Post by aarond12 on Dec 31, 2022 20:49:37 GMT -6
Just got home from BB after spending the Holiday with the family down there. I have had 2 or 3 fishing trips to the River over the past couple of years with a lot of "education" given to me by the LMFR when it comes to fly fishing. After lurking here and consuming A LOT of information, I finally decided that I needed the help of a professional. So, I booked a trip with the Fly Shop for the morning of December 26th.
I arrived at the Fly Shop at 8:00 am on the morning of the 26th and met my guide, Matt. He asked me if I was an experienced fly fisherman, but I'm quite certain he could tell, that I was not. I informed him that I had currently landed 6 trout on the Fly rod in my career. He seemed confident that we would catch more than 6 trout that morning, and I liked his optimism.
It was a pretty cold morning but we made the short drive over to the Hickory Hole/Evening Hole bridge. We would start on the Hickory side and eventually work our way up the river over the course of the morning and then later back down. Things started off quick at Hickory, Matt gave me some brief instructions, we talked some technique, and then it was on. I caught a fish on my first drift, a smaller rainbow. My 2nd fish came very quickly, a pretty good rainbow (14 or 15 inches). The third fish came fast again, the big rainbow on the hook-set shot straight up out of the water like a missile. I heard Matt yell out that's a really good fish! After a fun battle, Matt got the fish in his net. It was a nice Rainbow, just a tick under 20 inches. By far the biggest trout I had ever seen up close. We exchange fist bumps, took some photos and went back to it.
Over the course of the morning we caught a lot of rainbows, and I even caught my first Brown, a small but pretty fish. One of the highlights of the morning was Matt spotting a really big Brown in the evening hole, we tried for a while to get a bite but it was not to be. Eventually the fish went back down stream and we lost sight of him in the riffles.
I appreciated Matt's patience, I missed a lot of fish on hook sets, and he kept us getting bites all morning log. We probably landed 25 fish but should have/could have been 50 if not for me.
You guys were dead on in your suggestion to hire a guide. I learned more in my 4 hours with Matt than I had in my 2 years of internet reading, youtube videos, forum visits, and on river experiences. I spent the rest of the week fishing solo, and did catch some fish (not the same levels of success I had with Matt) but still fun. I know that my drifts and technique had improved.
I have now caught fish in several places on the river. The one current place that has shut me down is Spillway Creek. I think in the future I will hire a Fly Shop guide with my target set on catching fish in Spillway Creek.
I arrived at the Fly Shop at 8:00 am on the morning of the 26th and met my guide, Matt. He asked me if I was an experienced fly fisherman, but I'm quite certain he could tell, that I was not. I informed him that I had currently landed 6 trout on the Fly rod in my career. He seemed confident that we would catch more than 6 trout that morning, and I liked his optimism.
It was a pretty cold morning but we made the short drive over to the Hickory Hole/Evening Hole bridge. We would start on the Hickory side and eventually work our way up the river over the course of the morning and then later back down. Things started off quick at Hickory, Matt gave me some brief instructions, we talked some technique, and then it was on. I caught a fish on my first drift, a smaller rainbow. My 2nd fish came very quickly, a pretty good rainbow (14 or 15 inches). The third fish came fast again, the big rainbow on the hook-set shot straight up out of the water like a missile. I heard Matt yell out that's a really good fish! After a fun battle, Matt got the fish in his net. It was a nice Rainbow, just a tick under 20 inches. By far the biggest trout I had ever seen up close. We exchange fist bumps, took some photos and went back to it.
Over the course of the morning we caught a lot of rainbows, and I even caught my first Brown, a small but pretty fish. One of the highlights of the morning was Matt spotting a really big Brown in the evening hole, we tried for a while to get a bite but it was not to be. Eventually the fish went back down stream and we lost sight of him in the riffles.
I appreciated Matt's patience, I missed a lot of fish on hook sets, and he kept us getting bites all morning log. We probably landed 25 fish but should have/could have been 50 if not for me.
You guys were dead on in your suggestion to hire a guide. I learned more in my 4 hours with Matt than I had in my 2 years of internet reading, youtube videos, forum visits, and on river experiences. I spent the rest of the week fishing solo, and did catch some fish (not the same levels of success I had with Matt) but still fun. I know that my drifts and technique had improved.
I have now caught fish in several places on the river. The one current place that has shut me down is Spillway Creek. I think in the future I will hire a Fly Shop guide with my target set on catching fish in Spillway Creek.