The beginning is special. It is in the beginning that the bond forms. After the excitement of something new wears off. When you are not catching fish. When you have to re-tie your knots. When the fish are rising to everything except your fly. It may not seem like it. And you may not notice it, but these are the times when something special happens between you and the river and the fish you chase.
It had been too long since I made it to the river. I was at a new job with the airlines and had been living in Kansas City for about a year. It was high time for a fly fishing trip to re-cage. I set my mind on some good old fashioned, summer dry fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains.
Blasphemy? I embrace it. Of all the trout I have caught fly fishing, rarely was the sole source of hooking up an eye watering cast. There is so much more to chase.
First, let me say again that I enjoyed flying with you. Congratulations on all the exciting things happening in your life with work and family. Good for you on the upcoming fly fishing adventure. I hope you catch lots of trout and end up on a river again soon. Now about those waders.
Fly fishing is problem solving in the pursuit of fish. Fishing a dropper solves many problems, but when and how to do it still “depends”. Upon what? For me, a lot ---
Fly Tying (Shady Flies)
DON’T BUY A FLY TYING KIT! A Beginners Guide On How to Start and Keep Tying Your Own Flies
It was in sunny Las Vegas Nevada, that I remember telling my wife, “I’d really like to get into tying my own flies.” My wife, whose memory can be either a steel trap or --- let’s just say the opposite of a steel trap --- decided to use her powers for good and several months later at Christmas I had a fly tying kit. Hooray! Hugs and smooches exchanged, I sat down to tie my first fly on Christmas morning, 2013. And while I tied a few flies between then and now, I can say that the fly tying kit may have “started” me into tying my own flies, but it was a weak and pathetic start. A long road filled with terrible flies, that rarely were used, let alone caught fish. I’ll tell you why.