I saw a poll like this on another forum and thought the results were interesting. How did you learn?
I realize you may have used several methods, but please name your primary method of learning fly fishing.
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I saw a poll like this on another forum and thought the results were interesting. How did you learn?
I realize you may have used several methods, but please name your primary method of learning fly fishing.
I like to learn on my own, just watched youtube videos and figured it out.
Bought a flyrod when I was 16 and went fishing with it. Never had held one before but started catching bream after a few tries, no long cast just getting the popper under trees or low brush. There wasn't computers then and not many books about fly fishing could be found in the local stores.
It kinda depends on what you would call 'Learning to fly fish'. I was taught to cast by family members (my answer) but learned to catch fish on the fly on my own, if you consider reading books, watching others, and web sites like this, then yes I'm self taught. Oh, and by the way, I have been to a fly fishing school as well.
Sitting on the shoulders of my second oldest brother. I was 7 years old then. Now 46!
My uncle taught me, but I have done an awful lot of reading on the subject. I try to use the fly rod and casting rod equally. My uncle got me started tying my own flies as well. He ties for primarily trout and salmon, being in the northwest. Me being in the midwest, I tie warmwater flies. Love it all. Tight lines to all.
My uncle got me started aswell at age 14, thats when the sickness started . I have been fly fish'n and tying ever since. Ilove to tie but can't claim that it has ever saved me a dime , just the opposite. :)
A next door neighbor bought me a fly rod and reel i was about 13. I started using it for redear. I've been hooked on fly fishing ever since. The neighbor gave it to me and I taught myself. Caught some pretty nice fish on it including a few 24 inch rainbows and a few 1lb readears.
My first experience fishing was with a WWII vintage bamboo fly rod. It was still fishing with my dad when I was about 3-4 years old. (Before I can remember) When I was a kid (64 now) I used to like to play with home made whips, and listen to them crack. I figured fly fishing was the same a playing with a whip, but without the crack. I'm now a member of the largest fly fishing only website, and have been for some time. I do fish other methods, but fly fishing is my favorite.
Hey, LJ. I thought I recognized you from FAOL. Welcome aboard! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotech Joe
Thanks db4dQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Bought a flyrod outfit and some flies/poppers and hit the bream/bass ponds. Had a ball too. Havent fly fished in many many years now.
I bought some poppin bugs and didnt like casting them on spinning tackle and a casting bubble so I bought a quantum fly reel out of the used counter and a 9' 5wt silstar el cheapo rod. I tied on a bug and practiced in the back yard. I got a handle on it real quick. I just remember thinking this flyline acts like a water hose. We all remember whipping a water hose around trying to get the kink out so water could flow. Thats how I learned to make the line go where I wanted it to go. Latter on I found out some of the stuff I did had names/roll cast. Im still not the greatest at it but give me a sponge spider and a poppin bug and I will catch the wizz out of some gills on a warm day. I love it when they are slurrpin bugs off the top, nothing funner than a flyrod in that situation. I also whack'em on a flyrod useing only a gulp maggot or power wiggler on a salmon egg hook. Tuff to beat when they are picky.
Started out whipping a popper on a cane pole for bass as a child . I taught school for 32 yrs . and offer to teach any one who wants to learn . usually we started off in a chair in the center of gym or a lawn chair outside . learning to feel the rod load up is easier taught without any wind . spend about an hour or so casting at paper plates at various lengths . then go to a lake . i run the boat to keep casting distance short to prove accuracy is more important than length of cast . have taught about 100 to cast and roll a fly . we also roll crickets with a real cork (tiny). this is a southern thing i think .
A long time fishin' buddy picked it up while working in Illinois. Spent all his off time in Wisconsin fishin' for steelhead. Came
back to Texas and gave me my first fly rod. I became addicted and got into tying and went to a tying class. After 15 years
I finally gave most all of my materials away to a newbie. Kept just enough to tie a few once in a while. Got a large surplus of
most everything I'd ever fish with. Tied some pom-poms that look like floating fish food and catch the fool out of some real
nice channel cats in the neighbors pond. Still like to crappie fish once in a while with wooly-buggers and like to send out
the little spiders to the bluegill with my 3 wt. Don't know if I'll ever use my St. Croix 7 wt. again or not, and don't use the
5 wt. as much as I enjoy my 3 wt. Standing in my WS Ride 135 is still fun when the gills are hitting and the crappie are on
the banks. Now, I fish more than my friend that taught me, but thats a whole different story.
I think you should try that now. If possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jigsoaker
I grew up with my grandpa fly fishing....by himself.
He raised 4 boys and three girls. He went to Roaring River every spring for twe weeks to be by himself I guess. Always wanted to learn, but oh well. I got to bass fish with him a lot though.
My wife and I have been trout fishing for many years, but I've always used spinning gear. Finally decided to take the plunge. Bought some decent gear, but never could master the cast.
Finally hired a guide at on the lower Mountain Fork River in SE Okla. Told him that I didn't care if I ever caught a single trout, but wanted to learn the cast, and presentation.
As soon as we hit the stream, a tremendous thunder storm hit that started getting the water muddy. We kept moving down stream, with him coaching. Caught a few on accident, but I learned from a professional. He was gruff, and not that patient, but when I handed him my gear, and told him I wanted to see him throw it, I was amazed. The problem was me and not my gear.
At the end of the trip, I learned three times more than I ever thought I could. Still a little rough on the cast, as I don't get a lot of practice, but our twice a year trip to Lake Tanneycomo Mo. has turned into a 100% fly fishing trip for trout.
Now I understand why folks like to fly fish.
About 50 years ago I was in Kmart with my dad and they had a barrel full of cheap fiberglass flyrods on sale . I somehow talked my dad into buying me one with the expectation , I would pay him back , probably by doing extra stuff around the house. With an allowance of only 25 cents a week , it would have taken me months to save up enough to buy it on my own . It may have been my birthday , I do remember it was summertime . A cheap single action reel , I think it was a Kmart brand , probably a Martin copy , and with a level line and I was ready .
I checked out books at the school library about Flyfishing and casting . I watched every "Flying Fisherman " with Gadabout Gaddis episode I could on the old black and white tv we had back then .
I remember tying flies using a " pair of pliers " with a rubberband wrapped around the jaws to keep them closed . Ugly looking flies ,tied with whatever materials I could come up with tied on Aberdeen hooks . Ugly as they were , they occasionally fooled a bluegill or two.
I can remember one afternoon , we were fishing a small farm on a horse farm near Stone Mountain , Georgia , and my dad wanted to give the flyrod a try , throwing a popper . He was beating the water pretty good but once cast out and after a couple pops, a large bass sucked in . Now he had a problem , he had a four or five pound bass on a rod he had no idea how to get it in. He started backing up trying to drag the bass out of the pond . It didn't take long before the six pound test Kmart mono line homemade leader let go , with my dad almost falling backwards . I don't remember him asking to use the flyrod again , he said something about , if he'd hook that fish on his spinning rod , he'd gotten it in.
But that day convinced me the flyrod was the greatest way to catch fish .
So, since I've never had lessons , I'm going to say I was self taught . Kirby aka gillchaser
Well, Spanish Fly and other fly fishing shows got me interested, and i taught myself with a cheap 13 dollar fly rod from academy. it broke 2 days after i got it, so it got sent back. i then bought a pflueger starting kit for 65 bucks at BPS, and i still use it.
I grew up with a tributary to the West Branch of the Delware River within 100 yds of the back door. Dad gave me my first fly rod when I was 11 years old and I fished almost everyday. Caught a bunch of trout on about 3 wet fly patterns and a couple of old streamer flys. In fact caught more then than I did after trying to "match the hatch " with dry flys. After getting a drivers license I would fish the East Branch (married a young lady who lived next to that riiver) and the Beaverkill. Would by dry flies from Harry and Elsie Darby who would sell them to us for a quarter because we were local boys.
watchin t.v. then go try what i seen.
Dad: Enough said
My Dad taught me when I was a little boy. I'm 65 now and I'm still learning.
Born and raised on the famous White River!!! Was and still is my backyard!! We fished for Bream and still do with a fly/rod, popping bug/bream killer!! The Trout came next!! Made our own popping bugs/bream killer's!!!Attachment 149921Attachment 149922!!!
Raised up fly fishing for perch, bait for flathead catfish!! I still really enjoy fly fishing for perch.
My Dad taught me when I was 14, Im 45 now and I still have that fly rod and still bring it out quite a bit.
My dad and uncle. We fished for trout exclusively back then. Still fly fish my favorite past time.
still trying to learn. but self taught
Never taken a lesson, never shown how to improve from anyone, so I guess I'm self taught. Cheap solid glass rod, martin copy reel, level line and a piece of 10lb for leader. Learned the most standing in a canoe in grass ponds near where I lived 30 years ago using poppin bugs bought for $2 a card. A 5 and a half lb LMB is my biggest to date, and don't do it as much as I should as it's very satisfying. Little in life is better than a busy morning with a buggy whip in your hand and cooperative oversize copperhead gills. I now have an 8' 4wt Pfleuger that is a pleasure to have in your hand, and an 8' 7wt Browning Silaflex that belonged to my Dad, heavy as a brick. Tie some of my own that show how much I don't know but still land a fish now and then.
Still learning. Seems like a never ending process.
Went to my pond yesterday that got dug out a couple of years ago and stocked with copper nose bluegill and some green sunfish that showed up from who knows where.
Caught a lot of dinks and a couple 1/2 pounders.
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My dad and I used to drive up to Canada every other yearexpressly to chase Muskie. While I was briefly living a few minutes from GoldenColorado just down stream from the Coors brewery, he sent me a 9# Orvis setup for our nextCanada trip. Needless to say that rod was extreme overkill for the small troutin Clear Creek. I “taught” myself how to cast with some flies recommended bythe nearby fly shops and actually managed to catch a few trout there. I didmake it back to Canada once with my dad and that fly rod and landed some reallynice small mouth and a few wily Pike. I still haven’t hooked into a Muskie withit yet. It’s been nearly 8 years since we took our father son fishing trip, it’slong overdue. We’re scheduled to leave in less than two weeks. I remember mydad catching some bass and bluegill with a fly rod as a kid but I can’tremember him ever handing it to me. So to answer the question of the post I amself-taught, never had a lesson and just watched my first YouTube video on thesubject yesterday. I’ve done quite a bit of reading throughout the years butpretty much just got the gear and winged it. I’m sure I could learn a lot fromjust about anyone experienced with a bug whip.
My father taught me when I was a kid. I have loved it all my life, 70yrs. We caught many Crappie on a Eagle Claw-with jigs.