This river is the closest place to me and I was looking forward to just getting out and exploring. As usual when not knowing what exactly to use I went with a white wooly bugger. The water was higher than I'd like but really clear.  I cast out near a rock that always looks like a good fish hold. I start messing around with different strips and I'm trying to get the hang of feeling every bump and tap on the fly through the fly line. While I'm stripping I look back over my shoulder to a spot that has always produced fish in the past. I went to just lift my line up from it's current position but there was resistance.  I figured I was snagged but the line started moving towards me and I felt the familiar feeling of a bass.  It was a nice one too. The fish fought hard and used the current to it's advantage. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a good thing. Catching a fish on your first cast can mean a great day or a one fish day.

The fish was chunky and had obviously been feeding recently. Maybe there was something to this fall bass thing. I went on and continued to catch bass here and there. All of them had fat bellies. If I cast close to the bank or under over hangs there were always sunnies willing to play.

I really wanted to fish hard today. I was really feeling good. I finally felt I had a day where I picked the right day to fish, wore the right clothes for the conditions and had the right gear and flies to fish properly. I fished new water and found some great new holes. When the fishing started to get slow and I doubted what I was doing a bass always struck. They wanted a slow trolling retrieve today. The hits were subtle and I learned to have my hand ready to strip at all times. Bass strikes are so strange to me. They feel like you've bumped a rock or snagged a tree branch. Today was a great day and I hope fall continues to be productive.

Hank Patterson Episode 3

I have to admit I have had this same frustration of tying small flies on the stream many times.  Hank's advice is pretty sound.

Pressure

It's crazy how one word can have so many different meanings when it comes to fishing.  Tonight I was listending to Under Pressure by Queen.  Then I thought about how barometric pressure affects fishing.  After that I thought about fishing pressure and how that affects things.  Then last I was pondering how much pressure you put on your line can effect whether you land a fish or not.

I'll Take It

A string of bad luck has made me yearn for a trip to the mountains in the worst way. I recently was in an accident and my car was in the shop. I bought a new used car yesterday and I figured what better way to test it out than a long drive. I woke up early and gathered my things. I had asked friends to come along but no one was game. I was disappointed but happy at the same time. Going solo you don't have to worry about others agendas. The morning had a nice chill to it and there was a fog that lingered just a few feet off the ground. It would clear as I went up a hill only to devour my car again as I went into a valley. I listened intently for anything strange going on with the car. Finally I decided to relax and let the powers at be take over. I haven't had a working CD player in years. It was a blessing and nice company on the ride up. When I hit the stream there were no other cars in site.  Strange, because it was no secret the delayed harvest streams were recently stocked. I rigged up my gear quickly thinking cars would be surrounding me any time. I choked down a granola bar and water then secured the car and prepared to venture off. Still no cars were seen. I moved down to a spot that was good in the spring and surveyed the water for awhile. I couldn't see anything at first. It always takes me awhile to get my trout vision back. I actually didn't see any fish until I made my first cast and saw several silhouettes move beneath the surface. Yep, the fish were there. They weren't really feeling safe yet. They were following my white wooly bugger but never trying to hit the fly. I switched up with a bead headed soft hackle and a hares ear. About my third cast I saw my indicator move.  I don't know how many strikes I missed. I'm not exaggerating when I say 20 before I caught my first fish. I was really rusty and the first fish I had on shook themselves loose. To make it worse I didn't bring a net.  It has been awhile since I've landed a fish merely by just using my hand.  Especially fish 12-13inches. 

A couple of times the fish would take the above fly and while trying to unhook it the fish would slip take off and embed the dropper in my hand. I just kept thinking I wish I had my net. Even with several hook punctures, missed strikes and short distance releases I was having a blast. I still hadn't seen another fisherman. Then after about an hour one shows up.  I hook a fish almost exactly as the person asks how I'm doing.  It was obvious how we were all going to do today. The fish were here and if you had any previous experience at all you were going to catch them.

I moved down methodically and worked water slowly. I decided to switch it up and try a san juan worm and a bead head soft hackle. I know this run pretty well and it always holds fish. A few casts upstream and working the currents yielded nothing. Then on the swing right before I lifted the rod to recast, my indicator goes under. I lift the rod smoothly thinking maybe it's another leaf. The rod bobs and bows hard.  This is no leaf. Further confirmed by a flash shooting up stream and pealing off line.  The fish was big and at first I thought I for sure hooked a carp or large sucker fish. Then the fish launched out of the water and showed its burgundy stripe. A monster rainbow. One of the biggest I had ever hooked. The fish ran all over the pool and I had to pressure the fish with all my rod had to keep it from going down stream and over a spillway. It probably took 5min to land the fish but it seemed like half an hour. I wish I brought my net. I finally got the fish in hand and got a good view of the beast.

   Damn, foul hooked! 

I'll still take it. Watching a fish this size jump was amazing and the power gives you a real appreciation for catching a fish this big. The day went on and I caught fish in almost all the places I expected them to be. The weather and scenery couldn't have been better. The trees were showing some color and giving glimpses of what's to come. If the wind blew just right you would walk through a curtain of leaves. It's something that can't really be explained but everyone should experience at least once. I probably only landed about 5 fish and had too many long and short distance releases to count. I realized I'm not that great of a fisherman. I just know where to go and what to use. Even with that knowledge I have to hook the fish just right and be on my game. This day definitely wasn't one of my best fishing days but I'll take it.