There comes a point and time in a fly fisherman’s life that defines him. For example: Do you continue to fish the way you always have, and pursue and catch the same fish in the same way? Or do you challenge yourself to push the envelope and experience fly fishing from a new perspectives? Probably everyone on this site knows exactly what I’m talking about.Some friends of mine and I decided to take the latter approach. We chose to fish when weather conditions would normally dictate poor fishing to say the least. And we chose a very technical piece of water where light rods, fine tippets and small flies are the norm. So, what did we do? We met at a spring creek in upstate, NY for a morning fly fishing session. Air temps were struggling to get above 10 degrees and everything in upstate NY had been frozen for a while now, except for some tail water fisheries. And even those waters were struggling to stay above freezing. A certain spring creek, however, stays at a fairly constant temperature – hovering somewhere around 50 degrees (plus or minus a few degrees) all year long.The fishing started off a little slow, with a fish here and there for the first 45 minutes. Then, it started to “warm up.” We made some fly changes and things really started to heat up. Our indicators started dipping more and more and we would even have times when we would hook up with a fish on 3 or 4 consecutive drifts. We even had a double hook-up in the mix. The sun was shining, it felt good to be outside with friends and fish and we were all feeling pretty good! We fished hard for several hours catching many decent fish before the sun disappeared behind some clouds and the fishing cooled down, just like the weather. But not before we brought close to thirty fish to hand and lost many others.So, what made this day different? We could have done what we always seem to do and gone steelhead fishing. But, on this day we wanted a new experience and a new challenge. One that would give us a new perspective, and maybe if we were fortunate enough … redefine us!
Bfly – I am right on board with you and your crew. Fishing and fly fishing for me is constantly be defined and redefined. Sometimes its about big fish, sometimes small fish, sometimes trout, sometimes saltwater, sometimes no fish, sometimes traveling, sometimes fishing close to home etc… I can’t think of any static activity that stays fun and engaging for very long. “Change” (in my opinion) is critical. These days, I find less enjoyment in doing things I have done so many times that they have basically become habits rather than experiences. And, the beauty of it all is the fact that “to change things up” doesn’t always require that much effort. Sure, you can fly to Mongolia or wherever to fly fish for a species you never caught and that will work. But, you can also stay right in your home waters and change your PERSPECTIVE and that works just as well. I often enjoy going to a river in my home waters and rather than doing “the same old” drifts with the “same old” flies – I try to commit to fishing an entirely new method and stay away from the drifts that I already know. I think, in order for fly fishing or any form of fishing to stay alive in my life – I must constantly be refining and redefining my own definition of fly fishing .. otherwise, it will slowly drift into the huge pile of “things I used to do.”
Fly Fishermen are a constantly evolving group. Some like clear warm Sunny days on which to catch their fish. There are those that overcast and some rain won’t stop them from casting a line. Then there is the rest of us, Fish are taking! I’m in! Thanks for the story.
Thanks for the comment Jeremy. It’s great to know that there are others that share the same passion for tossing a fly into the drink….and on occasion, go outside the norm and stretch ourselves a little. Fish on!
Greg,
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. It seems as though I have always been in search that moment that you described so well….”Fish are taking! I’m in!” Everything else is in the background….thanks!
Good story. I am a big proponent of breaking out of the normal routine. Whether it is going during conditions that shouldn’t be the greatest or to a different spot or changing up the flies and rigs when you are already catching fish, I like to mix it up. I think you learn a lot this way about the fisheries and about the fish and find out things you wouldn’t if you just went to the old standby spot with the old standby rig. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
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