Flyfishing

Fly Fishing during a light rain and seeing the mist rise from the water while catching trout was amazing.

Is this community stil active? If not, is there another community set up similar with the same great folks sharing information?  Thanks!

Fish Drags Man To Death

A Hungarian fisherman has drowned while trying to catch a 150lb catfish.

Gabor Komlosy was dragged into a river when he refused to let go of the line.

The 53-year-old's body was later pulled from the Szamos river still clinging to his rod.

The4ft monster catfish was still hooked on the end. Police in Hungarybelieve he had been yanked down the bank of the river by the fish.

It had then pulled him through the water until he hit his head on a rock and drowned.

A spokesman said: "When we pulled in his line, the fish was still stuck on the end."

But even here in Alberta, the fisherperson's thoughts turn to "you know, maybe ice-off isn't THAT far away. Whats a few months anyway?"

And like many still-snowbound fisherfolk, I picked up the latest fishing guide, and have been pouring over maps and ideas. The price of gas is lousy all over the place, so I have to be rather picky as my Explorer doesn't exactly delicately sip petrol. And I'm the only one in my social group that actively fishes, so its not like I can split the cost of gas. Never mind the sticker shock of having to replace my reels, flies and GPS after they were stolen out of my truck last year. (let this be a lesson unto you: Small fishing gear bags look a lot like camera bags. At least they didn't think my 4 piece, 5 wt rod was something important. That would have broken my heart, not just my wallet.)

So I have to pick and choose where I'm going, and what I'm going for.

I have a canoe, but its a big ol' freighter canoe, and not suitable for trucking around. (Hate to sound like a girlyboy, but a 16.5' frontiersman thats older than I am weighs enough that I'm pretty sure my knees will make rather sickening sounds if I try to load that on to the truck on my own)

So that leaves river fishing. Or lakes where I can rent a boat.

Another criteria: I fall victim to the fisherman's blunder a lot. You've seen it, even if you don't practice it. A river thats an hour's drive away can be more tantalizing than the one flowing through the backyard. I like feeling like I'm going somewhere.

(you may have seen this in more limited form: How many flyfishers do you see fishing near the boat launch, even if theres adequate conditions a couple hundred yards away? Instead, they all motor down to the other end of the lake...)

I think I might try a bit more of the prairie lake and river fishing this year if possible. I've concentrated on the rivers in the mountains before, but I've never really looked at the stuff down towards lethbridge, for instance. The Milk River has always held something of a fascination for instance. Its the only river in canada that eventually drains into the gulf of mexico...

Or maybe take a long weekend and head up north of edmonton (6 hours is a bit far for a long weekend, but what the hey). I've never fished up towards Lac La Biche for instance. (Thought I'd definitely need to rent a boat)

I always say "this will be the year I get more fishing done." which, of course, usually turns out to be a damn lie. Maybe if I can't fish more, though, I can fish in some areas I've never tried before. With that, I'll end this wandering entry off with a question (or two): What are some of the areas where you live that you've never, for whatever reason, tried your lines at? Do you see yourself as the more adventurous type? Or are you more content to fish familiar waters?

Tight lines to all.

--labryinthman

Hello all, just joined the comm and thought I should introduce myself.

My name is Ryan, I live in Toronto, Canada and I'm new to fly fishing having just bought my first outfit but have been fishing spinning gear for over 25 years. After having only tried a fly rod once 5 years ago in the lake Cowichan area on Vancouver Island for a mere half hour, I was hooked, pardon the pun. I've procrastinated for this long due to tight finances and already having a lot of money invested in spinning gear, tackle and a 17.5' boat, 100hp fourstroke etc. You get the idea. This past fall I inherited my departed uncle's old bamboo rod, reel, handmade flies and tying materials dating back to the late forties. I knew this was a (potentially) living rod. I did some research on it and was dismayed to find it had been left idle for too long and was unsuitable to fish with anymore. My girlfriend saw how how disappointed I was and whaddaya know? I got a gift certificate for a new fly rig for christmas. I love that girl.

Although I live in Toronto I've never fished the immediate surrounding area. I do all my fishing around my folks' place just south of Huntsville in the Haliburton/Algonquin highlands. If anyone here has fished that area let me know.

So as I impatiently wait for spring ice out I've been practicing my knots to make them second nature and doing a ton of research into entomology.

Look forward to sharing experiences.

Hey! I'm meghan and I just joined this group. I went off to Montana this summer and learned how to fly fish and not I can't stop since! I start tying a few weeks ago as well. I live and go to college in Alabama, so the weather is nice still for fishing. I just wanted to say hey!

The steelhead have started to run. Still a little slow. I went on wednesday and went 1 for 3. All three fish were hotter than expected. I did not get to see my backing. The only fish i landed was about 7.5 pounds. Lost one on the hook up. And lost another after a 5 minute fight. No good reports coming into the shop as of yet. The stripers have been hot in New york. Maine proved to be less than usual this year. No stripers there. Got one nie brookie about 21". All in all it has been a less than eventfull fall so far. Hope all is well with everyone.

Here's to the fall bite!!!

Tight Lines
Darren

I've been fishing walleye quite a bit lately on my flyrod. The places that are most effective for me are deep holes rivers and below dams. I usualy cast above these holes ,angling at about 45 upstream, and strip slowly to get my clouser bouncing near the bottom while making sure not to let it get to close to the bottom and snagged. I've found that fishing the lakes for walleye, except during the spring and late fall, is pretty difficult for me because they all seem to be 16-24 ft down sitting near underwater humps and bars. Has anyone had luck fishing them this time of year? This when my father usualy jigs for them with minnows. Though during the summer I have had some luck later at night with the flyrod when they start moving shallow but during the day i've usualy been skunked.

The flies that i find most effective for the dark water i fish are the clouser minnow (white/ yellow) 4-1/0, Deciever 4-1/0 , and the bunny split http://globalflyfisher.com/pattern… . I have also observed that the bunny split and deciever also are effective smallmouth when they fished faster and closer to the surface.

Last week I had quite the rush when a muskie grabbed ahold of a 14 inch walleye i was reeling in. It faught for at least 10 mins. (which feels like forever reeling in a fish) untill I finally got it near the surface to get a good look at it. It Was the largest muskie i've ever had on any kind of rod, in the 45+" range, an amazing fish. Knowing that this huge fish was swiming around at my feet that night was a little frightening, especialy in the low clarity water that i fish in. After one last run downstream the muskie let go and i reeled in my dead and mangled walleye. (picture below)





These were headed for the frying pan.

peace,
kirk o.

So i get this call at the shop today. It was the VP at Rio lines. Appearantly we were in the top 5 shops in the US, based on rio line sales. He invited a couple of us to join him on a trip down the missouri river in montana in october. Since lines are one of my responsibilities, i get to go, but I have never fished west of the state of missouri. What do i need fly wise in october in montana? Is it just caddis type stuff and streamers? Thats the only game in town here in octber. I am also thinking a 6 weight will do it but if not let me know. Will some of you westerners shed some light on my situation.

And not very good ones at that...still, its been a while since I posted anything in here. I wish I could say the fishing was great, but to be honest, the fishing on the Sheep River (about an hour southwest of calgary) was about the same as its been for every other river in the southern half of the province this year: lousy. The major flooding we had this spring seems to have washed everything away, as far as fish-food goes. I took some time to study what was moving in the river... turning over the occasional rock, etc...

The only thing moving in that river was water. It was clear, cold, and appallingly empty of insect life, and fish life for that matter.

I talked to an old timer in the area not too long ago, he mentioned that these flood years are not worth dropping lines in the water... but the year after is always good for Brown trout.

We shall see. I'm patient. I can wait for next year.

( Pics are placed behind this here lj-cut.Collapse )

At least it was a beautiful day. I dont think I could have asked for warmer or sunnier.