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3. Long-time reader, never-time poster? Start here!, Page 3

Thanks for the welcome, guys!

Taxon,

It was HOT when we were in MT (staying in Big Sky)so I didn't fish much in YNP. The first night that we were there I fished the Gibbon above the falls and caught 2 browns on a small X caddis...my first one on the second drift! We also saw a CRAZY hatch of smallish caddis, but I didn't get one to identify.

I fished the Gallatin and Madison exclusively after that and did well considering. A float on the madison below Quake Lake to the Palisades produced many small browns (and a nice rainbow that my girlfriend couldn't land).

The next day fishing below $3 Bridge we did OK mostly nymphing though I caught my largest fish of the trip on a dry (another Xcaddis I think).

Two other days spent on the Gallatin, which was running COLD, were productive for many small 'bows.

My name is Luke. I grew up in Potter County, PA - coudersport, to be specific. My first fishing expedition was to Lyman Lake when I was 5. My brother took me, he was probably 20 at the time. We used salmon eggs and caught 6 rainbows out of the lake on opening day. I was hooked. My brother died a few years later but I continued to fish with bait and lures, basically self taught. Some time around 12 years old I discovered that another brother had a fly rod at the house (he was in colege) so I started playing around with that. In my early teens I took a fly tying course sponsored by the local TU. Later in high school, when I could drive, I mostly fished for bass in some friends ponds (there were 7 large ponds near Millport, PA that some friends owned), I went nearly every day in the summer.

Once in college, at Penn State, I took the fly fishing course as one of my Phys Ed classes. Joe Humphries was teaching it then. I had no idea who he was at the time but when he played some videos for us in class I recognized hime. He had a fly fishing show on PBS for a while and we used to watch it while we tied flies. We made several field trips to the local streams and he would turn us loose for a few hours. When we cam back to the bus, he had hot dogs, chips and sodas waiting for us on 2 or 3 occasions. It was a fun class and he was a great instructor.

After college, I got married and had kids and hung up all the fishing rods for a while. From 1999-2002 I was a single parent (had custody of the kids) and got back into bass fishing. My little girl was the "worm girl". She carried the worms and broke the nightcrawlers in half for my son and I. I remarried in 2002 and got back into fly fishing shortly after that. I was serious about it this time and I feel that I have learned a lot in the last few years. I like to read about fishing and insects. Even though I feel I have learned a lot and my skills have grown vastly, I still feel like I know nothing at times.

My son is 16 now and we go out together when we can. My daughter is 9 and I bought her first rod for her on her ninth birthday ( a Heritage 7'6" 4 wt.). I want to get her casting lessons because she has great interest and I am just not a good teacher. I would be proud if she grew up to contiue fly fishing and tying throughout her life.

That's about it. So far I think this is great site. Glad I found it.

Luke

"Even though I feel I have learned a lot and my skills have grown vastly, I still feel like I know nothing at times."

Boy, isn't that the truth. Thanks for the bio, Luke - good to know you.

-Shawn

HI ALL,

HI ALL,IHAVE BEEN FISHING ALMOST ALL MY LIFE.IT STARTED OFF WEXFORD CATCHING COD AND MACKERAL.EVER SINCE IHAVE BEEN FASINATED BY FISHING EITHER IT BE FLY COARSE OR SEA.IFISH REGULARY AT RATHBEGGAN LAKES AND MAYNOOTH FISHERIES.GREAT CRACK!!!!IREAD iRISH ANGLER EVERY MONYH AND FIND IT VERY HELPFUL AND INTERESTING. CIAN

Hello Cian-

Was trying to figure out whether you were from County Meath, Ireland or from Meath, Arizona, USA, but your second post answered that question. Sounds like you have some outstanding brown trout fishing where you are. Although I have no particular standing here, welcome aboard anyway.

Luke, Cian, glad to see you posting here. I echo Shawn's sentiments. I've been working on my casting lately and it amazes me that I have fished for years without developing a consistently smooth and tight loop in my backcast. I need eyes in the back of my head!! And more practice.

Hi, Jason. I've been loving your pics. They have helped designing a few flies, such as my Hydopsyche fly of olive/yellew antron spun in a loop with a darker rust-colored antron throax picked out. Like many, I've migrated toward antron-like materials after years and years of muskrat, etc.

Anyway, I want to know (and maybe I should post this elsewhere)if caddis larvae leave their cases when they they are doing their daily bevariorial drifting in the current? Or do some stay in their cases to protect themselves?

Thanks,

Hey Ton,

Welcome to the site. As often happens when somebody asks an interesting question here, someone started a separate topic to address it more thoroughly. There are several good answers here, but the short version is that yes, depending on species, caddis larvae may drift with or without their cases.

Hey guys, thanks for replying to my post.Yes there is very good trout fishing near my area.And in fact,Rathbeggan Lakes is home to the rainbow trout irish record caught in 2005 which topped 22lbs!!!!!the coarse fishing there is alright with carp up to 7lbs and roach, bream and hybrids up to about 3 or 4lbs.But the carp fishing in Maynooth is amazing with the record toping 34lbs 3oz!!!!There is also quality 'bows & brownies up to 20lbs.Where do you guys live and any good fishing there?? -Cian

hi shane,this is Cian here and i just found his site two days ago actually.I enjoyed reading your bio and found it very interesting.Im from and living in Co. Meath Ireland.Im 13 years young and going on 14 in a few months.Near my area there is brilliant trout fishing.And in a fishery called Rathbeggan Lakes holds the Rainbow irish record of 22lbs!!!IN another fishery thee are carp(common and mirrors)up to 34lbs.I believe there is a Speices of carp in your country known as Buffalo carp can grow to 70lbs!I read about it in a fishing book but could hardly believe it!

hey cian check your pm's

heyall cianos back.any crack!!!!!!!!

I often have both breakfast and lunch, the contents vary usually by weather and mood, but I rarely take the fish I catch because I feel in their debt for actually biting my hook of all things

hey shane o mac,check ure pm's!!!!!!!!

Hey Guys,went fishin 4 'bows today,caught a few nice ones.One of the guys i went fishin with wants to join this forum so ill try and get him on tomorrow.His names Sean.Watch out 4 him tomorrow! -Cian

sup man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome. Glad to have you aboard.

see anything about c+b on ur way home

talk 2 me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!