Introducing my father to Big Spring

The_Sasquatch

The_Sasquatch

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Location
Malden, WV
Last month I decided that it was time to make another trek out to Big Spring. I love this stream very much. I find it challenging and beautiful. I called my dad up to see if he wanted to go with me. He had never fished any of the CV limestoners. Part of that is distance from Ephrata, another part I think is intimidation (something I had to get over as well). We've been fly fishing for a long time, so I was excited to show this stream to him. We drove out to Carlisle, the entire time I was thinking, "I wonder if he'll think the stream is worth the drive."

We got out there and fished for quite some time. My dad didn't say much. He was taken back, I think, by the number of trout in the stream but also by how difficult it was. He got the CV skunk, and I didn't do a whole lot better. The one trout I did bring to hand was an amazing looking bow. I had never seen this much red on a fish. This was one of the few wild bows my dad ever saw, and he was amazed at the colors as well.

On our way home, he still didn't say much about the stream. I couldn't tell if he was excited or not. The next day though, I took my family over to my parents' house for our normal Sunday evening gathering. As soon as I walked in, my dad started telling me about the strategies he's developing for our next trip out there! Guess he got the BS bug. I love a stream that stumps you and makes you think. There's something addictive about it. We're heading out there w/ in the next week to take another crack at it.

I do have a question about cress bugs. What size are you guys tying them in, and what color dubbing? Seems to be a blend of olive and tan? Also, do you tie them off of a heavier fly, like a scud or something, to get them lower in the water table?
 
Great story and timely for me. My 21 y/o son (soon to be 22) says to me yesterday out of the blue, "Dad, I want you to teach me how to fly fish". Wow, I cannot tell you how excited that got me but I have to temper my enthusiam and not go over board with him. I can't wait to get him on the water though!
 
Freaking awesome! So what's your first step!? How much cash are you gonna blow on him at the local fly shop getting him the "basics" hahaha!
 
Man if you only knew what was going through my head. I could get him this and we could do that.................I really had to say slow down big boy. I told him to let me know when he has time to get out (college students seem to be busy this time of year) and I'll get him out. My trick now is to not pester him about it but somehow keep it out there in his mind. Let's see how that goes.
 
Do you feel pressure to make sure his first FFing outing is one that will hook him for life!? Like, "I only got one chance at this!"
 
Now that you mention it................LOL I don't think so, well at least I hope not. It needs to be about the entire experience but I'm sure catching a couple of fish can't hurt. I really don't want it to be a banner day becasue those days are few and far between and no sense setting that as the expectation. I'm thinking about taking him up to camp in Centre County and fishing maybe Penn's or Spring and hopefully getting into some fish then hitting the bar on the way back to camp to have a few brews and relive the day. Of course, we almost always dream it better than it is so maybe a fish and a beer would be cool! :)
 
great story squatch! i cant wait to take my dad to some of the gems ive discoverd over the years. my dad hasn’t bought a fishing license in about 10 years, a grudge he has against the pf&bc...idk, but he promised he would buy one when he retired, which is in October!!! so im stoked to get home and do some FFing with him.
also im pumped for you foxgap. i was talking with my wife on the phone the other day, and just like your son, out of the blue she says to me, "can you take me fly fishing when you get home?" i was stunned for a minute, but quickly bounced back and said "YOU BET!!" haha so i know the feeling. i think ill start her out on a local pond catching sunnies first. she gets frustrated easily and there should be less of a chance to get hung up and stuff. i also think she will enjoy all the attention the sunnies will be giving her fly...hopefully :lol:
 
BlkLgbEaDheAd09 wrote:
also im pumped for you foxgap. i was talking with my wife on the phone the other day, and just like your son, out of the blue she says to me, "can you take me fly fishing when you get home?" i was stunned for a minute, but quickly bounced back and said "YOU BET!!" haha so i know the feeling. i think ill start her out on a local pond catching sunnies first. she gets frustrated easily and there should be less of a chance to get hung up and stuff. i also think she will enjoy all the attention the sunnies will be giving her fly...hopefully :lol:
Click to expand...

Outstanding. Man, it's a cool feeling when someone you love wants to share in your passionate past time. Enjoy it!
 
Very cool. I hope my son (who's not yet 1) asks me that someday.

I've always thought a first trip should be a GOOD brookie stream. The "hard" part is finding those streams. And you have a whole forum at your disposal with a HUGE knowledge base and there are a lot of users who'd be willing to share for such a noble goal. So you can do the work for him without him even knowing it.

Somewhere deep in and beautiful, but not too thick, and it's pretty much guaranteed he'll catch some fish and you can't help but have a good time once you get him there, and on dries with aggressive strikes to boot. That's better than frustrating him by trying to cast to ridiculous numbers of drag-shy fish, where he could get the skunk easily because of poor technique, and be thinking the whole time "I know I could get catch these fish with my spinning rod".

I can help in the State College area. As well as some parts of eastern PA. Where's he going to school? Would be nice to do something close to him, maybe he'll get out on his own some. Much worse things college kids could be doing, you know.

The danger of teaching is not to overteach, or underteach. He probably doesn't want you hanging over his shoulder dictating every move, he wants some freedom to screw up on his own. But you can't just say "here we are, have at it" either, or he'll resent you not helping him. Fine line.
 
Pat, your comments and observations are WELL made. I really have to try to teach him like I've taught some newbies. I don't think I've been too tough on them, well at least none have tried to drown me yet! LOL

My son goes to Temple, so trout opportuniites might be limited to rainbow trout on their meal plan. He spent his first two years at Ithaca and that would have been cool had he expressed interest while there but at least he's expressed interest so I'm not quibbling about timing! I have the place in Centre County and you have already been very gracious in a PM to me on spots up there and I think a brookie trip is the ticket for a first time trip plus most brookie streams I know are just beautiful to walk.
 
Sas, awesome story, can't wait to hear more of them. A number of years back My father kind of did the whole out of no where thing "why don't we go fly fishing some time" to me too. He knew I was really into it and he wanted to get out, he knew he was not feeling good and that may have been his way of wanting to spend more time with me, I don't know. The trip never happened, he passed away before we could get out.

So awesome story, I pray he hooks up on at least one the next trip!
 
We're going out there w/ our resident spring creek expert, if he can't get him into fish, no one can!
 
Sas,

I have been fly fishing Big Spring for over 40 years and you are spot on the color of BS cress bugs. I use an olive rabbit dubbing and add 10% australian opossum and 10% muskrat. I've have friends who use 100% muskrat with good success, but it has never been nearly as productive as the above blend. I use Ed Shenk's dubbing loop method to get the flat profile. My go to size is 16, but I also tie down to 20.

My preferred approach is to fish them alone with a small split shot shot 8-12 inches up the line. I've tried tying them weighted, but find they dont drift like the naturals. I have fished them in tandem below a shrimp to prospect when fish are not actively feeding.
 
aahh thanks jon. Time to practice my dubbing blending skills.
 
Sasquatch and Fox

Congrats to both of you! Enjoy the experiences and I certainly hope you continue to share them with us here.

Getting back into fishing this year has given me the opportunity to relive past trips with my Grandfather to many of our local ponds and streams. I hadn't realized just how much those memories could mean until recently. (I guess aging helps one realize just how precious time together with someone can be)

My grandfather passed away quite some time ago, but my brother and I are getting to spend more time together on the water, so I can still share with family.

Thanks to all the people on this forum who have made this start of my journey, learning to fly-fish much smoother than it could have been.

Dave
 
When it comes to a rod for a relative, that is one to consider building yourself since you can add unique details/inscriptions that have shared meaning.
 
Great story - the true essence of sport fishing.

For cress bugs in CV limestoners: I like a size #16, unweighted, that is a gray/olive blend.....usually leaning a bit more to the gray tones.
 
Try a size 8 scud and weight the hell out of it. If you can drop it gently about two or three feet upstream of the fish and about 6 inches to the side you should get the bows to eat every time, brookies are a little smarter though.

Tight lines
 
size 8!? Olive or tan? Wow that's a big scud, dude.
 
More olive, if you have enough weight it shouldn't matter though. even the smaller bows hammer it. Tie them with different amounts of weight, the key is a drag free drift from about two feet in front of the fish until it's even with the fish, they get enough pressure that they don't move for food very much. If at first you don't succeed add weight.

Tight lines
 
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