First Trout Today

[zenherper]

Today I was able to spend some time on the stream for the first time with the fly rod (at least for any decent amount of time). I spent a few hours at the Papermill site on the Tully in the morning, pretty much just fumbling around, looking like an idiot, watching others around me catching fish. After a couple hours of nothing (the only strike I got was a vicious rise to my indicator), I left feeling dejected. So I ate lunch, regathered my bearings and went back to the Palisades section of the stream where I met an incredibly impressive young man. He was very gracious in giving me some on-stream tips and had fish striking my line in literally minutes. He helped correct my mending technique, and showed me how to read the water a little better. I hooked my first trout withing a couple minutes, played it for over a minute, then lost it before I could land it. At this point, I was getting excited and developed some confidence. I then proceeded to catch my first fish; a 4 pound sucker, lol. It was fun, but I wasn't satisfied. Within the next hour, I had caught my first 2 trout, a brown and a rainbow. They were both stocked fish, but it felt good to catch them anyway.

I am officially hooked. Thank you to Lenny for all your help today, and thank you to all the others here on the forum who are always willing to share your knowledge.

Today was a great day.

 

[Srflick]

Congrats welcome to the addiction

 

[Yotrout]

Congrats man! I was hoping to be able to share my first fly trout today but no such luck. Nice fish. Best of luck with the rest of the season.

 

[Fishidiot]

Zen,
Nice job and congrats on your first fly caught trout. Good stuff. While folks like to joke about suckers ("takes one to catch one" etc).....truth be told if you're catching suckers you're definitely fishing well. I'd consider them as hard if not harder to catch than stocked trout. Catching the occasional sucker is a good indication that you're fishing at the right depth (close to the bottom) and probably using a convincing fly.

 

[drews]

Congrats!

 

[stevehalupka]

at a local club, I target carp and forget about the trout... congrats, keep at it.

 

[outdoorsman816]

I'm really glad I was of some help today man. Honestly, I think I was more excited when you started catching than you were! Now that you know what you're doing, I expect many, many pictures like those in the future. Thanks for helping ME have a great day on the water. See you around bud.

 

[salmo]

Congratulations! I caught my first trout on a fly in April of 1975 or 1976 on the Francis Branch above Leetonia. I flailed the water mercilessly with a Royal Wolf dry for hours, when an older gent rigged me up with a tandem Royal Coachman wet rig. I then caught a nice stocked brown and have been hooked for the next 35 + years. The kindness of other fishermen is one of the things I like most about the sport.


Salmo

 

[Chaz]

Congrats and welcome to the board. I remember well my early days of fly fishing. My flies were always caught in the trees. I thought as many do when they first start out that the water was devoid of fish. Then one day On Dyberry Creek by the lower brodge on the fly section, I watched as a stockie rainbow chased numerous minnows around the pool there, and I started casting. I had a caddis nymph on which probably was a good fly to use, because I then hooked and landed my first trout on a fly. On a $22 outfit that was a birthday present. I still have the rod and reel, as well as the memory. Since then I've probably caught as many trout as the Nale brothers catch in a year. Here's the place the way it looks now.

 

[jdaddy]

outdoorsman816 wrote:
I'm really glad I was of some help today man. Honestly, I think I was more excited when you started catching than you were! Now that you know what you're doing, I expect many, many pictures like those in the future. Thanks for helping ME have a great day on the water. See you around bud.

I hate you Lenny! I have been talking to Zen a lot the last couple of weeks and wanted to get out with him yesterday and get him on his first fish. You stole my thunder! LOL.

Zen, Lenny did a presentation at the last Tully TU meeting on the Lehigh. Did a great job. You'll pick up a lot at the TU meetings once you finish up with LAX.

 

[outdoorsman816]

HAHAHA sorry Jeff!

 

[zenherper]

jdaddy wrote:

outdoorsman816 wrote:
I'm really glad I was of some help today man. Honestly, I think I was more excited when you started catching than you were! Now that you know what you're doing, I expect many, many pictures like those in the future. Thanks for helping ME have a great day on the water. See you around bud.

I hate you Lenny! I have been talking to Zen a lot the last couple of weeks and wanted to get out with him yesterday and get him on his first fish. You stole my thunder! LOL.

Zen, Lenny did a presentation at the last Tully TU meeting on the Lehigh. Did a great job. You'll pick up a lot at the TU meetings once you finish up with LAX.

I just had this image in my mind of the high school quarterback fighting with the linebacker over the fresh new cheerleader. LOL... Don't worry Jeff. I still have to figure out how to fool those wilds.
Seriously though, I would be more than grateful to get out with you guys. I am extremely grateful for the help.

I look forward to getting to more meetings, and fishing more, when LAX is finished. Thanks again guys!

 

[SBecker]

Heard you like my avatar.......

 

[outdoorsman816]

Man everyone loves that thing... Flyguys fan or not!

 

[gfen]

zenherper wrote:
I just had this image in my mind of the high school quarterback fighting with the linebacker over the fresh new cheerleader. LOL...

Please elaborate, which one's the cheerleader in your odd little fantasy?

 

[jdaddy]

gfen wrote:

zenherper wrote:
I just had this image in my mind of the high school quarterback fighting with the linebacker over the fresh new cheerleader. LOL...

Please elaborate, which one's the cheerleader in your odd little fantasy?

He's the cheerleader obviously.

 

[pcray1231]

Since then I've probably caught as many trout as the Nale brothers catch in a year.

lol. Ain't it the truth! I haven't kept exact track for a while, but a few years back I kept track when I fished more often than I do now, and I could push 1000 trout in a good year, 5-7 hundred most years. The Nale's are catching 7-9 thousand trout per year. Sure, part of that is that they get out more than I do. But they have plenty of 100 fish days, and I've only even approached that a few times in my life, and never actually reached it.

But yes, I find their numbers to be entirely plausible, given where, how often, and how they fish.

 

[zenherper]

jdaddy wrote:

gfen wrote:

zenherper wrote:
I just had this image in my mind of the high school quarterback fighting with the linebacker over the fresh new cheerleader. LOL...

Please elaborate, which one's the cheerleader in your odd little fantasy?

He's the cheerleader obviously.

This has all gone horribly wrong... lol

 

[zenherper]

LRSABecker wrote:
Heard you like my avatar.......

No, I believe I told Lenny I LOVE it. Although the Fly Guys have me a bit upset at the moment. Another SO let-down yesterday.

 

[gfen]

jdaddy wrote:
He's the cheerleader obviously.

As suspected, but I can never be too sure about you.

zenherper wrote:
This has all gone horribly wrong... lol

No, my friend. You've only just turned off into where this goes.. The true Lynchian nightmare comes after you've met these people a few times.