Making Strides

The Spring and Summer of 2012 was a turning point for me. After a tough first year I needed some on-the-water guidance from someone who could tell me what I was doing wrong and how to improve. Art and my sister-in-law, Ginny, invited my wife and I to spend a weekend with them. One day would be spent fishing with one of the owners of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing. This fly shop, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is owned and operated by Brian and Colby Trow. They offer fly fishing for trout, smallmouth bass, and musky. Our trip in May was to fish Mossy Creek, a well known spring creek, and Beaver Creek.

Brian would be our guide for the day. As it turned out, I learned more in that one day than I had the previous year, and we caught fish. I’m sure by the end of the day Brian was exhausted from answering hundreds of questions. But you would never know it. He has a lot of energy and genuinely gets excited when you hook into a fish, as seen in the following video. I had hooked into a big rainbow but made a rookie mistake and the fish threw the fly. It was a fun experience.



One of the biggest areas he helped me with was my casting. I was too deliberate and false casted too much. He suggested that I look at the target area where I wanted the fly to land instead of watching the backcast. Almost immediately my casting improved. I began to generate more line speed and improved my accuracy.

As the day went on I began to feel more comfortable. Improved casting and catching fish will do that. The best part of the day came when I was able to land my first fish on a dry fly, a nice 18” rainbow. Brian said it was the biggest first fish on a dry fly that he’s seen caught.

First fish on a dry fly. Beaver Creek, Virginia with Brian Trow, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing.

I highly recommend taking a fishing trip at least once with a guide, especially if you are new to the sport. It will speed up your learning curve.

Having returned home from a great weekend, I couldn’t wait to get out and fish with a new found confidence. The following Saturday I went to fish the Grand River at Hidden Valley. This park is part of the Lake Metroparks in Lake County. It has great access to the Grand River.The lake run smallmouth were still in, and I really wanted to hook into one. I found a pool and noticed some small minnows, so to match them I tied on a white wooly bugger. On my third or fourth cast my line went tight and I set the hook. After a good fight I brought a nice 16” smallmouth to the net. At this point I was really starting to like fly fishing.

 16" smallmouth bass caught on the Grand River, Hidden Valley.

Then the year got even better. I had to book a business trip to Montana in July. Though still relatively new to the sport, even I knew that Montana was a mecca for fly fishers. With a couple of phone calls and emails it was all set. I was able to spend an extra day and float the Yellowstone River. It was a great experience. I was able to see some fantastic scenery and catch some fish.

 

Yellowstone rainbow

 The "Buffalo Hump" on the Yellowstone River.

Not a bad year for a relative newbie.


Go out and fool a fish!

Tough First Year

Once steelhead season was over I continued to fish the Grand and Chagrin Rivers hoping to catch some of the bass that take up residence. The first thing I noticed was that the rivers were virtually empty of other fishermen. I found out that many of the steelhead fishermen quit fishing the rivers, generally in May. They will stay out of the river until the fall. This was great for me, as I enjoyed being on the river early in the morning without another fisherman in sight. I only wished that being the only one would increase my catch rate, but that wasn’t the case.

I struggled to find and catch anything that first summer. I’m sure the mistakes I made didn’t help. Not being a quiet wader didn’t help. With river flows low there was no way I could sneak up on them. Then add in the fact that I was learning how to fish for bass in a river. Don’t know if I was throwing the wrong colors, or not fishing close to structure. It was probably a little of both.

My wife was always interested in how I did. Coming home and saying “skunked again” was getting old. If I didn’t have such a great wife I think anyone else would wonder if I was really fishing. Through this first summer I kept telling myself that there is a learning curve to fly fishing and not to get frustrated.

We made an early fall trip to Mohican State Park to see the changing leaves and fish the Clear Fork River. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources stocks the Clear Fork with brown trout. Additionally, the river has smallmouth, bluegills, and creek chubs.

 Covered bridge on the Clear Fork in Mohican State Park

 Doesn't get any better than this. Early morning on the Clear Fork.

While nymphing, I finally fooled a fish. It was a creek chub which a lot of fishermen would snicker at, but to me it was a step in the right direction. It didn’t matter that it was a chub. I used a nymph and caught a fish. To steal a Beatles phrase, getting better all the time.

First fish on a fly rod. 

It wasn’t until the Spring of 2012 that things started to fall into place. All it took was a trip to a Virginia springcreek with Art and a guide.

Go out and fool a fish!

Fast Forward 40 Years

As I mentioned in my last post, other than an attempt at ice fishing, I didn’t fish for 40 years. I don’t want to overanalyze the reasons for not fishing. Things change. People change. Interests change. What I didn’t realize was how much I missed it.

In the summer of 2010 my sister-in-law and her husband came in for a visit. Art and Ginny have been avid fly fishermen for a long time. If I remember correctly, Art took up fly fishing just about the time I quit fishing. So, he’s been at it for at least 40 years. Whenever we would get together we’d talk a little about fly fishing and Art always said that if I ever wanted to get into it he would spend some time with me. I had taken up golf and felt that I didn’t have time for two hobbies. But, as I got older my lower back would act up, preventing me from playing as often as I liked. So I think the time was right to get back to fishing.

When Art showed up he brought one of his fly rods. My backyard is big enough to make a 30’ cast, so it was perfect. He spent about an hour showing me the basics of casting, and it took me almost that whole hour to get a feel for the cast. Having Art there critiquing me was important. I don’t know how anyone can get the basics without another set of eyes watching. He was able to point out that I was breaking my wrist on the back cast and not stopping on the forward cast. The session helped to get the fire started but it wasn’t until the Spring of 2011 that I went all in.

The Fall and Winter months were spent reading as much as possible, and asking Art hundreds of questions about fly fishing. I also spent some time at the local Orvis shop and Chagrin River Outfitters. What I found out was that in northeast Ohio fly fishing is about steelhead, bass, carp, and panfish. There are limited opportunities for trout, as the rivers and streams get too warm in the summer to support trout. I did ultimately find out that the Mad River in southwest Ohio, the Clear Fork River in central Ohio and Cold Creek in northwest Ohio do receive stockings of trout.

In March of 2011 I finally bought a fly rod and reel and began to wander around the Grand and Chagrin Rivers. My first attempt at fly fishing was less than stellar. I thought a warm March Sunday would be perfect so I went to Helen Hazen Wyman Park. I scoped out the park and found that it had easy access to the Grand. Not only can you fish the Grand but Big Creek also flows through the park. Never having waded before I didn’t want my first adventure to be difficult.

 Big Creek  with five fishermen looking for steelhead

Big Creek gets a nice run of steelies in the Spring.

When I arrived to a full parking lot it sunk in that steelhead fishing was popular around here. Reaching the river there were about 20 fishermen sharing about a 100 yard stretch of water. I had read that fly fishing is very peaceful, but that was not my first impression.

Finally on the water, and everything I had read was suddenly forgotten. I put on an egg pattern (remembered that) and started casting. After a number of casts I realized the fly was right below the surface. Forgot split shot. Put some on and got the fly down so that was my first learning moment. My second came a few minutes later.

I mentioned that wading was new to me but I came prepared with waders and boots. After having fished a section of the river I wanted to move to another spot. Turning downstream, the force of the water pushed me from behind causing me to lose my balance. In I went. Boy, that water was cold. The second learning moment was clear to me. Be careful wading. Made a quick end to the day.

First time out and I learned two things while being skunked. It would slowly get better, very slowly.

Go out and fool a fish!

The Fish of a Lifetime

After a couple of years fishing Deer Bay Reach we did learn where the fish were and it seemed like every trip produced more fish than the previous year. We did catch fish using artificial lures but it was still the worm harness that produced better results. Normally we started the day trolling with the harness, and if it didn’t produce we knew we were in for a long day.

One morning we had just started fishing and were trolling off a point. I had a hit that felt like a snag, just a steady pull. My reaction was to pull up as though I was making a hookset to dislodge the hook. After I did that something took off and line peeled off the reel. After a minute or two of running, the fish finally came to the surface and thrashed around. It was clearly the biggest muskie we had ever hooked. I glanced behind me and my father already had the net ready, lesson learned from the largemouth bass episode. The fish made one more run and it was done. I guided it to the side of the boat and it was nothing but net. Fish landed.

Once in the boat we realized not only was it the biggest fish we ever caught, but in the five years we had been coming to this area we never saw anyone else catch one that big. In an era before catch and release we decided to keep the fish, have it measured and weighed, and then mounted.

We drove to the marina where it was measured. It came in at 48” and weighed 28 pounds. When the owner of the marina asked what I caught it on I said “a worm harness”. His rely was “That’s OK. You don’t really have to tell me”. He didn’t believe a worm harness could have caught such a fish.

We didn’t know that the marina sponsored a contest where the biggest muskie of the year won a small prize. At the end of the season we received a package in the mail. The muskie we landed was the largest in the area, and the prize was a set of six Carling beer glasses, which I still have and use.

Little did I know but that muskie would be one of the last fish I would catch for 40 years. Other than an attempt at ice fishing in college, where I caught nothing but a cold, I would not wet a line until 2011.

Go out and fool a fish!

The One That Got Away……Really

When we made our first trip to Canada we always wanted an early start. Every morning we woke up before 6:00AM. Most of the time the winds would be calm which gave a mirror-like surface to the water. That was our go signal. If the winds were up, we just took a little more time before hitting the water. If we were out by 6:00AM we would fish for about three hours and then head in for breakfast.

 Early morning trolling. Almost perfect water.

My mother, who liked to fish, was not an early riser. Usually in the middle of the afternoon we would take her out for a couple of hours, anchor at a cove, and just relax. The area we fished at that time of the day was very quiet. We’d catch a few fish dropping a worm over the side and she would be happy. Then one day, lightning struck, and we were not ready.

Anchored at a cove, my mother hooked into a big fish. She was using the old rod my grandfather made. That fish, whatever it was, put a big bend in it. My father looked at me with his eyes wide open. We sat in the boat giving her all kinds of instruction as she reeled the fish in. My father just kept saying “don’t horse it in”. Unfortunately we didn’t realize that the net we had, with a collapsible handle, wasn’t ready. When the fish came to the surface it was a big largemouth bass. I truly believe a bowling ball would have fit comfortably in its mouth. Seeing the fish, my mother began to panic, as she didn’t want to lose it. My father reached for the net but because the handle wasn’t engaged it started to spin and he couldn’t put it under the fish. My mother, forgetting all the instructions just given her, saw that and tried to lift the fish in the boat. Her fate was sealed at that point. The fish broke the line, and all three of us sat in stunned silence that felt like hours. What happened next is something I will never forget.

The quiet of that afternoon was broken as my mother yelled “YOU IDIOTS!”, in a decibel level that no human before or since has ever come close to matching. I’m sure people in Quebec, 300 miles away, heard those words. Dogs hid in fear. Birds flew to the safety of their nests. No words could be spoken to calm her down. If she knew how to swim I believe she would have jumped out of the boat and swam to shore.

Not funny at the time, but 55 years later, hilarious.

Go out and fool a fish!

An Old Tackle Box Tells A Story

Until the yearly trips to Canada we fished strictly with live bait, either minnows or nightcrawlers. Sitting on a pier using live bait we caught fish. When my father talked to Norm about the area we were going to fish he said that we could be successful and catch fish continuing to use live bait but that for a chance at really big fish we should use lures. To start us off Norm gave us names of several lures he used. So with a couple of trips to Giant Tiger we put together a tackle box.

Looking back I now know why we were not successful that first year. While we did catch some fish it was not what my father expected. We went from stationary fishing from a pier to a boat. We also did not have a good grasp of fishing around structure. And finally, even though we had lures that someone said would work we didn’t know how to fish them. We experimented with all types of retrieves but I don’t believe we caught anything on a lure that first year.

The setup that did save the first trip was using a worm harness. The fish we did catch were caught using this simple rig. A worm harness is a rig that uses three single hooks spaces about 2”-3” apart all connected with a piece of monofilament. At the top of the rig was a small spinner with red beads. Attach one nightcrawler over the three hooks and you are ready to fish. This setup caught walleye and bass either drifting or trolling. Talk about being in a comfort zone.

It wasn’t until the second year that I caught a 36” muskie using a Mepps bucktail spinner. I truly believe catching that fish kept us coming back. Had we not caught it I sensed my father was ready to give up on this location. While he enjoyed being there, taking a peaceful two week break from his work he wanted to catch some big fish.

A few weeks ago I pulled that old tackle box out and was surprised how many lures we accumulated from those six years, almost all of them are now 50 years old. We eventually did catch fish using them but the best producer was still the worm harness. Here are a few pictures to share. The sign of a good product is longevity. These lures are still being produced today.

Heddon Crazy Crawler – This is a 50 year topwater lure that has two wings

 that open up when retrieved creating a disturbance that attracts fish. 

Rapala – This lure sits on the surface of the water when not retrieved and dives

 below when retrieved. Rapala makes many more popular lures for surface and 

subsurface fishing. The one pictured is 50 years old and has a broken lip.

Arbogast Jitterbug – This is a topwater lure that creates a disturbance on the surface

 when retrieved. It is the first lure that we purchased for the Canadian trip.

 Arbogast still manufactures this lure.

Musky Bucktail Spinner – This is the largest lure we threw. It is approximately 7” 

in length.The material used to make the bucktail is past its useful life. 

Touch it and it just falls apart.

Go out and fool a fish!

We’re Going To Canada

Besides fishing for relaxation my father also bowled in the fall and winter. While bowling he met Norm, who loved to fish. Norm had a cottage north of Toronto that he rented when not in use. Once Norm told my father of the good fishing it was an easy sell. My father signed up for two weeks in July. This was major as I do not remember ever taking an extended family vacation.

Starting in 1965 we made yearly trips with the last one in 1970 when I went to college. Looking back I now realized we were fish out of water (pun intended) on the first trip. Up to that point the fishing my father and I did was from a pier with a worm or minnow as bait. Now the Canadian trips would involve fishing from a boat trolling, drifting, or casting lures. Not only that but we would now fish for musky, walleye, and bass. Leave the carp, sheepshead, and catfish behind. We did catch some fish that first year. The walleye in the picture are proof.

The body of water we fished was called Deer Bay Reach, now renamed Lower Buckhorn Lake. In the heart of cottage country, Deer Bay Reach is located in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. It is part the Trent-Severn Waterway. The drive from Cleveland took almost eight hours. Back in the 1960’s the speed limit was much lower and the roads, especially through the Toronto area, were not as developed. Once we passed Toronto it was as though we entered a wilderness area. Each town we drove by was smaller than the last. Once we drove by Peterborough every turn put us on a smaller road. The road leading to the cottage was barely wide enough for a station wagon. For someone who grew up in and around Cleveland I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

Fast forward to today and using internet mapping I can pinpoint the exact location of the area we visited. I’ve attached a screen grab of the area. It has been built up and appears as though the small cottages have been replaced with larger homes.

I've also attached a photograph of the shoreline. This was taken in the morning with an old box camera that my mother used. I always thought that was a great photo, capturing the best part of the day. We always liked waking up early to fish when the water was like glass.

More to come.

Go out and fool a fish!