Fly Fishing North / East

[BigFishingShop]

Hi, just getting started with fly fishing, been wanting to for way too many years and ..... so it goes. Just going to get me an inexpensive combo and do it !!

I live at the the top of Buck Creek in south Stevens County which is a Loon Lake address (about an hour north of Spokane) to give an idea and my fish of choice is trout and prefer quiet streams,

Messed around backyard practice casting with a buddy several years ago and he said I was doing just fine so pretty sure will be able to pick it up ( it's that danged guitar I'll never be good at lol)

Sure welcoming any advice and meet new folks, I know nothing to very little at this point, Thanks BFS
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[cat_man]

Hey welcome to fly fishing! While not a die-hard fly fisherman myself, I enjoy flyfishing on occasion. I mix it up with spin fishing. If you can get the general casting down, you're 90% there. If you already stream fished with lures or bait, you probably already know how to read the water and find where the fish are.

What you need now is to hit a local fly shop or sporting goods store to find out what types of flies work well in your area. General all around good flies include Adams Elk hair caddis, hare's ears, pheasant tails, streamers such as wooly buggers, joes hoppers and more. Each river/area is different on what works best and what best imitates the insect life in each water.

Good luck!
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[BigFishingShop]

Hi Cat Man, thanks. Going into Spokane this week so I'm sure they must have a Fly Shop, be hitting the phone book and find out. Sure is calling me to try it ! [fishin]

.Yeah, I'm pretty good at finding those holes don't mind saying. And danged glad I'm wearing chest waders and not the hip variety when I do LOL

seriously, thanks for the response and nice to meet you, whereabouts do you live and what do you like to fish for?

Take Care, BFS
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[cat_man]

Seattle area, but I've lived here less than a year. I'm originally from Utah. I fish for everything, bass, catfish, trout, (now salmon), perch, bluegill, etc. etc.
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[BigFishingShop]

Very little of King and Snohomish county I don't know like back of my hand, I don't know much about the back of my hand however.

Can be a little bit more specific where you live and I might be able to steer you to some nice Public fishing holes by you that you may not be aware of. There are many. Places that still look like this:
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[lskiles]

Hey BFS,
I grew up on the east side of Washington state, but never did any fly fishing, but I am a member of a web site that is local to Washington state and some of the fly-guys on that side of the state recommend highly Swedes Fly Shop in Spokane [url "http://www.swedesflyshop.com/"]website[/url].
I am also just getting into fly fishing, but I now live in Vancouver, USA in the southwest corner of the state.
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[BigFishingShop]

Hi, thanks for the recommendation, going into town here next few, will check them out. I only know Vancouver from drive through I-5 trips but sure is a neat area right there the way the Columbia is getting all fat and spreading out. So is that area of the Columbia a straight stretch to the Bar from there, no more dams ?? I don't know, sure must have been something to see the river before any of the dams, where I lived by Wenatchee there are still big rings in giant rocks that barges used to hook to and winch themselves up the river for commerce, river really has a fascinating history and through so much of the state.
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[lskiles]

Yeah, it is clear water to the Pacific. No dams.
I have not had much success fishing the Columbia since I do not have a boat to navigate it.
I have a canoe and a pontoon which both work great on lakes and small rivers/streams...come to think of it I do not have much success on them either! I am still fairly new to fishing and all the help I get is from this site and others like it as I do not have anyone to fish with to "show me the ropes."
I am going to have to visit the local fly shop here in Vancouver, The Greased Line, and find out how to keep my fly afloat. I tried to fly fish a few week ends ago but after 2 or 3 casts the fly would just sink. I am sure they have stuff for that.
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[BigFishingShop]

Just the fact that you have found, and are utilizing this site means you will be catching them, best knowledge with some really golden (and side splitting funny at times) folks I could find on the net.

Might suggest you also simply get on some more conventional, if right word, simpler for sure modes of fishing than fly fishing going also just to get you catching fish. I have been fishing all my life and am just getting started fly fishing and pretty much is an art, lots of study, practice etc. to even get beginner.

Suggest pick up real cheapie (inexpensive) Wallymart combo if you haven't already got a regular rod and reel, would recommend and "open face" kind that has the metal bar that flips over the spool to release with your thumb, light wieght , combos by brand names are like 25 bucks, they're cheap and field maintenence, tangles and the like have lowest cussing factor once ya figure out how to take them apart.

Boat rarely catches any more fish than good basic knowledge bank fishing, which you'll find here or just show up fishing and start making friend right there at the river. Really is nothing to (regular) fishing at all.

I carry around a little telescoping open face kit in my truck always, it fits in it's 6"x12"x3" plastic case that has little compartments for some basic tackle, I think it was 20 bucks at Wally World. Catching fish is easiest in this order :

1) Drain body of water, walk over and pick them up.

2) Drop stick of TNT in water, run like hell, come back and get whats left of fish.

3) Use of above mentioned gear with night crawler worms or eggs, etc.

4) Use of above mentioned with artificial bait.

5) Start learning about and playing with lures.

6) Probably several methods not thinking about with fly fishing without question being the most complex and practice intensive of them all.

Best analogy is you are getting into car racing and jumping right into an Indy without ever having done basic local circle track.

Good luck and would be cool to be updated, always so cool to see new folks get into sport / lifestyle and you can help feed your family too, food aint cheap.

later, BFS [fishin]

p.s. ya can catch big fish on little gear, learn about "drag".
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[lskiles]

Thanks for the encouraging reply. I am not really that new to fishing, I fished when I was a kid and for a couple of years 20 years ago I tried to be a bass fisherman in Northern Cali. I have been fishing now for 2 or 3 years and it is frustrating when I go to the river and the boat fifty feet from my pontoon catches 2 or 3 fish and I get nothing and then when they move I go into the same spot using the same bait and...nothing.
There are a few places I go that I consistantly catch fish, Lacamas/Round Lake for bluegil and some crappie and out to Catapillar Island on the Mighty Columbia to catch small perch.
One thing that frustrates me is that I was in an on-line specie contest this spring on another site and these guys from the Mid-West are catching 10 different specie in a day in the Mississippi and St Criox and other places and I ended the contest with four specie total. I shifted gears and set my goal to catch ten specie before the summer was over and did not achieve my goal.
I guess I need to get out and spend more time on the water although some times it is tough to get up and out knowing the result will be the same.
The reason I am trying to get into fly fishing is that a guy I met on line gave me an outfit (pole, reel, line, case...the whole shebang) because he tried it and it was not for him so he thought he would give it to me and I could see if it was somthing I want to persue. He paid $300 for the set-up. It is an eight-foot four-weight pole.
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[BigFishingShop]

Wow, what an awesome gift !! [cool]

My MOST successful fishing is at Wallymart lol, I just break down and buy it a lot, love eating fish that much.

Next April, the Cowlitz river especially, they have a Smelt run, I never seen so many fish lol, river turns dark and sort of silvery from it when it peaks, they use dipping nets. That's something really cool to look forward to and it's close to you, just North. That is really cool.

Ahh, I found your problem, reading your post ; ya get up "knowing your results will be the same" oh man bro, fish pick up on that, ya gotta wake up and put on your game face, visualize the catch. Visualize the 'ol lady complainig there's no room in the freezer 'cause it's full of fish. Not enough to be said about PMO, positive mental outlook, maybe Tony Robbins has a vid for fish, I'll go see.

Maybe try a mantra: OOhhhhmmmmmm big fish on my hook, OOhhmmmmm big fish on my hook ....

Ya gotta think the fish, not the no fish lol.

Crackin' me up here [laugh]

Tight Lines and Screaming Reels, BFS
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