Self Taught, Mentored Or Course's

[LastBoyScout]

I’ve seen this come up occationally in different topics so I thought I would throw it out and see if we can have some discution about our roots. I’ll start it out with my own tale. I was first introduced to fishing before I can even remember by my father, we were strictly bait anglers but we both enjoyed it a great deal. We also very much enjoyed the places we would go to fish and my love of the mountains and the wild places were nutured by him. When I reached my mid teens Dad bought me one of those Fly Fishing starter kits for Christmas. It came with a little 10 page instruction pamphlet that showed you how to fashion the bits of materials provided into Flies it also had the last two pages dedicated to casting instructions complete with diagrams. I dug out an old fibre glass rod and no name reel out of the basement we had inherited from an old friend of the family when he pass away. The line was like a watch spring and I remember flailing away trying desperatly to get line out until one by one I ripped my creations all to pieces before they could even get wet. My dad was of Dutch heritage & so am I so it wasn’t determination that drove me it was stubborness. That was more than thirty years ago & I can say my flies are certainly better tied and my equipment is certainly of higher quality but my casting still is hack however I can put it where I want. The enjoyment I take from the sport couldn’t be greater & I’m still doing it my way and I suppose for my self there was no other way.

[darrinhurst]

I was also introduced to fishing a number of years ago by my old man. Spin gear was the only way I knew how to fish. Spinners, spoons and bobbers for pike, perch and pickerel. Until I was about 15, that was all I knew. Then we all but stopped going to our yearly trips to Cross Lake and didn't pick up a rod for about 20 years.

 

Moved to Calgary in 2001. Heard of the Bow and its reputation as a trout fishery, but had never fished it. Every time I drove over or by it I would look for fly fishers out there (still do) hoping to see one knee deep in the river. Always talked about wanting to learn how to fly fish. Never knew where to go, never bothered to google it and look it up. Either too lazy, or just too busy (I lean toward lazy). Lived here for about five years before my wife purchased me a beginner's course through Country Pleasures. Took the course and fell in love with the sport. I didn't know who Jim McLennan was at the time, but he's one of the dudes that taught me how to first cast a line.

 

The following week I stocked up on everything I could. First rod outfit, wading boots, fly boxes and files. Just some things to get me started. The rest was trying to remember what I had learned in that class. Fumbling trying to tie on the flies. Untangling many, MANY, knots from poor casting. Trying to learn how to read the water. Was a harrowing experience to say the least. But I still loved it. Loved the trying and the effort it took to get the casting right. The limited successes and the failures. I was learning. It was slow, but it was still fun.

 

Then, I found this board. Asked LOTS of questions and got plenty of useful feed back (I wish that someone would have posted Weedys epic post for beginners back then!) from a number of the members. Some of them even offered to take me out. Then I received a PM from Tungsten one day as I mentioned that I had a day off, which he did too, and offered to take me out on the river. He told me that we would drift in his boat and I was blown away. I had only been fly fishing for a couple weeks, at most, and I was going on my first float of the Bow! How awesome was that?! Needless to say, those of you who know Mike, knows more about fishing than I will ever forget and he taught me a TON that day. Got me into my first fish and taught me some new techniques to try. A very, very productive day for me education wise.

 

Since then, I would fish mostly by myself and try the techniques that I have learned through articles, videos, the board. I've met a number of people through the board that have taught me LOTS. Tungsten, BigBadBrown, Uberfly, bhurt, Max, fruinincalgary, BobLoblaw, troutlover, rickr, and many others that escape my memory, that I would fish with again tomorrow, if they'd let me, and I would continue to pick their brains about this sport we all love so much. Most days, they would out fish me by quite a margin. But, then one day, out on the Oldman, you might get the lucky fly and the fishing Gods will give you your day in the sun with good fishing and good friends.

 

So, I guess you could say that I learned a lot from Courses, myself, and mentored by the great people of this board, and I look forward to many more years of learning with these same folks.

[ÜberFly]

Yes that was a great day wasn't it!!

 

Funny thing is, the following week I took Deb down to that same spot (yes I got skunked that day with you, Bobloblaw and kayakmike ) and we hooked a ton of fish!

 

Back on point... I was also a spin fisher up until the late 80's (introduced by my father and late [great] uncle George)!! Anyway, at that time (mid/late '80's) I figured I'd try it out (can't remember why initially, I guess it looked pretty cool and was challenging) and asked for a fly rod for Christmas one year. I remember dad bought my 6/7 wt Mitchell Rod & Shakespeare reel at Frenchy's (to which I sold to Deb's bro-in-law a few years ago). I went to the library and read up on everything I could find (I guess I am self taught for the most part). I remember in the early mid '90's there was a weekly fishing report in the Calgary Herald during the summer (Bruce Masterman would include a fly/hatch report - I'm currently looking at an article from Aug 4th 1995 that I clipped out and kept, called "Trout Fishing the Bow - Legendary river will test anglers' patience, preparation (and luck)". It featured Jim McLennan... During that time, I worked at Bob Bahan & Forest Lawn Pools and would go down to the bridge under Highway 22 x in the evening after work and flailed around. I remember catching one fish (nice rainbow on a bowriver bugger) and was hooked... Would consistently go out but only remember catching that one fish!! It wasn't until about 5 years ago when a neighbor approached me to see if I knew of anybody looking for a roommate (at that time he was having issues with the people he was living with) and he moved in with me. I found out soon after that he was a former fly fishing guide (out of Monod's in Banff) and re-energized me. A few years later I was up on FFC and the rest is history... Where I too have met some great people, made some lifelong friends and have learned a TON!!

 

P

 

But, then one day, out on the Oldman, you might get the lucky fly and the fishing Gods will give you your day in the sun with good fishing and good friends.

[Toirtis]

I was mainly a spin, hardbait and ocean fisherman (taught by my father) until '81 when I got a fly rod, reel, and tying kit for my birthday. The gift came along with a series of fly-fishing lessons...those plus a lot of self-practice was my path.

[ironfly]

I didn't come from an outdoorsy family, but for some reason my brother and I were interested. We lived in the Crowsnest Pass when I was little, and my father took me and my brother out, once, on the Crow. My brother caught a nice little rainbow, I got skunked, we heard of a bear sighting before our next trip and never went again. A few years later we moved to Nova Scotia, and got to do lots of fishing. Brookies in streams, eels by the dam, Gaspereau runs in summer. A few years later, and we were living on the shores of Great Slave Lake; let's just say that I'm not too impressed with pictures of big fish anymore.

 

About 15 years ago, I moved back to Alberta and started a landscaping company. The business wasn't going very well, and I was really stressed out, so I looked into local fishing. I went out to a few stocked ponds, but had no luck using spinners, spoons, or even bait (all I knew up till then), but I would often see a fly fisher catching fish after fish. So I figured, that must be how you do it around here, and bought a Crystal River combo. Needless to say, it didn't work out so well. Lucky for me, the girl I had just started dating had a brother who fly fished, helped her buy some better equipment for my birthday, and gave me a few pointers. Before long I had read every book and watched every video I could get my hands on, started tying, joined the Northern Lights Fly Tying club, and it just kept escalating.

 

I think we need another catagory for this thread though, because I think it would be disrespectful to the makers of those fine books and videos to say I was self-taught, but it's not like I had a mentor, and I've never taken any courses.

[LastBoyScout]

Great stories,keep em coming. I gotta add that once I got the bug I was a periodical freak and read them all religiously. They have seemed to loose their lustre and I really can't tell last months from last years, now I'm catching up on the classics FF style like R.H. Brown.

 

[fishinglibin]

My Great Uncle, Dad and ex brother in law started me when I was about 5. We also started with spinning gear. I can't count the number of great times I had. The Bow, Pine Lake Macgregor, Minnewanka, Columbia, and of course as a kid, chestermere. As my friends and I brought the kids up the ranks, we would take 3 boats out and drift the Bow. We would put in long hot days, and the kids and us could not get enough. All those kids are now adults with there own kids, and very good fishers, almost all have been on fly for many years. So mentored in the beginning, somewhat mentored and self taught on the fly, and took a course from country pleasures many years ago. I have been on fly for about 20 years, and once again cant count the amazing days, be it on the Bow, Harrison, Fraser, or other countless rivers or lakes. Lost my best fishin bud Greg to cancer a few years ago, but he is always fishing with me. Im sure he has given me the occasional swat on the back of the head, for the odd silly move. Even if the fishing is slow,(not too often), what a way to spend the day. I call it therapy. I am proud to fish anytime with the fine young adults we brought up on the water,(young compared to me that is). Gregs boys being two of them, and Simpson from FFC,and now they have families, and some of the kids are fishing too. Thats the way it is. I have had many kids out over the years, and mentor a developely mental delayed young man who loves time on the water. Pass it on. I would be very happy being remembered as Paul or uncle Paul, who we fished with. And to my fishing Buds, with us or not,and a better half who loves to fish, Thanks !! A very important part of my life.

[bigalcal]

As a kid our family (from Montreal) would always spend time camping in the Adirondack Mountains, Upstate New York near Lake Placid, There were a lot of lakes connected or a short portage. We would fish the lake we camped on for perch and sunfish but there were lakes stocked with trout close by. I used to stand there and was mesmerized by the fly fishermen, standing thigh deep in the lake and the magic and sound of their casts.

A few years later I worked in a sporting goods store and bought a Garcia fibreglass rod and a reel. I did some reading and stood in my backyard and learned to cast on my own. I then went back to the stocked lake, clad in rubber chest waders, vest, net and a WICKER CREEL!! I caught a few very small speckled trout and was hooked. I later fished the local rivers (Ausable) and had no success. I could cast (kinda) but I had no idea where to put my fly!!

Later I moved to Banff and I would hike into lakes with a co-worker and catch cutties. I stopped flyfishing in the mid-80's.

I moved to Calgary in 1988 and about 10 years ago I met a guy, Darryl, that loved to camp and fish and he began taking me random camping and flyfishing on the Upper Oldman. He wasn't much of a help as he would take off, fish the fresh water, brag about the fish he caught..and KEPT them and still had time to mock me about getting skunked. I had no idea what I was doing.

I had a few regulars at the bar I work at (Rose & Crown) that were avid fly fishermen. One of these guys was a wee older Irishman by the name of Sean Darby. I started to go fishing with him and the guys (Jeff, Brent, Murphy) and we would head down to the Crow and the Gap. I learned so much from him and he taught me so much about fly fishing. He would take the time and show me where the fish were, the perfect drift and especially the entomology. He showed me as well as 3 other guys. He stands to the side now and watches us all catch fish and says that he did a good job teaching. He did.

Thanks to Sean for teaching me, and to Darryl for getting me off my butt and showing me the Forest Reserve in SW Alberta.

I now have a trailer (the"Cutty Hut") parked at Racehorse Creek and spend every free day there from mid-May to mid October. I was there 78 days this past season and my fishing mentor Sean was there for half of them.. I spend the days still learning how to catch fish but there are a few days that I say to myself "I think I know what I'm doing now".

I feel fly fishing is a pastime that there is always something to learn. My skills are limited to dry fly and a bit of nymphing but I want to learn more.

I can't wait til June 16.

 

 

P.S I pulled the old noodly glass Abu Garcia rod out this year and caught a 18" Cutty on it. It was great!!