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!