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2. Fly Fishing
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3. I caught a trout!

My depression is cured! On the other hand, my obsession just got another log on the fire.

The local guide took pity on me and took me out fishing yesterday evening. They just stocked a few days ago, so there were plenty of little browns and brookies to catch.

I think the grand total was 15 or so, mostly brookies and some real strong browns for the size (around 6-8 inches)

Now there's no turning back, I'm hooked! ...and now I know what I was doing wrong ;)

Congratulations, Nick. Getting a little guidance can make a lot of difference, and nothing succeeds like success. Now you're hooked firmly, and won't get off easily. Enjoy.

Nice...congrats. Sounds like you had a great time.

Well done! So, what did you find out you were doing wrong?

When I started fly fishing, it was under the mentorship of my Plant Ecology professor at the U of MI Bio Station. He said to me, "Jon, it's going to take three years for you to get good at fly fishing for trout." He was right on the money - I started in '85, and it was '88 before I really started to catch fish. Then it almost seemed easy, as if I'd broken a code...of course, it wasn't easy, but it's gotten easier since then. Now, I do pick my waters - small, low pressure, local so I can learn them well and figure out the good spots. Haven't caught many big fish yet but I'm working on it...

Again, good job. It does get easier.

Jonathon

Well, for one thing I was tromping right on through the fish to get to where I was fishing... Where there were no fish!

I think I was just caught up in the "duldrums". I hadn't caught a fish in over a month of fly fishing. It caused me to forget about "the hunt" and carelessly toss my fly wherever seemed fit. Also I was trying to key in on pocket water too much and taking things I've heard online as "law" when I didn't know the whole story.

So all in all, I was doing a lot of things wrong!

Getting out there with a guide probably helped a lot. As I said in another post, I had a mentor who was a professor of mine, plus he took me to his favorite fly shop and that was also a source of good advice. The more sources of information, the better! Once you get enough of it, you can begin to pick out the brilliance from the bullshit. And time on the water is also critical!

Keep at it, the fish will gradually get bigger and easier to figure out.

Jonathon