Second trout on a fly in 16+ years caught on video!!

[BTRobertson]

Nice-sized rainbow on a fly!

Thanks to the forum member who suggested that I fish Conewago Creek in Adams County very close to Gettysburg today. Wife and I had some time to kill before we checked in, so we found this area and I started fishing for the heck of it.

This one measured 16" (tape measure in the net) and it was very fat! Catch-and-release, fly-fish only, so it felt good to let it go for another day. I'm stoked and totally hooked. Sorry that I get a little geeked in the video and the fish is boiling in my net (fortunately, it's a rubber net and I got it back into the water very shortly after the video ended. ;-)

Caught both fish on a nymph even though there were several trout rising and taking some kind of winged black fly (I tried several variations of black/dark colored wets and dries but no luck). They finally hit a bead-head olive caddis nymph (size 16 and 18) that I was bouncing off the bottom paired with a Christopher Fave Hi-viz nymph 9-ft. 6x hand-tied leader.

Honestly, I've only caught one other fish (trout) on a fly and it was way back right after high school, and totally blind/dumb luck. I knew nothing and tied on a random dry fly. That's it, one fish. Today, fish two and three were caught on fly tackle. Some of you have caught hundreds, I get it, so this may not excite you, but I'm so incredibly grateful to everyone who offered help, tied me flies, gave me tips, materials, etc., etc., etc. This is the best community of sportspersons out there.

 

[bigslackwater]

Congrats! I love the excitement you and your Wife share in the video! Pretty much sums up why we do what we do I'm heading to that same creek Wednesday for the first time. Fish on!

 

[docdom]

Congrats man! Nice fish.

Your hooked.

 

[David]

Nice... Love the excitement on your face when you first got a look at it.

 

[djs12354]

Nice! Loved the look on your face and your wife's obvious enjoyment of your excitement.

 

[dc410]

Congrats. What an awesome video clip!

 

[KeithS]

Fantastic fish. Was the surprised look really from the fish or the cold water getting over the hip waders?

 

[Rolf]

You made my day! Great video. Thanks and thank your wife.

 

[BTRobertson]

Thanks guys! LOL Actually, the water hadn't gone that far over the rim by that point - that came later, and like an idiot I had my phone in my cargo shorts' pocket (left leg), and it got wet. Currently have in a bed of rice to see if it's recoverable. But that's a small price to pay for the best first true fly-fishing experience!! And my wife being there made it all the better. I think she's starting to get the bug for fly-fishing as well.

 

[lv2nymph]

Ok, that was priceless. Absolutely loved the look of excitement on your face. Congratulations on a fine fish.

 

[delta_dog]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing guy.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

That was a great watch ... loved the enthusiasm/reaction.

 

[afishinado]

Great video! It's great to see someone having so much fun and getting so excited about FFing. That's what it's all about!

The season is just starting....lotsa chances to get out and catch fish. Now is a great time to fish over rising fish with dries. Give it a go. Good luck.

 

[Six-Gun]

Sweet video , man. Your face says exactly why we do this. Congrats on a great catch.

 

[henrydavid]

lol, cool video, nice fish

 

[shortrod2]

Thanks for allowing us to share that moment with you.

 

[BTRobertson]

Posting some more pictures from the weekend (my wife is the photographer)...

 

[dsmith1427]

Great video and great pictures. Thanks for sharing. I will be in the G-burg area this weekend and plan to get out with my brothers and nephews.

Don

 

[BTRobertson]

Awesome, Don. Good luck and keep in mind that the Conewago is very clear water, and when the sun is high and bright, the fish go into hiding. Not much cover mid-stream, even in the fast riffles. The pools are few and far between, hold fish, and can easily spook them if you slosh around or hurry up on them. Best approach is fish upstream and hit the pools from as far away as you can with at least a 6x tippet, if not smaller (7x would probably work well, too). I'm not a pro whatsoever, but I learned a thing or two fishing the Conewago. There are lots of other streams up there, though, and I didn't get to fish any of those. Let me know how you did!