# How did you get started?



## Longhorn (Oct 26, 2014)

Growing up I had thought on and off about trying fly fishing through the years, but never got around to it. I moved up to Ohio in 2000 and was introduced to steelhead fishing. After a year or two of conventional fishing for them, I decided to try the long rod. I bought a video of fly casting, studied it closely and then headed to the river. I went to the hole under the power lines at Chagrin River Park and practiced for a few minutes then moved to where I knew the hole held fish. My 5th cast resulted in a nice 23" fish in the net and I was hooked.

I returned home to Texas in 2010 and had to start from scratch again. Fly fishing in salt water (or even warm water for bass) is a whole different breed of cat than what I learned in the Great lakes. I knew the waters as I'd been fishing them most of my life. I just didn't know the technique. It's been fun re-learning to fly fish. I still enjoy nymphing for trout on the Guadalupe or up in Oklahoma on the Lower Mountain Fork, but it's hard to beat a fat redfish on a flat. I do miss the steelheading on the Chagrin and Grand. Who knows, maybe someday, I'll head up there for a visit and look up some old friends.

So, that's my story. How did you get into feather tossing?


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## zimmerj (Oct 17, 2014)

I used to fish with conventional tackle when I was in high school. Went to college, got married, had no friends who fished, so I didn't fish again for 40 years. 

My brother-in-law kept talking to me about fly fishing but I didn't want a second expensive hobby as I golfed. But over the years my back doesn't allow to golf as much as I used too. About five years ago I gave in, my brother-in-law taught me the basics of casting and I haven't looked back ever since. Fish northern Ohio for steelhead and smallmouth. Once a year my wife and I meet my brother-in-law and his wife and we fish for trout in the Shenadoah Valley.

Wish I had picked up a fly rod twenty years ago.

So hooked on it I have a blog and write about my experiences.


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

My grandfather and my father were both trout fishermen in West Virginia so it was kind of predestined that I would follow them to the river. And at the age of 4 I started working with them in the headwaters of the Elk and by 5 my grandpa had me tying my own flys. He gave me a beautiful split bamboo rod with reel and line that first real summer of fishing but the second year of my addiction. I was allowed to go off and find the fish on my own, I'm sure they kept a bit of an eye on me but I did put fish in my wicker creel. I learned a lot from them but the most important thing was that I will never master the art of fly fishing, it is a constant lesson.


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## chuckNduck (Jun 29, 2012)

My interest in fly fishing started over 35 years ago at The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock. After attending my first campfires in Maryland, and Ohio, seeing legends like Lefty Kreh, and learning about fly tying, entomology, rod building, net building, and being able to actually fish for trout in creeks, and catch them on fly gear, I was hooked. Even though it can be much harder at times to catch fish on fly gear, I get more satisfaction from it. I'd rather catch a steelhead on a fly rod any day, and I wouldn't think of fishing for wild trout with anything but a fly rod. Anything else, to me just seems wrong, lol! Recently, I started finding myself getting lost in all of the equipment, and technical "stuff", and took a look into Tenkara. So simple, no nonsense, just fishing. I took a trip to Tennessee this summer with my girlfriend, both of us armed with Tenkara rods, and enough equipment to pack into a ziplock sandwich bag. We had so much fun catching wild, native brookies, and also got into some rainbows. Simple, fun, pure fishing.
I'm definitely never giving up on traditional, Western style fly fishing, because I love it, but Tenkara kind of brought me back to being that 10 year old kid again.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

I have fly fished......oh well....purists!. Lol its ok but I prefer spinning


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I almost started this reply with "I started fishing the old fashioned way". Then I realized that the old fashioned way IS fly fishing! So, I guess I started fishing the "new fangled" way. First with an old bait caster that didn't work, then with spincasting (Zebco 202), and finally with an honest to God Garcia-Mitchell spinning reel! I thought I had hit the heights.

But, there were still fishing problems I couldn't solve. Like when these stupid bugs were everywhere and the fish seemed to be eating them! No matter what I put out there, I could not catch any of those fish. 

Many years later, I worked with a guy who actually did grow up fishing the "old fashioned" way. He was having car issues and needed money. He offered to sell me an Orvis 7'11" in 4 wt, Battenkill reel loaded with double taper 3 wt floating line, a leader kit and some other niceties for $150! I took him up on the deal. He even gave me casting lessons in the parking lot. 

Of course, once I had the gear in hand, I decided I knew more than the guy who'd been fishing that way his whole life, and promptly loaded the reel w/a 4wt weight forward floating line! After all, it's a 4wt rod, right? I couldn't have been more wrong! 

Of course I got into fly tying, and did pretty well with that, although I seemed to go all thumbs with anything smaller than a size 16! So, midges were out. I have to buy those!

Anyway, that's how I got into it , and I'm glad I did!


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## FL-boy (Feb 12, 2013)

I've fished my entire life. Born in IN fishing for bass with my grandpa. Moved to FL at age 10 and fished while there for 17 years. Did all kinds of fishing there but wading shallow water flats was my favorite. Fast forward to living in OH, and I found wading rivers for smallest to be my cup of tea. A couple of buddies told me I HAD to come on an annual trip they take up to the Oak in NY for salmon, Browns, etc. a couple years ago. I literally had never held a fly rod before 2012. Ended up loving it. Then started hitting the smellies I'd been wading for, but started bringin a 5WT and woolies...then decided I wanted to try brownies in the Mad so I bought a 3 WT...now I tie my own flies all the time and fish primarily with a fly rod. I like trying for fish I'd always fished with a spinning rod and figuring out how to target them with a fly rod. Keeps me busy and creative on the vise! I really want to get back down to FL and wade the flats I've fished hundreds of times, but with a whole different Arsenal of flies and a 5wt, maybe a 6-7 if I decide to target some snook!


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I dabbled off and on starting with fly fishing in high school. I was a pretty die-hard spinning/baitcasting fisherman. Fly fishing was sort of a "change of pace" thing I would do every now and then for kicks. That changed when I started going to WV to trout fish with a buddy. I was convinced that spin fishing wasn't how I wanted to fish there, so the fateful "plunge" was when I went down there for a weekend and took only the fly gear. I called it removing the crutch. No spin gear to fall back on, I forced myself to learn how to catch them on the fly or go fishless all weekend. It was a light bulb moment when it started clicking and I was catching fish. Then I started replacing my conventional outings back here in Ohio with fly fishing for panfish and bass. The fly tying started soon after when I wasn't happy with fly/color options available and wanted to make them myself. I started fly fishing with one fly box and a cheap Cabela's 5wt rod/reel combo. That has evolved into 8 or 9 fly rods/reels, countless boxes, and three different fishing packs I use for different outing types.

The fly tying was pretty similar the way it started small but has evolved into a much larger beast. Starting out, I was tying the simplest flies. Buggers, a few Clouser's, etc... All of my fly tying materials were housed in a small metal tool box I made in high school shop class. Flash forward to today, and I have a room in the house dedicated to fly tying with large spool racks for thread and wire, and three large stacked towers with drawers stuffed with fly tying material. I don't buy any flies now unless it's a really bizarre circumstance. I tie everything from tiny trout midges to musky flies and everything in between. Most of what I make is for panfish/carp/bass, but I have tied flies for essentially everything from tiny blue lines to the Atlantic.


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## wannabflyguy (Aug 21, 2014)

I think I mentioned this before... But I had a job at one point that was taking me to NY one week per month. I had always heard about the Kings, Browns and steelhead of NY/Pa. I fished up there a couple of times with spinning reel then one day on the drive up I called to the Oak Orchard Fly Shop. I told Nick I was on my way and wanted to buy my first fly rod for the Kings and Browns. Had no idea what I was doing but told Nick what my budget was and he had my first rig ready to go when I got there. I bought everything I needed and went straight to the creek from the shop that day. I now tie most of my own flies and own 5 rods/reels. Still wanna get a 3wt or two. I keep the spinning stuff for my kids at the pond or for the occasional buddy that wants to tag along with me. But now my kids are using fly rods and my buddy's will probably soon have to get on with the fly thing or bring their own spinning outfit as I am thinking of getting rid of everything but the fly rods. I just don't wanna fish anymore unless it is on the fly.


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## fly_ohio (Oct 31, 2014)

I was screwed from the start. I was fishing with a bamboo pole around the time I learned to stand. My dad and two grandfathers were avid fisherman and I certainly inherited that trait, however they all used conventional gear. I became interested in fly fishing after watching Flip Pallot and Jose Wejebe's shows on TV, it blew my mind what was possible. Soon after I got my hands on an old 4wt when I was about 9 or 10. I had to teach myself because neither my pops or grandparents had ever used a fly rod, lets just say there was a lot of trial and error but progress nonetheless. Prior to fly fishing, I was always trying to make my own spinners and plugs so almost immediately I gravitated towards tying. I used to take 2 C clamps and rig up a vice out of them and steal some sewing thread and what ever else I could find and try tying "flies". I got a tying kit the next Christmas and things got obsessive from there and the conventional gear began collecting dust. Spent about 13 years fishing the alley here and then fished out west for about 3 years and now I'm back where it all started. I've had lots hobbies and interests come and go with time, but not with this one, I feel like my passion for fly fishing has only grown.


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## Longhorn (Oct 26, 2014)

fly_ohio said:


> I became interested in fly fishing after watching Flip Pallot and Jose Wejebe's shows on TV, it blew my mind what was possible.


About a year ago, I got to meet Flip at the Orvis store in Houston. That was pretty daggum cool! What a nice, classy guy!


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Longhorn said:


> About a year ago, I got to meet Flip at the Orvis store in Houston. That was pretty daggum cool! What a nice, classy guy!


I remember watching Jose Wejebe and thinking "It's boring, he hooks a fish, loses all his line, then winches it back." I had no idea until the first time it happened to me just how freaking cool it is to have a fish dive into your backing.


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## fly_ohio (Oct 31, 2014)

Ya I've heard nothing but good things about both of them. I was able to fish with one of Jose's good friends in the Keys. It was pretty cool to hear how full of life he was, sounded like there was never a dull moment when you were around him.


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## NiceCatchAustin (Jan 20, 2013)

I started off like most people do in central Ohio: with a spincaster and a worm tossing to bass, panfish, and the occasional catfish. I progressively moved from the spincaster and worms to a spin rod with artificials. When I was 13, I had my dad take me out to Clear Creek (which is only about 15 minutes away from where I live) to go after this strange species of fish called "trout". Sure enough, I caught two brown trout to my dad's surprise, and I wanted to get into trout fishing a bit more. I heard that fly fishing was synonymous with trout, so I decided to pick it up. After a whole lot of self-teaching, practicing my cast in my driveway, and days where I got skunked, I finally got addicted to fly fishing. Now I'm 19 in college, and have caught everything from brook trout, to carp, to mahi-mahi on the fly rod (a musky on the fly is next on the list!). I'm just thankful for the internet and Clear Creek, because without the two, there's no way that I would have even came close to using a fly rod!


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## P-NUT (May 17, 2009)

Recently moved to montana. Since I'm now in the mecca, I figured I might as well start fly fishing! Have only made it out a couple times, but realize that I am addicted. Although I also cast my first fly at the brotherhood of the junglecock. Great camp!


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## kayaker189 (Feb 20, 2014)

I was working in Asheville North Carolina a couple winters ago. And small spinners and plugs, I was doing okay. I saw all the fly guys drifting nymphs so I went and got some trout magnets and started doing better but I was not completely satisfied. Got a fly rod a few weeks later. With the help of YouTube and fishing forums I made my way to the west fork of the pigeon river, a wonderful little delayed harvest section. I got ten that day. In the next couple months I was able to catch several sixteen plus inch fish biggest being a 20" bow to wild bookies. I was addicted, I came back to Ohio and got my favorite fish the small mouth in just a few casts. I started tying and was able to pick up some smallies on my own stuff which was very satisfying. I now have three rods and my new tenkara rod should be sitting on my doorstep. Hitting the mad with that bad boy on friday.


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