It is one thing to not catch fish while nymphing. It is another to be hooking up all day and then come up short on a great spot.
Imagine you have planned your next fly fishing adventure for three days in Bozeman Montana. Pretty darn good choice of locations. Fish the Madison, the Gallatin, and the Missouri, right? Or maybe take a day and go fish the Yellowstone. Why not? They are legendary rivers. Sounds great, but let me tell you why this might not be the best idea.
It all tends to happen fast. Anticipation is replaced by exhilaration when a trout takes your fly. Immediately, there is a moment of holding your breath, hoping the hook set will stick, and then it is right down to the business of landing the fish --- but wait! Don’t lose a nice trout speeding to get him on the reel.
How do you know if your nymphs are making it down to the strike zone along the bottom? Why not just take a look?
If I get out of the drift boat, you may not see me again until the evening hatch. Yeah --- it’s a problem.
Tying your own flies is a huge leap in the pursuit of becoming a great fly fisher. If you are just starting out, congratulations. Now that you have decided to start tying flies, you may be asking, “what fly should I learn to tie first?” The Zebra Midge is an outstanding answer for many reasons.
“You make coffee?”
He stood two feet away from me. Close, so his whisper sounded loud in the quiet while the others slept.
“Nope.”