Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

Curious as to who here might have this amazing journey in their life besides me.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

Both! Still fly fish quite a bit. I don’t tie anymore...since children.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

I am into traditional fly fishing as well as Tenkara. Tie all the time. Even more now just for my own sanity.

Mike Mercer lives here, and we fish together.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

Did it 30 years ago. But not since.
I used rooster feathers and male peacock feathers etc off of our farm to tie flies.

Fished the local farm ponds.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

I live on the East Coast. Eastern Brook trout are native in our mountains, and that is my preferred species. Not the biggest fish but beautiful and easy to catch if you are stealthy. I really like the seclusion that comes with finding them too...generally a good hike from the main trail. It's usually a good bit different than western fly fishing the streams are small streams with lots of cover. I seldom trout fish with anything higher than a 3 wt. I've spent many a night in the backcountry chasing brookies.

I also do some muskie fishing with a 9 or 10 wt rod. Decent flies are hard to find for them, so most of mine have either been tied by myself or a friend. Large reverse buck tails with the Blaine Chocklett's "game changer" design. Most of my muskie flies are 10 inches or longer.

I went through a period of time where I did nothing but fly fish. Even for warm water species, got rid of almost all of my conventional tackle. Lately, I am not the purist I thought to be then. Fishing has dropped significantly on my priority list in the last couple years, so when I go, I try to make it count, and I generally make do with what I have.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

Smalls streams are closed here until April. So the McCloud River and Hat Creek are off for me (We have actually many, many creeks). But the Lower and upper Sacramento (Below Mount Shasta) are open year round.

The fish in the Redding, Ca. Area in the Sacramento are monstrous, native Rainbows, averaging 18, but exceeding 20 inches many times. A five weight rod will put you in for the fight of your life.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

One of my daughters went to our pond with a cheap no-name pole from walmart and a hook. I don't know what bait she used, probably either a cricket or a worm dug up in the field. She came back 15 minutes later with two bass.

She doesn't "stay quiet" when fishing, doesn't use any geegaws/floats/sinkers/whatevers, doesn't bob the line, doesn't follow any fishing rules I ever heard were necessary to catch fish. She don't waste time and don't care. She goes out to get fish and she does, lickity split.

"Country folk can survive...."

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

First of all, that's awesome.

Bass are more inured to the rules, because they are not cautious.

River trout, especially the native wild ones here, are a mercurial sort, and are constantly in play.

In the end, the experience is what matters, and the entomological journey for me has been amazing.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

A kid we knew in our previous hometown used to fish by wading into the Trinity River out to about waist deep, stand there for a minute, then shoot both hands into the water and come up with a fish. :)

I've known some guys way back in the day to use dynamite though... Said they all just float to the surface and they'd sweep 'em up with nets. Not recommended these days, of course.

Re: Fly Fishing/Fly Tying
 

Her and her husband catch snakes by hand, too, out in ponds and creeks. Did I mention we some country folks? Lol