A Walk In The Park

Yesterday was one of those summer days that you just had to be outside. Blue skies and comfortable temperatures make for a great combination to pick a park and go for a walk. My wife grabbed her camera and told me to take a rod and do some fishing from shore. These trips are more about getting out and enjoying the scenery, and not necessarily about catching fish. If I hooked into something it would be a bonus. To travel light I picked my 6 wt. along with a popper and a woolly bugger. And off we went to a couple of parks out east.

We started at the Harpersfield covered bridge. It makes for some great photos. Whenever we go to the bridge I’m amazed at the number of people fishing from it. The bridge has to be 20’ above the water. Yesterday there were seven people, young and old, tossing live bait under bobbers. If you are familiar with the bridge there is a pool that is about 75 yards long. Some of the fishermen were drifting their offerings right to the tailout of the pool. Unfortunately, it was a quiet day, and there wasn’t any catching going on.

Harpersfield Covered Bridge, one of 19 covered bridges in Ashtabula County. A great spot for a walk or wetting a line.

As my wife and I walked downstream there were egrets, herons, and belted kingfishers perched on their favorite rock or tree waiting for a meal. I think they were having about the same kind of day as the fishermen from the bridge.

This egret stood motionless for minutes waiting for a meal.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

My wading boots were purposely left at home so I found a spot with enough room to cast from shore. I worked a stretch of water with the popper with no action. I guess not catching was contagious.

I worked this nice stretch of water downstream from the bridge.

The second stop we made was to Hidden Valley in Madison. We try to hit this park at least once a year but realized we hadn’t been there in two years. There’s plenty to see and enough room to cast. The portion of the Grand River that runs through the park has probably the most tannic water in the system. I always think I’m standing in a cup of tea when fishing there. I worked the popper and woolly bugger but couldn’t buy a hit.

The Grand River through Hidden Valley has some of the most tannic water in the system.

Even without catching anything it was still a great day. Sometimes it’s just about taking a walk in the park.

Go out and fool a fish!

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!