It took a few months, but I finally managed catch a fish today. A cute little 6" cutt took a #16 soft hackle on the Taylor river, and now I feel like I can truly call myself an angler The back story: My short-lived introduction to fly fishing occurred somewhere around 1993 when I joined a club at my high school back in Toronto, Canada, where I grew up. There wasn't a whole lot of good fishing, but we used to wet our lines at a large pond in the city once a week. Around that time my father bought me a fly-tying kit, and I was in love. (In retrospect, those ugly flies probably worked better at frightening the fish to death.) But like any young teenage boy, my interests soon turned to other things, and fishing became a memory. Fast forward to 2010, and I find myself in the middle of nowhere on the Upper Deschutes river with an amazing guide (long story). My wife caught 2 fish that day while I got skunked, but man, I was totally hooked again! Earlier this year I decided to take the plunge and get right back into it. Picked myself up a some gear and began studying. I read too many books, spent way too many hours lurking on this forum, and gave myself a bunch of casting practice on Lake Washington. But as they say, "fish or cut bait." Well, I had a chance to hit some prime saltwater up the Hood Canal this spring, but no dice. I figured Lincoln Park might be a cakewalk a few weeks ago, but still no luck. I even gave the surf down at Cannon Beach a shot, which was a TON of fun, but the only thing I caught was some sand in my boots. I was beginning to feel like it wasn't meant to be. But today was the day. Based on tons of info from other members' posts here, I figured that the MF Snoqualmie was probably a good place to start my river fishing escapades. I made a few stops to scope out the river, but eventually I found myself all the way up at the trailhead. I remembered reading some posts about the Taylor, so I kept driving further until I found a quiet little pull out. Hiked in and rigged up, and on about the 5th drift through the tail out of a small little pool, Mr. Cutty made my day. I get excited just thinking about it again. Wow. I fished a while longer this afternoon but I didn't have any more takes. That was okay because a sense of pressure had been relieved. Nothing else mattered in that moment. I sat on a rock at the edge of the river and watched some bugs hatch. I laughed when I saw a little inch-long fish dart out and snip at a baetis (I think) floating by on the surface. The scenery was spectacular, and I felt at home. Anyhow, I guess this is sort of my introduction to the forum. Glad to be here, and hope to be able to post more soon!
Munro, great job. I hope you feel a shadow of that same excitement with every future catch, and I hope you become a conservationist and advocate for our sport.
Munro, Great job. Glad you have rekindled your passion for the sport. By the way, the fish in my pic is from the south fork of the Snoqualme. Let us know how your future fishing trips go, I love reports - good bad or hilarious.
Persistence pays off. My girlfriend was feeling the frustration after fishing for six weeks without one to hand. Sunday the skunk wore off and she landed many. Sometimes you just have stick with it until the fishing gods smile on you. Keep up the good work.
Your life will never be the same .. and from one Canuck (Calgarian) to another .. welcome to the forum.
Welcome to the forum. As you have already found out, the information shared among members of this site is invaluable when starting out in this sport. I only started just over a year ago, and thanks to great advice I've had luck with pinks, chums, sea run cutthroats, Yakima rainbows, and even my very first OP steelhead (the crown jewel). All on the swing with a single handed rod. Like so many others, I'm ruined for life, and so much the better for it.
Munro, Good job sticking with it, you learned more in the "dry" period than you may realize. ( I still look back on mine) The pond I was just fishing today had a few spin fishermen on it, that were there when we got there, but I was the only one catching fish--- on the fly.
Congrats and welcome to the family of fly fishing in Washington and beyond. It only gets better from here on in.
