what am i doing wrong?

[ihrtffishing]

I've been attempting to fly fish for a few years now. I'm only 14 so I don't go all that often. I've caught sunnies and even a few bass but I can't seem to catch any trout. I've been looking all around this.forum to see if anyone else is having the same problem...is it my fly,my casting or what?please help!!!

 

[buffalo7]

I started flyfishing when I was 15, I never even knew anyone that flyfished at the time so I had to learn on my own. Try to find someone in your area to fish with, I'm a few hundred miles away, but I would be glad to help you if I was close. Look through the threads for topics that might answer questions that you have or ask about specific questions you have. There is a lot of little things that you need to learn but it's not hard. But everyone dosn't catch trout every time they go. One thing important is to have comfidence, and don't give up.

 

[Yotrout]

Use a wolly bugger and some split shot about ten inches up the tippet.

Learned that from here a few months ago and have been successful since. Working on nymphing now. Good luck!

 

[afishinado]

ihrtffishing wrote:
I've been attempting to fly fish for a few years now. I'm only 14 so I don't go all that often. I've caught sunnies and even a few bass but I can't seem to catch any trout. I've been looking all around this.forum to see if anyone else is having the same problem...is it my fly,my casting or what?please help!!!

I grew up right down the road from you in Wyoming. There is some decent trout fishing in the NE. Try one of the stocked streams in the area like Bowmans or Harveys. You can spin fish until you locate fish. Try drifting and stripping a wooly bugger.

Be sure not to miss fishing the Susky, right down the street from you. When (if!) the water comes down this summer the smallmouth bass will be hungry. A wooly bugger or a popper on top should put a nice bend in your rod. Good luck.

 

[ihrtffishing]

I actually go to the river pretty often for the bass and even caught a small musky but the trout are where I'm troubled. I go to Harvey the most...

 

[afishinado]

Just checked, and Harvey's was stocked last Tuesday. Tie on a bugger and go get 'em! Good luck.

 

[ihrtffishing]

Yeah I was there yesterday trying to get some on the fly rod but only had luck when I put some mealworm on the fly (I know that's cheating). Putting some bait on the fly really helps me figure out what getting hits look like in the water

 

[BPS]

My humble advice:

Use a glo-bug. or san juan worm under an indicator or just plain old bottom-bounce it. You will catch'em. Just gotta break the ice with that first one and you will get some confidence.

 

[jayL]

Honest answer:

You're rushing it. You're 14 dude. It'll come. I promise. Many of us have been at it for years. I started around 14, and have about 12 years under my belt. I still feel lost out there sometimes. Embrace the learning process and keep practicing. Try to figure out specific things that you think are preventing you from catching fish, and work on them. It's (purported to be) such an immensely complicated sport that it's impossible to tell what you're doing wrong without some specifics.

Some good advice above to help you improve in the immediate timeframe, but time on the water is the best learning tool. Making some friends that fly fish is the second best.

In closing, if I had the chance go back to when I started at 14 and know what I know now, I'd pass. The 12 years of trial and error in the woods has been a trip, and the coming decades are going to be even better.

 

[PSUFishMenace]

I'm 19 and in my third year of flyfishing and I would definitely not say I am very good at it, but I was in your situation not very long ago so I will try to help. First of all I will say that I believe bass are way more intelligent than your average stocked trout. If you can catch bass with flies, trout should come soon.

The first trout I caught on a fly was in a nice bend pool where the current runs into a huge tree on the bank and carves out a deep spot under the roots. I was standing on the bank next to where the bottom suddenly drops into the pool and tied on an olive wooly bugger. I dropped it into the current and let it sink as the current took it close to the tree roots. when it had drifted past the roots I tightened the line so it swung up and hung in the current. I waited a second or two and a rainbow came out and grabbed it.

I think it is easiest to catch fish in these kinds of pools. If you can find a spot like that, try fishing it with a wooly bugger like I described. It does not work 100% of the time but it was how I caught my first trout and I still find it is the easiest way to catch them.

Good Luck!

 

[ihrtffishing]

Actually my favorite hole is just like that but instead of roots its rocks. That's also the only place I've actually gotten a bite on a fly. I did exactly what you said but missed the fish. What are some other effective flies for stream fishing?

 

[salmonoid]

First, your age has nothing to do with it. Whether you're 14, 44 or 84, everyone still gets skunked some days. On some days, I know there are 14 year olds that can outfish me and one some days, I'm sure I can outfish 65 year olds...

As with anything, it takes some patience. When I was a kid and fished worms, I was tickled on opening day to catch one or two fish. Then, I thought I was really good to be able to catch a limit and even better when I caught seven and kept catching more and letting the last one go. And then I figured out that there was more to fishing than going to the stocking hole, that even in the manure laden streams of Lancaster County, some trout would move and seek out shelter, like the log and roll of chicken wire in Pequea Creek

After I added flyfishing to the available methods of fishing, I started the whole process over again; my first trout was a brown caught on the W. Branch of the Octorara and between that stream and the other FFO stream here, I started to figure out methods that worked, and eventually the numbers came. And from there it expands to fishing for wild trout, and venturing outside your home territory to other areas.

And eventually, sometime, you'll reach a point where just being on the stream is good enough, whether its enjoying the scenery, good company, and occasionally, the nice fish.

As was suggested before, try stripping some wooly buggers. Get the fly down, and don't use your rod tip to twitch the fly; actually strip the line. You'll miss some hits if you use your rod tip only. Don't be afraid to set the hook when you think you have a hit either. A wooly bugger is a very effective fly for stocked fish (works well with tiny natives too!).

Other flies that should work: bead-head nymphs (pheasant tails, copper johns, hare's ear), terrestrials (ants, green weenies), san juan worms, single eggs, sucker spawn

Sometimes I laugh at myself when something with the brain the size of a pea outsmarts me; but then I remind myself that its called fishing; catches are not guaranteed

 

[ihrtffishing]

So you guys are saying I should cool it and just keep trying?

 

[csoult]

#1 learn to read the water
#2 read books
#3 have fun

 

[SteelheadWhisperer]

Read books and any information you can. I learned on my own for the most part and picked up more info from others over the years. Keep at it and you will catch them. Like everyone else said, try stripping some buggers. They are usually a no fail fly.

 

[gfen]

ihrtffishing wrote:
So you guys are saying I should cool it and just keep trying?

Go outside.
Go stand in a stream.
Go amuse yourself by drawing pretty loops in the air and seeing how long you can make the bobber glide along naturally.
Occasionally let a fish muck up all the beauty of nature and patterns.
Get used to it, don't expect it or you'll forget the reason you're out there.
Hrt some ffishing.

 

[midnightangler]

I think there are two ways to catch trout that are hard to screw up:

(1) Go find a wild brook trout stream and throw big bushy dry flies into every pool.

(2) Wait for a cloudy day (shouldn't have to wait long this year). Tie on a black woolly bugger and make one cast to every foot of bank. Strip the fly like mad. Make it look like this (note the take is in slo-mo):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD_p5oC7XpU

This will work in any stream that has brown trout. The smaller the stream, the more time you'll spend hurling profanity at bushes, trees, etc.

 

[ihrtffishing]

what do you mean by stripping the fly? (again new to this)

 

[Swattie87]

ihrtffishing wrote:
what do you mean by stripping the fly? (again new to this)

I'm pretty new to the game too, but I just had my first what I'd call successful day (10 trout in about 3 hours) this past weekend...all were caught on small BH Buggers. I think what is meant by stripping the fly is imparting motion to the fly by "stripping" or pulling the line/fly in with your line hand. This helps keep slack out of the line and makes it easier to detect strikes. Line slack and poor line control was the main obstacle for me I think that was keeping me from catching fish. If you use the rod tip to twitch or move the fly, every time you do so slack is left in the line and since most times fish hit on the pause, you may be getting strikes but are unable to detect them because of the line slack. I didn't pick up on this until I visually saw a few strikes while twitching the fly with the rod tip in the current but failed to set the hook due to the aforementioned line slack that is created by the twitching. If you're using buggers and you know there's fish there I'd say it's more just about practicing your presentation a bit.

Cast the bugger slightly upstream of your target area and try to let it dead drift with as little slack in the line as possible (as best you can) through the area where you think a fish most likely is. Once it gets downstream of you let the fly line tighten in the current - this will make the fly swing across the current toward you. Once it gets almost immediately downstream of you strip it in toward you with pauses in between the strips. Just keep at it, the fish will come, probably all at once once day...it will just click.

I should add...I think that is one of the main advantages of a Woolly Bugger for a beginner...you get three chances on every cast to catch a fish:

1. Drift
2. Swing
3. Strip

Depending on the conditions that day, where the fish are located, and how active they are will determine which one to focus on for that stream and that day.

 

[midnightangler]

what do you mean by stripping the fly? (again new to this)

Pull the line in as fast as you can with your free hand. There are a lot of variations, but they all amount to pulling the fly away from the fish as though it were a prey item trying to escape.

A video would be helpful, but I can't find a good one. At about 0:54 in this video, Oliver Edwards makes a cast and begins to strip the fly in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XujYjEcyGK8

Hand positioning is very important. You must maintain constant control over your line or you will miss fish.