murray Posted October 23, 2014 Author Share Posted October 23, 2014 I have always thought there were interesting people with interesting stories out there. Keep them coming, it makes for some interesting reading for sure.. Murray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrinhurst Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 What the hell??? I'm pretty damned sure I've helped every person I've ever fished with. Mostly in the area of self esteem. As in, "Shoot, I'm a way better caster than ol' BobLoblaw!" Also, I'm going fishing for a couple hours after work tomorrow. Hopefully will get a few trout on dries to end the season on a certain creek. So, suck it, Oiler fan! This is exactly why I said that Steve. Good luck tonight. I will be out tomorrow. First outing since I got back from Terrace at the end of August. Can't wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigalcal Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 While in my teens my family would camp near Lake Placid in New York state's Adirondack Mountains (Early '70's). There were a lot of stocked lakes and I was mesmerized watching people fly cast. later I worked in a sporting goods store and bought a rod and reel with my staff discount. I used to practice casting in my back yard and then go back and fish those very lakes with minimum success. I would also fish the Ausable and Chateauguay rivers, I moved to Banff in '78 and a co-worker and I would hike to high lakes and fly fish there. I then stopped fly fishing for 20 years. I then met a guy 11 years ago who would get me back into fly fishing and camping. We would go fishing/camping to Waiporous as well as the Upper Oldman area. It was awesome to be out there again. He would leave me on the river and he taught me nothing about the sport as I realized, being self taught. that I had a lot to learn. I began to tag along with a couple of customers from the pub that enjoyed fly fishing. We would go to the Crow and the Oldman and I fell in love with that area. I bought my own vehicle and I'd go camping down to the Oldman every week on my days off. I would be camping every week from opening day until October. I did this for a few years and then I bought a trailer and would park it there seasonally. The trailer was subsequently named the "Cutty Hut!! I have just finished my 5th season with the "Cutty Hut" and I have to admit I'm starting to know what I'm doing. For sure I have a wrinkle in my casting that I need fixed and I'm not a good nympher and I've never thrown a streamer but I feel more confident out there, I've had many FFC members join me at the "Cutty Hut" and I enjoy there advice and listening to their stories. I feel that no one knows everything about fly fishing but I enjoy gleaning bits and pieces from the people I meet. Oh.....I've never fished the Bow!!! Look at me!!!!!!!!!! I have 1,000 posts!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ÜberFly Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Taught myself to fly fish mid/late 80's (M&D bought me a 6 wt setup from Frenchy's for Christmas) after reading some articles written by Jim McLennan. I would drive down to the 22x bridge after work (at that time I was teaching swimming and life guarding for the City at Bob Bahan pool in Forest Lawn). I moved to Pocatello, Idaho to finish off my undergrad degrees and a Master's in Health Education. Met up with a classmate of a girl I was dating that showed me some of the lakes & streams in the area. By the mid 90's I was working in Saskatoon at the U of S. Moved back to Calgary in '98. Started working as a Pharmaceutical Rep and then for the Calgary Health Region. Met a guy renting next door (literally over the fence) that was a former fishing guide out of Monod's in Banff and he reenergized me as far as fishing (so much so that I was late for a date one night and the girl almost dumped me - glad she didn't as we were married a few years later and she out fishes me a lot ;-). Currently I'm doing a 180 degree career change from working for AHS as an Education Consultant and I have completed my CAA Avalanche Operations Level 1 and have one of my ACMG Hiking Guide certificates. I will be teaching Avalanche Safety Skills courses this winter and starting to guide next season amoung a few other things to keep the mortgage paid and flies in the boxes. Peter 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graphicguy Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Born and raised on the Gaspe chasing salmon since I can remember. Served 25 years in the CAF retired as a Capt home base was Val-Cartier. Did peacekeeping in Bosnia, Somalia amongst other places. Met the dream fille of my life in Isreal of all places. Contemplating moving back to PQ to chase salmon more the trout here just don't do it for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcubed Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Born in BC but moved here by the time I could start remembering. Been fly fishing for nearly 20 years (not bad for a guy in his mid 20s). Got way more into it through high school and university. Worked in a fly shop and guided through university. Now a "real" job doing Environmental Consulting work. Really spend all my time trying to get out west for steelhead fishing...never enough time 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinglibin Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Graphicguy. Thanks for your service to our great country. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonAndersen Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Born in Calgary 69 years ago and moved out in 6 days - a decision never regretted. Raised at Turner Valley and FFEd since I was 12. Self taught. A dry fly cost $0.25 when my Dad made $1.25/hr. so I started tying when I was 13. Have lived all my life within sight of the mountains. Over the years, I've been fortunate to fish from the St. Mary's in the south to the Torrens in the north. While flowing water was my first love, I tend to fish a lot more stillwaters now. The challenge of trying to figure out what's working keeps me coming back. Used to ice fish but finally figured out ice was only for poor whiskey not for fishing through. Winter is now rod building and tying. Over the years I've been fortunate to meet and fish with some of the best there is. From all of them I learned and now pass along the knowledge. Have worked on environmental issues from 1968 to today. Some winners, some losers. Meet some wonderful people whom are committed to Albera's habitat health. It's been quite a journey. Don 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I grew up in Massachusetts. Saw a couple largemouth in the pond near my house when I was a kid and have been hooked ever since. I got my first fly rod as a high school graduation present from my parents, by request. I was into stream trout by that point, but with no guidance flailed around a lot and mostly used it to throw small baits found in the stream. Hit Uni in Montreal and got busy with studies, girls and partying. Didn't do much fishing except for summers when I would commercial fish to pay for school. Bluefin and codfish off the MA coast. Met an AB girl at Uni and ended up in Calgary about 10 years ago. Dusted off the old fly rod. What a great place to be a fisherman. I am currently an Env consultant to the O&G industry, with a background in wetlands and wildlife. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinglibin Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Come on guys. lets hear some more about the FFC boys. Good stuff so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDoctor Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Ok had a few PM's to post Well I was doomed from the start. Both by parents and my Grandpa where fly fishers Sportsmen and tiers. Grew up around hooks, Hackle and shotguns. Born in Ontario we fished the Trout waters all the way to the Miramichi for Salmon. As a lad of 8, I was expected to learn to tie before I was allowed to go fishing. I was lucky enough to experience some of the old salmon camps and the Old boys that seasonally gathered to worship the waters. Hunting and fishing was a cycle, not only for food but it provided tying materials from bird and game. In those early days there was not a fancy fly shop on every corner. Grandpa taught me to tie “in hand”, the only tool was a button nailed to the edge of a table. Dad and I graduated to vices in the 60’s, (much to Granddad’s disgust). In my teens we moved to the interior of BC., instead of a paper route I kept 4 local fly shops stocked with flies. Guided for the shops on lakes and stream all the way to the coast. Worked my way through both UBC and the Vancouver School of Art School. Tying, guiding with a multitude of other jobs. Worked in advertising all my life for the CBC and National Film board plus a bunch of Ad Agencies. By trade I am a Designer, Illustrator, Marketer Writer working these days for a large manufacturer handling their Marketing and Online. Been a rich ride so far, chasing Trout, and meeting some truly fine people. The good Lord has been kind sending me wonderful friends and shining waters. Wife says I should write a book. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murray Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 I agree Lornce, you should wright a book, but that would take you away from the streams for a while. Murray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skearns Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Official Ralph Klein identifed eastern bum and creep here, came west from Ontario in '82 when I was 21...a couple of blinks and it is 32 years later , met and married a rural Alberta girl and have now somewhat successfully raised 3 girls 21,19,16 while keeping the tattoos, piercings and pregnancies to a minimum. Now employed as an IT manager in the O & G world . Started flyfishing about 15 yrs ago, mostly on the Bow. Got more serious when my brother moved his family here ten years go and we each got a pontoon boat. He has recently relocated to Kimberley and this year my Bow visits dropped significantly. hard to choose somedays between fishing, golfing and now pheasant hunting season. About four years ago we started renting a cabin for six months ( May thru October) each year on Rosen Lake BC . while the fish are smaller the solitude and challenge of dry flying in a small mountain stream is intoxicating. Have even discovered a few BC gems that don't require the $20 daily ransom. Always like perusing FFC for a few minutes each day when the work and family stress volume is the loudest. Thanks to all for the insight and laughs over the years...and of course to my forever understanding wife of 23 years..and remember if you havn't grown up by the time your are fifty...you don't have to....sk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reevesr1 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Born in Galveston, Texas. Could cast an open faced Ambasseduer bait casting reel by the time I was 7 or 8, fished with my dad and brother too many times to count. We moved to Louisiana when I was 7 and I can remember sleeping in the back of my dad's Malibu while we towed the boat 2.5 hrs south to fish Timbalier Bay. This was back in the day where you kept everything and sold what you didn't need. We counted our fish in boxes (coolers). As in "we caught 3 boxes today." I cannot remember ever being bored even though some days I likely caught 100 fish. I used to think fishing was pretty easy. Your dad drove the boat to a spot, you got out and started catching fish until it was time to go home. Little did I know I was the offspring of a fishing savant. In all the years and 100s of trips I fished with him, I maybe caught more than him on one or two occasions. Seriously. And he ALWAYS caught the first fish. I used to call it the fishing gene (he says it skipped a generation to my oldest son!), and the more I think about it the more I believe it exists! Its the ability to remember every trip you've ever taken, recognize patterns without thinking about it, look at tide, wind, structure and act upon it without being able to really explain what you are acting on. You just know "they should be right there." Not as easy on flats as a river, trust me. Anyway, we did everything from pleasure fishing, to doing some commercial netting (always fished for fun first), then my dad bought a shrimp boat, bait camp, and we moved back to Texas. I joined the military and didn't fish much for a long time. Dad continued to fish for recreation (stopped commercial netting when we saw populations start to decline, which honestly we would not have thought possible in southern Louisiana) and got involved in some fishing conservation groups. Ran the shrimp boat for 30 years, the last year all cancered up. Said he'd rather feel like *hit on the boat and have a few minutes each day where he forgot about it than feel like *hit at home and never forget about it. Very long story short, ended up in Alberta in the Oilfield. Got into sales. Moved to Calgary. Had a client want to do a float trip on the Bow. Made me try a fly rod. Fished with client and Dee Chanti. Hooked rainbow on streamer very early in the trip. During the fight I said "there is no telling how much money this fish is going to cost me." And I was right. Fell in love with a fly rod and flowing water. Don't really have the fishing gene, but what I lack in skill I tend to make up for with perseverance. Im the guy at the end of the day will realize not only did he not eat, he also didn't drink any water. Also got lucky enough to meet a pretty eclectic bunch of characters, all of which can utterly out fish me, but are such joys to be around I can take it. And they know lots of spots! They provide the fishing locales, I provide the comic relief. Everybody wins. Wish I could have brought the savant up here to fish once before he died. He would have loved it. I do also get the pleasure of fishing with my kid (the one who did get a bit of the fishing gene) when he's not at university. In the life long battle between my golf clubs and my fishing rods, the golf clubs are currently winning. Did not fish nearly as much this year, but did get the handicap down to just over 5. But I'll be back at it hard eventually. It's just a matter of time. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jksnijders Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I grew up in Brooks on an acreage and we had a pond by the house that we got stocked with some rainbows. Where about? Ironically I also grew up outside of Brooks with a stocked pond in the back yard..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebs Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Started fishing in the late 60's in Summerside, PEI. Spent the summers fishing for trout (yes, there are a few rivers and streams there) and the fall fishing for Mackerel at the end of the dock in the harbor. My Mom and stepdad moved us out to Calgary in 1976 and I started bicycling to the bow. At that time, I was using spinning gear. Got into flyfishing about 35 years ago but didn't go very often. As luck would have it, I met some friends in high school that went flyfishing and I decided to join them. Not a lot of success back then for me and I lost interest. About 10 years ago, I brought out the fly rod and dusted it off. Reloaded the reel with new backing and line and gave it another go. Been plugging away ever since. My gear and, I hope, technique have improved since then. I am probably not the best caster around, but I can get the fly where it needs to be. I am self taught. Started tying my own flies a few years ago with a buddy I usually fish with. I am divorced with no kids. Love the great outdoors. Bought a trailer and am ready to go whenever I can get away. Currently working for an O&G service company as a well optimization reporting tech and looking forward to the day I retire. Tight lines all! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Started fishing seriously when I was 13, Dad taught me to spin fish. We explored the Hinton area initially, developed a few home waters in the area (including Apetuwon and Plante creeks, both of which were extensively damaged in 2013 due to the Obed spill. Sad. I digress). Picked up a fly rod after reading an article on nymphing for novices by Jim Mclennan in an 1986 issue of Western Sportsmen. Funny what you remember; I just thought it looked like fun. Wasn't "real" fly-fishing; we were trolling Maligne and Fairfax Lakes, took awhile before I had the courage/patience to try it in deadfall-choked boreal forest creeks. Caught my first stream fish on a dry fly fishing the Joyce river near its confluence with the North Ram (not far from the campground). I'll always remember that; on a size 10 Letort Hopper, because it was Bob Scammell's favorite fly. Really got into flyfishing at the age of 18, dabbled in fly-tying. Was privileged enough to take the intro to fly tying course by Reg Denny. I would take Edmonton Transit before I got my driver's license just to go to his shop on the north side. Bit of trek considering I lived on the south side. 18 was a good age because when I finally did get the drivers license, I was able to explore the province on my own when dad couldn't go. Went everywhere from Grand Cache to the Crowsnest. Essentially was following Barry Mitchell in doing Trunk Road fishing, though I didn't know it at the time. In the 80's, there was still some back roads near the Cardinal River divide marked in miles instead of km's. I remember being incredibly frustrated on the Crow. Became a teacher, moved to Calgary, moved back to Edmonton, stopped teaching, tried doing a bit of a lot of everything else. Went back to teaching; do what you love is the lesson (I do still have a real estate business). Plus, I discovered that besides Math, LA, Social, and Science, what I really enjoyed was teaching kids to fly fish. Did a couple of horse back trips to the Ram back in the Calgary days. Best time ever with school kids. They still email me and invite me to their weddings. Little more difficult and 5x the paperwork getting horseback trips approved by the school boards nowadays (from a risk management perspective), so I stick to day trips with the kids. I'm hoping to change that though once I get a permanent position somewhere. Did some saltwater fishing on the west coast almost 10 years ago and Mexico last year. Loved it and I see why it could be addictive. Dad is getting older now and I find I have to really pay attention to managing our multi-day excursions in terms of not too many consecutive bushwacking days, though he still gets around pretty good for a guy nearing 80 (and he plays hockey 2x week and golfs 4-5x per week). Recently, we enjoy trips to SE BC quite a bit (all the classified waters plus others) and going to the 3 rivers area in the corner of SW AB. When we need a quick fix, we stick to the pothole lakes around Edmonton or hit the Freeman river for a day of easy 30+ fish. The nephews enjoy fishing too, which is great, but the older one is into his video games and the younger 2 are pretty busy playing 2-3 sports at a time even in the summer, so they don't go as often as I would like them too. Still lots and lots of bucket list destinations and species, like NWT Territories and Steelhead and Arctic Char. Plus all the tropical stuff and I wouldn't mind getting my rear end handed to me on a platter Loch or chalk stream fishing in the UK or Europe or somewhere where the fish are demanding. Just recently got a new position teaching junior high in St. Albert, so I hope to start a fly-fishing club there and spend some time this winter getting back into tying. Hoping to go to Montana during spring break for some early season fishing. Smitty (Mike Smith) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinglibin Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Congrats on the new position Smitty. I am 60 and still admire my favorite teachers. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Don’t know if it was my first fish but I was awful young. I was hounding my Mom to take me fishing and she refused to let me have a barbed hook (I seem to remember Dad letting me have one so this probably wasn’t my first fish). Anyway, I got a safety pin for a hook, seriously Mom?!?. I fed a bunch of worms to the fish that day and was getting downright PO’ed that I could not land one, all they did was steal the bait. I distinctly remember finally getting a bite and yanking and running as hard as I could, I dragged that little bugger up onto the beach before he got away. I also remember Mom laughing so hard, and saying that I could have a hook from now on. ….First memory…… We literally lived a rock’s throw from the river. A spring fed freestone about the size of Three Point Creek that took a heavy runoff each spring. We had salmon run up it in the early years but the target was brook trout. Many great memories of filling the creel with 8-16” trout a few trips each year for the freezer, PB&J, kool-aid or tang, gone sunup to sundown. None of my friends fished, and I also started hunting, more or less alone, at 10 with a 22, and then a 410, rabbits and roughies. Everything was hook and worm in those days except for my uncle, who was an avid fly fisherman. I only got to go out with him a couple of times but he plunked a fly rod in my hands already rigged and said “go fishing”. I was pretty young and didn’t retain much and although I caught some fish, I wouldn’t say I was really fly fishing. I remember rare trips to some lakes but flowing water was where the heart was and still is. Fast forward to 1977, and I landed in Calgary. The usual meanderings of a young guy until I started hunting in 1984 with my FIL. Fishing seemed too expensive (travel cost more than gear), the waters and methods mysterious, and no friends that participated. I made a few trips here and there but nothing really clicked. I did have a great trip to Seebee one day with a co-worker for whitefish on maggots and trout on fresh caught hamelgamites (sp) with spinning gear. 2008. I was taken to Langara for salmon fishing through work. WOW, is the only word for that trip. Too rich for my blood on a regular basis but the free trip was unbelievable. I got another trip to QCL the next year, a return to Langara the next, and a final trip to West Coast Resorts. I managed a 29.5lb Spring (dammit!) and a 56lb Halibut in my travels. When I got home after my first salmon trip, I was thinking “fishing” pretty hard. I live 20 minutes from MacKinnon and not fishing the “best trout river in the world” seemed a waste. Remembering my few trips with my uncle, and the Bow’s reputation, I bought a 6 wt and the basics required. The basics have expanded a bit; a 3 wt, 2x 8wts, new waders, boots, vest, boat, outboard, a pile of tackle, spinning gear, ice rods, sled, snow shoes, etc, etc, and I just purchased a tying vice (misspell intended) yesterday. A guy has to have hobbies to retire to, right? Fortunately, I have a very understanding and supportive wife who, regrettably (or not), does not fish or hunt. I am self taught and have pretty much an “old school” attitude, maybe because the majority of my time in the field has been on my own. I love the fly rod and even when I’m not catching anything, I can play with the techniques and be completely entertained. It’s a fascinating tool. I could not break the 20” mark on the Bow for my first 5 years. I had 8 (or 9?) fish that were 19”+ (what’s with this “1/2”-1/2lb” short stuff anyway?) and I lost 2 that would definitely have made it (seen but not landed). Last year I caught a 24” and a 20.5” RBT in the same pool back to back, and a 21” brown in 10” of slack water on another afternoon. Curse abated! She’s a tough ol’ girl, but I’m definitely in love with her. I’ve been in construction since ’79 and am now a consultant. It allows for significant flexibility for time on the river, or in the bush on a horse. If you see a white Seamax inflatable, with two seats on the benches between Mac and Jensen’s, say hello. I confess it surprises (and saddens) me how many times a fellow outdoors person does not return a greeting in the field, but I am undeterred. Always a wave, or a word if we’re close enough. Best wishes on the waters for you, and HNY. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinglibin Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Will keep an eye out for you. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinglibin Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Since some time has passed since this post was started, I though a lot of new members have joined FFC.. Would be nice to hear some more from the newbies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpinkster Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I was born in Edmonton, but moved to Calgary in 1991 when I was 4. My dad grew up fishing for pike and walleye around Edmonton growing up, so naturally that's what he got me into as a kid. We spent most of our weekends down at Travers Reservoir or Keho Lake chucking gear. We started to dabble a little bit into fly fishing since we lived so close to Fish Creek, but it never really caught on. As I got into high school fishing wasn't "cool" anymore, so I didn't get out much. It wasn't until a few years ago that a hockey buddy of mine insisted that I give fly fishing a try. 4 years later, and I'm absolutely obsessed (bet you couldn't tell). I've lived in this province my entire life, and I don't think I really appreciated just how great it is to live here until I started exploring with my fly rod. On a more personal note - I graduated from Mount Royal University with a degree in Policy Studies. I worked for two years as the Media and Public Affairs Officer for the British Consulate here in Calgary. It was pretty cool to work for a foreign government, and going to places like London and Washington DC for work was terrific. I've spent quite a bit of time since I graduated working on political campaigns. For the last 2+ years I've been working as the Chief of Staff for a City of Calgary Councillor who I had helped out on campaigns in the past. It's a great job, and I really feel like I'm doing work that makes a difference in people's lives. I get to be closely involved with many of the decisions that have the potential to make a city that I love dearly even better (but hey, that's a matter of perspective ) - Jordan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkplug Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Born and raised in Edmonton, Dad taught me to fish chasing pike west of town. Got into fly fishing in my early teens; bought my first rig with allowance money from Reg Denny's old shop, a clearance-barrel Daiwa. I taught myself to tie flies with Helen Shaw's book and my Dad's metalworking vise in the garage - learned to tie "lefthanded" as a result, as the door swing in the garage was right into the right hand side of the vise. For many of those early years I tied flies using Mom's sewing thread, yarn I could scrounge, and elastic from my ginch waistbands (Mom could never understand why I went through ginch at the rate I did). Am a gearhead by trade, did my engineering at the U of A, then moved to Pincher Creek to flyfish there for a few years, er, I mean work in sour gas production. Moved to Calgary in '96 and have lived and fished here since. Have worked in the energy industry my entire career, most of it in natural gas and power generation (have we talked about a campaign to get TransAlta to run the Kananaskis units more as run-of-river, to stabilize lake levels?). Currently run a small alternative energy company, which between that and the family, cuts into fishin' time. But recently moved to a community lake in Calgary and have quite enjoyed the convenience of chasing trout in my backyard. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keet Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 I am a third generation Albertan. Born and raised in Calgary. I started fishing recently if I round up it was three years ago. Growing up, my family was not into fishing. I do remember the first fish I caught was a perch. Some kids we met at a campground let me try it for a few casts. I was so proud rushed back to the campsite to show off my fish to my parents. A few moments later my younger sister came back to the camp site with a pike that made my perch look like a minnow.As a teen I discovered golf and that is how I spent my summers. First job was at Shawnee Slopes (it is hard to drive by the old course now to see it flattened). My last job in the golf business was at McKenzie Meadows. Would see the odd fly fisher while on the 3rd hole but it never really caught my interest.My oldest daughter was the one who introduced me to this addiction. We were driving home from Disneyland and stopped in Great Falls overnight. The nest morning we were shopping in town before the trek home. We stopped in Scheels and she saw a SpongeBob Sqaure Pants fishing rod and decided it was something she must have. When summer hit I went to Cdn Tire and got a spin rod. Took her out. Went to one spot and we had not luck. Hiked upstream a bit and her first cast at the new spot she scared a fish onto shore where it flopped for a couple seconds before getting back into the water.After giving it a go a few times I took notice of how others were fishing and it seemed everyone had a fly rod. So I decided to give fly fishing a try. Found casting very difficult a first. Then winter came and I began watching fly fish videos on youtube and vimeo. I saw a tenakra video and thought that I may be better off learning to cast with tenkara rod. I spent the first half of 2015 learning on the tenkara rod. I hooked and landed a nice sized cutty but broke the tenkara rod in the process. Walked back to the car to get my fly rod and a few minutes later hooked and lost my first fish with a fly rod. Been addicted ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muffin Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Hi all, I currently work Oil and Gas and have for most of my adult life. Currently based out of Calgary but have been around AB, BC, Sask and some of the hotspots in the US. I still remember trying to self teach myself fly fishing on a dugout we had for the farm. Got it stocked with 30 or so rainbow trout and I attempted to catch them with a fly but only succeeded in catching the barbwire fence beside the pond and myself. My father new the one and only dryfly (Clive) from this forum and he came over and spent an afternoon helping me out. I still remember watching in awe at the oddly dressed man with the cigar catching fish after fish. Definitely an impressive thing to see. Sadly I ran out of time and patience and didn't fish much for many years after that. Going to University in Wyoming and one my classmates was a second generation guide so he truly got me into it during the school year. I did go back to Clive's book as the first book I read regarding fly fishing. Been hitting up the Crowsnest area a lot as it is between my father and I and he is retired. I did get the opportunity to teach my dad and have turned him into a real addict. Nice having a fishing partner who is retired as they always have the time to go fishing when I can. Been on this forum for years and have learned lots of different things and fished with a few members. I know sometimes I am pretty active on here but lately work has been fairly busy so sadly not as active as I would like. Definitely been a pleasure for sure. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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