How did you come to Fly Fish?

[Acristickid]

As I sit here at work waiting for a round of impending layoffs, I have found it very hard to focus and start any new projects.

I was wondering how all of you came into this sport/passion etc..??

I myself was introduced by a couple of friends who got into to it. And they picked it up from one of their college classmates whose whole family had been into it since birth. Not sure I would have just picked up on my own or not. I have always been an outdoors/back packing guy though.

I was introduced in 1996 but never got serious about my sickness until about 3 years ago. Hooked forever now.

PS- If I get laid off, I am going to be doing ALOT of fishing the next several months. Paul

 

[tabasco_joe]

Family members fly fished but I didn't get the bug until two years ago. I vacationed at Yellowstone and didn't fish. Those rivers seem to be the essence of trout fishing. When I got home I bought a fly rod and started to learn. I put the bass boat in storage and didn't take it out for over a year. For the last year and a half I average at least a day a week fly fishing.

 

[schrec]

acristickid,
Sorry to hear about the layoffs. That can be hard to handle, I know through personal experience. (I work in a very tenuous business myself.) But all-in-all it's just a job... looks like you're young enough to quickly land on your feet. Remember, fly fishing is good therapy to help get you through the rough times.

For me, it started when I was 14 or 15 reading fishing mags with editors like AJ McClane, Dan Holland, Homer Circle. I was pretty much self-taught until I went to college at PSU and took a course that Joe Humphrey taught. Haven't looked back since.

Footnote: The very first trout I caught on a fly was on a very crude streamer I had tied myself using my dad's vice, thread from my mom's sewing kit, fur from Tiki our dog and hair from my very own head!

rising fish always
schrec

 

[pete41]

When I was a kid spinning was still looked down on by the old timers[my father,notably].So when I saved my money to buy a spinning outfit he decided to treat me to a fly-fishing outfit.It was a real thrill when he let me miss some school to get in on opening of trout season in Pa.[we lived in Del.]We fished the Yellow breeches[too far up] and the Bald Eagle at Port Matilda.I remember getting my first Pa. Dutch sized pancake and how impressed I was,even though my Mother was a Baughman from Hanover.Lol.
Anyway even though we never caught a fish and used worms that trip was so very special to a 13yr old it got me interested in fly rods and a Boy scout Kit got me trying to tie flies.I wasn't a boy scout by any stretch of the imagination and can't remember starting to catch fish on flies but never used worms again until about 30 years later.
My brother and his buddy came out to fish with we me in Montana.I took them to a great place on the Missouri.First morning took them up to a good run and I took my brothers spinning outfit and was going to demonstrate to them the correct way to get a natural drift,nymph fishing style.Baited up with worm and on the very first drift I hooked a five pound brown.Played it and gave Mike his rod back and said`Now thats how to do it''.
You know the ad about priceless,well that was even beyond that,if possible.lol

 

[albatross]

I did a lot of bait fishing as a kid and I was a voracious reader of Outdoor Life and Field and Stream. I think I got curious about fly fishing form some of the articles I read as a kid. I bought a cheap Eagle Claw fly combo at the local hardware store and basically taught myself by trial and error and by what I could read. This would have been in the early 70s. I was the only fly fisherman in the family.

My family traveled to Yellowstone in 1977. At that time (less so today) you could catch some nice fish without much skill and I did. I caught 2 big Cuts from the Yellowstone river (18-20 inch range) and a backcountry trip into the Pelican Creek basin was an absolute bonanza. I probably caught 20-30 Cuts in the 12-18 inch range in 2 hours. After this trip I was hooked. Sadly, the Pelican Creek spawning run has been totaly wiped out by whirling disease. What was once a spawning run of 30,000 fish is now reduced to like 12 fish.

A forum like PAFlyFish would have been a nice tool to get my questions answered when I was learning.

Paul,

I don't know what to wish for you about the layoff. Morale among the remaining employees after a layoff can be terrible. The layoff proces just takes all the joy out of a job. Good luck to you which ever way it goes.

 

[PennsCreek]

I was introduced to the sport probably 10 years ago, by my grandfather. After he retired he was given a nice flyrod from his friends at the Safe Harbor Power Plant along the conestoga and since he had enough he gave it to me to get started in the sport. It is a Redington 8.5' 3wt, the one and only rod that I own and use. He also got my dad into it about the same time he introduced me to fly fishing. At the beginning I was not real serious into it but since graduating from college last year I have become an addict to say the least. I also began tying this year because he handed down all his old supplies to me because it has become to difficult for him to tie. We have a cabin up in Poe Valley, just a few miles from Penns and I got to fish the Drake hatch for the first time, the most incredible thing I have ever seen.

I have learned so much about the outdoors and hunting through him. I shot my first rabbit with him at 12 years old, my dad and I still make the time to go out with him pretty much every weekend during the late rabbit season. I am the only one carrying a 20-gauge because they both love to stand in the field and listen to our three beagles hound a cottontail. He also introduced me to turkey hunting this past spring, there is nothing better than hearing a gobble at daybreak and working it for a few hours. I have also gotten myself into archery just because of the way he has helped me learn to enjoy the outdoors. Since I have been working full time since graduation, I have learned to enjoy every minute outdoors when I am not in the office.

 

[SonOfMartin]

For me it was Curt Gowdy.

I grew up in South Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. This was WAY before anyone fished salt with a fly rod. I grew up chasing bass, redfish and drum with a spinning rod.

Then came college, marriage, consulting, kids, and then moved to PA in 1988 for a 6 month consulting job and never left.

I remembered Mr. Gowdy (I was raised NEVER to call anyone older by their first name) fishing PA waters on a show that I watched on our black and white TV. Oh I HAD to do that.

I found someone who told me that I could get into fly fishing for $100 bucks flies and all. Yeah right. Caught my first trout on the Quittie on a BHPT. Still go back there at least once a year to relive that experience.

19 years later I still have that first rod and some of those first flies. However I have "just a tad" bit more invested.

Best investments were casting lessons and LOTS of reading, studying, and trial and error.

As someone said my greatest fear is that when I die my wife sells my fly gear for what I told her I paid for it.

 

[JackM]

The PFBC DHALO program with its Fall stocking is what got me into the sport. I was a warmwater spin angler all my life and a first-day and week after trout angler. One year, I turned on to trout as I always preferred being on the stream rather than at a lake or on the river. After having to lay off trout through the Summer, I noticed the the PFBC was stocking a local creek in October, but I could not use bait. I thought I'd always wanted to try flyfishing and since I'd be "forced" to use artificials, I may as well try fly fishing. I went to Wal-Mart, bought a $30 combo pack rod, reel, level line, leader and 5 flies. Caught my first trout on a wooly bigger about the 4th time out and it was no looking back. I have since learned a lot I didn't know about trout, a good bit of it from this site, including:

1. Not all trout come from a stocking truck;
2. Trout aren't "jumping," they are "rising."
3. A trout's primary source of food is not minnows and earthworms, but rather aquatic insects,
4. Etc., etc., etc.

 

[StudentofTheStream]

I was introduced to fly fishing by a super guy in my church, Mr. B as I call him, when I was 14 or so. I had bait fished with my father and brother and was more than excited to try this new venture. I fly fished several times a year for the first few but didn't get really heavy into it until college. Good Lord I never knew such awesome fishing in PA was available until I went to Penn State. Not a day goes by I don't wish I could be back there for those days of cutting class to fish the BWO hatch on spring. Much like Schrec I too took the PA FF class and through this started tying my own flies. Whoever said it's less expensive to do this rather than buying was fooling themselves as well as anyone they talked to, as I dare think of my materials investment! In any case, Mr. Belden was the teacher then but I did get to meet and fish with Joe Humphries through an extension of that class. Ever since then all I do is try to find ways to fly fish for whatever is in a body of water near where I'll be. I have to thank those awesome men that sparked this passion for the last 10 years and God willing the rest of my life!

 

[tabasco_joe]

BTW Paul, I got layed off one time in March, many years ago. I was single, had no debts and a few bucks in the bank. I spent the next two months fishing and working on my uncles farm. Both were good therapy. I'm not sure what FarmerDave would do for therapy.

 

[tomgamber]

When I was a kid I used to spin fish. Never even thought of trying or really never even saw anyone fly fish. One Christmas my mom gave me one of those Diawa briefcase fishing kits with the gazillion piece rod and a spinning reel and a small lure box tucked neatly into a black blow molded briefcase sort of thing. Well this one also had a fly reel in it. And if you turned the handle around, well what do you know...a fly rod. Pretty cool I thought...All spooled up with thick white plastic line. Now what fish is stupid enough to bite on that line..well, about 7 or 8 years later, I was in college at Clarion. and I drove off to go fishing...it was Sunday morning and there wasn't any place (at least in the sticks where I now found myself) to buy worms or minnows or even salmon eggs. "This sucks", I said to myself. I drove home and watched football while a couple of us finished off the last of a keg of flat, night before beer.

Two weeks later I hurt my leg at football practice and had to run up to the Hospital for an x-ray. Right next to the hospital is a K-mart. So I did what the women do...when I was bummed, I went shopping. Found myself in the sporting good aisle looking at fishing rods. I had just about worn out that old gazillion piece rod from having to put it together and take it apart all the time so it would fit in its nice case next to that fly reel I had never removed. Then I saw something interesting...a fiberglass 8ft 5wt fly rod. On sale! 10 bucks!!! Even says Diawa on it so I know immediately that it would work with that reel in my case. Knowing almost nothing about fly fishing I immediately grabbed it like a woman in Florida buys a fur coat just because its on sale. Took it to the register and asked the guy if thought it would work...it was then, in a K-mart of all places that learned about leaders and line weights, and where the nearest fly shop was. Took it home and put it together and propped up my ankle and sat it in the corner where it sat until spring.

While surprise visiting my buddy at Penn State one weekend I arrived to find out that he had a huge test on Monday and needed to study. I thought he was joking...anyway, his frat buddy Chuck took me fishing. I didn't know he was a fly fisherman. When we got to this tiny little creek I asked if we were gonna catch minnows...he smiled and pulled out his fly rod. Well heck, I have something that looks kind of like that...its some where here in my trunk..."Ah here it is...", I said as he began to chuckle. I asked him what was so funny and he said, "nothin'" and lead me to the creek. He gave me some flies, attached my leader, and showed me all I needed to know to dap for and catch little natives on that creek that day. Bought a tying kit. The kind with the wing nut to tighten the little aluminum vise. Began tying buggers the next summer while home on break.

20 years and a half a dozen rods later, I can still pull off the road where any old body of water happens to be and fish without having to wonder where the closest place is to buy bait.

Oh yeah...a year after college I moved to Idaho for 5 years.
'Nuff said!!

 

[Acristickid]

Gents-

Interesting to see how different folks got exposed to this, the best of sports. Thanks for the kind words on the layoff as well.

Actually, it has been a dream of mine to be laid off. Getting paid to fish! I never have used any type of support/unemployment before but figured over the last 15 years I have paid enough into it to get some back. I have zero bills and I am a saver so it will be months of fishing. Could be an unexpected drive outwest in September.

Rumor mill is that the layoff will be next Wednesday. Well, at least I will get paid for the holiday and benefits next month.

 

[salvelinus]

Hope you make it through the layoff OK.

I grew up near the Swatara Creek in Middletown. As a kid I'd go down with a spincast rod and fish for sunnies and carp. I remember my older brother would go to Fisherman's Paradise to fly fish for trout and I thought it was pretty neat how he caught them on flies. Later as a teen my parents got me a fly tying kit for Christmas along with the book "Trout Flies" by Knoll, I believe. I saved some grass cutting money and I went down to Kern's, the local sporting goods store, and bought a Shakespeare fly rod, line and reel. I remember catching my first trout on a dry that I had tied myself. I still fish there although the stream is no longer stocked but I still catch native brookies. That was close to 40 years ago and I haven't looked back. In my 20's I was lucky to find several friends who liked to fly fish and we still do, although my nearest and dearest fishing buddy just passed away from cancer. He's on the left in my avatar. I'll miss him dearly but I know he will be with me in spirit on the stream.

 

[shipnfish2006]

Growing up I loved trout fishing I lived for it, I fished the Clarks kids area religiously. Always fishing powerbait and worms. In 1995 I asked for a fly rod for christmas just to try something different. In 1996 I caught a lot of panfish and some bass on it but never a whole lot of anything. In 1997 my dad bought a fly tying kit but he stopped using it after try to tie a couple of flies so I took it over, mostly just tying whatever I could put on a hook. I pretty much only used the fly rod if I felt I was in an "easy" fly fishing situation. Then in 2000 I won a fenwick fly rod combo from my local sportsmans club and I used it from time to time once again fishing for whatever was easy. By 2001 I was closing in on 1000 trout for the first time ever and there was a guy about my age fly fishing upstream from me. I started shooting the breeze with him and he told me to go grab my fly rod and he'll show me some things on it. He was from Missouri and I was actually having the best day of my trout fishing life the day this happened I caught 80+ trout and 3 over 21". Well I knew the water so I had us to go several spots that I knew and immediately after tying on some borrowed flies I was into the trout. After that weekend I opened up my tying box again and started experimenting again with tying. I remember I tied a fly that was chartruese with green hackle. The next time out I used it and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was having a pretty bad day on the fly rod not catching anything on my normal hot spots so I was walking back and I noticed a trout "jumping" which I learned from the kid from Missouri he was actually actively feeding, so I tied on my green "fly" casted out and he came up and grabbed it and I landed him. A nice 12" stocked brookie, but it was my first on a fly I tied and I was immediately hooked.

The next summer, 2002, we were having a drought and my normal hotspot was fishing terrible, I was still fishing with bait about 75% of the time. The only place nearby that I knew with water and trout was a stream called Falling Springs so I went there and on my first day I caught 5 trout in the heritage waters. 4 Tigers and a small rainbow. I went to gander mountain that night and bought an area stream booked and then bought a bunch of materials and went home and tied up some more flies. I went out the next morning and there was a hatch, I looked in my book and it looked to be a trico hatch so I tied on the "trico" i tied up that night and picked up a beautiful 17" Rainbow. From that point on I've picked up the spin rod for trout maybe 10 times.

I pretty much lived on falling springs from 2002-2006 while in college and honestly I attribute that stream to my passion for the sport so much. I went from a bait fisherman who just cared about how many fish he was catching per day to a guy who can just sit along the streambank to just take in the atmosphere even though he hadn't even had a hit all morning.


Thats my story... probably the longest post I've ever made. :-D

 

First off, along with the others, I'm sorry to hear about the "Impending layoff", your facing, Paul. But, who knows? "A blessing in disguise", perhaps?
As to the "whys and how-comes" of my intro into fly fishing, I'm not sure I can even remember the exact time, when it came about. It's been close to 28 years, though, I know, since I first picked up the Long Rod and I've yet to lay it down! I, DO KNOW, that it was my life long friend, "Bishop",the other half of "The Fish Guys" that GOT me hooked on fly fishing.
He would always fly fish and I, owning a small cottage industry spin fishing company, would "Ultra-Lite" along side of him. One day, for a reason that now escapes me, (like 90% of my memory anymore), fishing was slow and we decided to "switch gear", for a stretch of river.
By the time we'd reached our ageed upon "switch gear, back", point an hour later, I'd brought 5 trout to net, he had scored "0".
I do, remember, however that it darn near came to blows, between us when I refused to switch and take my Ultra-Lite setup back! Shortly after that trip, the spinning gear was stowed away, where it's remained for 28 years and I set myself up with all fly fishing equipment.
20 years, after that fateful day of "gear switching", Bishop gave me that Winston 5wt. I'd first picked up and I still fish with it, today! Unfortunately.....................as we all know, who are "hooked", the Winston's been joined by way too many other rods, reels, vests, chest packs, waders, boots and "gotta-have-gadgets"!!
We won't even, BEGIN, to list the "fly-TYING end of my addiction!
There was a very short time, (speaking of WORK, a four letter word, too, by the way), when I ALMOST gave up my "religion". Thankfully, a job transfer to North Idaho, where I remained for over 16 years, saved me from a grievous error! Once places like "Kelly Creek", "The Shadowy St.Joe", "The Clearwater", etc. became my "home waters", I was once more, solidly hooked. It's never changed.............
In 2000, I faced a "layoff" myself........... brought about by health reasons and I haven't worked a day since. But, I still manage to fish 2 to 3 days a week so life's not "all bad"!!
"Another, Paul"! :-D

 

[FarmerDave]

Reader's digest version.

I'm self taught. No books, and no videos. Not sure they even had VCRs back then. i know we didn't have one. i even remember watching black and white TV. Started fly fishing when I was about 12 for the simple reason I felt I could catch more fish that way. I didn't know anyone at the time who fly fished. I used to ride my bike to local farm ponds to fish for bluegills and bass, and noticed how often the fish ate bugs off the surface. Match the hatch? never heard of it. I called it common sense. The next logical step was feed them what they wanted to eat, but stick a hook in it first. I started using live hoppers and dragonflies as bait on the spinning rod with no weight. From that, I started using big fat flies and small poppers with the spinning rod. Not an easy cast, but I could still get it past the lilly pads. Then I had the opportunity to buy an old cane fly rod. It was a gift to a neighbor kid from the local 90 some year old priest and had probably not been used in a couple decades. This was in the early 1970s. My brother (the wheeler dealer) bought it from the neighbor kid for 3 bucks and then sold it to me for 5. I still have it.

As a kid, all the adults I knew used bait. that didn't stop me from trying other things including lures either. I'm still an all tackle angler, except i haven't used explosives in quite awhile.

 

[FarmerDave]

tabasco_joe wrote:
BTW Paul, I got layed off one time in March, many years ago. I was single, had no debts and a few bucks in the bank. I spent the next two months fishing and working on my uncles farm. Both were good therapy. I'm not sure what FarmerDave would do for therapy.

Well, a little over 4 years ago I moved to a farm for therapy. right away i found out the the best therapy is getting paid to watch someone else farm my land. :lol:

Hang in ther Paul. I've been laid off twice in my life. Well, 1 and a half times because the first one was mutual, the timing just wasn't mine. The first time i got laid off, it got to me a little. It got to me just enough that i sat out a deer season because I didn't want to spend the money to go hunting. Plus, I'd have to deal with the meat, and i knew i would be moving. I found a job fairly quickly though, so i regretted skipping the hunting.

The second time I got laid off was great. they gave me some notice, and I had something lined up fefore my last day. Left one job in north Carolina on a Friday and started the other in Ohio on monday. I won't do that again. I should have taken a couple days off. afterall, I got severence pay from the one job, and a singing bonus from the other. I could afford to take a little time off, but I'm a cheap bastard :-D

I've been through many layoffs at this place, but have been able to keep my head under the radar. It came close a couple times. Some good friends got it. Now I figure I have a good year and a half because much of what i am working on is being moved to SE-Asia in the name of globalization. Then after that, it is 50-50 depending on how my other products do (better than I expected so far). I recently had to train my replacement from Singapore. Luckily, they hired an idiot, so that 1.5 years should grow. the whole thing has been pretty funny though (aside from the usual sress which isn't new). This guy came over here for training, and he is about 4 foot nothing. I know he is no more than 4'5" for or 4'6" and 90 pounds maybe? I'm 6'6" and 300+. He spent a month following me around this place and he insisted on walking behind me instead of beside me. Maybe he just couldn't keep up with those short legs, but I tried to walk slow. But i was told his legs were moving a mile a minute to try and catch up. I guess you had to be there. I took a lot of ribbing and heard a lot of snickering every time he followed me down the hall. I kept thinking I should stop real fast. You know what they say. Crack kills, and he was about the right height. To top that off, the guys last name is Wee (I'm serious). I called him my mini-Wee.

Hang in there.

Big Dave and [size=xx-small]mini-Wee[/size]

 

[jaybo41]

I grew up fishing lakes and ponds with my father and grandfather. That's where my passion for fishing began. Eventually, when I was old enough to at least spend some time on my own. I'd get rides down to fish in the local park where trout were stocked. Then I'd drive there when I was old enough. I loved fishing for trout more than anything.

I spent one warm summer day fishing my spin outfit with grubs and an occasional trout lure and had no luck at all. So I kept walking the stream and noticed a guy fly fishing. Everything about it just grabbed my attention, especially since anyone who was spinning that I observed or spoke to had no luck. The way the line was cast, the way he presented the fly, I was drawn in right there. Then I gave up for the day and watched him fish drys and watched him proceed to land trout after trout and release every one of them. Previously, I'd take a few home but never take my limit, watching him also got me onto C&R.

I went out and picked up a cheap fly outfit and began from there. Once I graduated to a better outfit, I passed that one along to a fishing buddy of mine. I'm more or less self taught, have had one lesson in the 10 years I've been fly fishing. I've learned lots from reading and researching on the net and here

As I progressed further in my ability to fish, I got a tying kit for Christmas from my dad. It was really then that I came to appreciate that fly fishing was much more than just trying to catch trout. It's everything--from the tying, the hiking, being in such natural beauty that otherwise I might not get to see, the countless streamside gear adjustments, fly selection, experimenting with tying--that keeps me passionate about fly fishing. It's so much more than going to a sporting goods store, picking out a rod, reel and some bait and then going to sit on a bucket and watch your bobber. It's technical and it's challenging and there's always something new to learn.

 

[sandfly]

I started playing with a rod I got at Grant's dept store for the local pond fish..Then I found a shop and went to work for tying lessons..I skinned road kill and chickens for awhile..Then was taken to the catskills to meet, Flick, Wulff, The Dettes, and Harry Darbee....What a way to learn...After that it was self taught until I took Leftys class on casting..(I teach his style).. For Salt I spent my summers at Seaside Park where, all the old masters of the salt had a club...Salt Water Fly Rodders of America." Kinda hung around and watched and learned..

 

[Padraic]

I was abducted by aliens. And I have to say, it is sooooo much easier to shoot line in zero G.