I’m sure you all have heard about the 5 stages of fishing. Wanting to catch a fish (any fish), wanting to catch a lot of fish, wanting to catch big fish, catching a fish in a specific way and finally just being happy to be on the water. Well, I was fortunate enough to grow up on Tampa Bay where I have had access to a boat since I was 12 years old. I’ve been through the stages and been fortunate to guide my boys through them too. I’m happily stuck between 4 and 5 now, where I’m happy to be on the water if I just get to site-cast one snook or redfish each trip. If I weren’t there, I think the crowds we have now would drive me crazy.
My wife and I bought a cabin in the Blue Ridge area a year ago July 4th. We have loved owning up there but I didn’t anticipate how fun it would be to fall back to stage 1 with the trout fishing up there! My son and I are obsessed now and hired a few guides over the last year to learn the ropes. I’m happy to report that I just got through stage 2 this past week, finally catching a good number of trout on the tail waters of the Toccoa. I’ve caught a few big fish on private waters on a charter, but I don’t count that as my own so I’m now looking forward to stage 3. Beyond that, stage 4 might get me obsessed with the whole Euro nymph thing but we’ll see. I’m already at stage 5 though, I can wade those streams all day long, only seeing a person here or there and enjoying the sites and sounds of the mountains. Crazy what these little fish will do to reignite your passion for fishing!
Thanks for sharing….. different types of fishing are gateway drugs! I just had a buddy get some tying equipment for his birthday and he is already asking me what to buy next. Tying is another gateway drug for sure.
Oh good point, that might be next! I have a cheap vise and tie some really crappy bluegill flies but I can see me getting into tying some of these little dry flies. The guys that can tie these little nymphs I buy are artists.
I was catching stocked rainbows on a nymph under a New Zealand indicator when a big afternoon storm kicked up the other day. As soon as the rain stopped, they started hitting my indicator. I retied with a dry/dropper and caught a bunch on the dry. That was fun. I guess the rain made them start to look for stuff on the surface?
Haha - I have fished some great parts of Colorado thanks to family there and I ran into a few guys who only would fish if there was a hatch.
At the time I thought it was pretentious. This was 20 years ago mind you. One guy even said “I am dry fly exclusive” and I couldn’t help but laugh a bit.
But man, I tell you what - if I am going trout fishing, it will be for throwing drys.
It is pretty cool how we can fall into rhythms so to speak, and something else comes along and reignites that fire.
For me I’m in the last stage with Redfish. Fly fishing initially reignited that passion, but now I’m completely satisfied, as you said, with sight casting a red per trip. Heck most of the time I’m happy just to get a good shot off.
The migratory fish help keep the fire burning as well. Reds are here year round, big trout trout come in early winter, spring brings the poon, jacks and other migratory fish back. So with each target comes new vigor.
Glad you found yours. Now it’s time to spend another small fortune downsizing gear..
Awesome! I’ve never fished for freshwater trout, can someone explain the dry fly only thing? Is that the equivalent of topwater bites for us southern folk? And why only that? Sure I love a topwater bite, but not enough to pray for a random one at high noon
It’s a jab at trout purists/snobs. Some will only fish dry flies, upstream, so the drift comes toward them. I’ve got a friend who says he has never and will never fish a wooly bugger. Nymphs are fished without an indicator, and no dry/ dropper 2 fly rigs. He’s closer to snob than purist.
And then some like dry fly only for the challenge.
I just reread my post, and I don’t want anyone to think that if you fish dries only you’re some kind of snob. There is something special about watching a trout rise, the timing and casting, eventually getting a perfect drift, and hookup. There is a lot of skill involved, from reading the water currents to making a perfect cast without spooking the fish. It’s satisfying to get it all to come together.
I’m obviously still learning but from what I have learned, there isn’t much of a hatch in North Georgia and therefore those fish aren’t feeding on the surface too often. Having said that, my first guided trip was on private trophy water and all we used was dry flies and that was a lot of fun. I can also say that the other day something happened after the rain to make them start to rise and I caught a bunch on the dry fly of my dry/dropper for a while after the rain. Tying all of the knots on a 4 lb test dry/dropper set up is a challenge in itself when you are used to tying 25 lb flouro.
Yeah, I guess in a way most if not all fly fishermen are. I’d rather fly fish than any other type of fishing. But I still enjoy catching…and I like catching big fish…an I like catching lots of fish.
I will say this. I have used Powerbait for trout on a hand built bamboo rod with a Bill Ballan reel. I’ve fished with crickets on the same rod. Some days its about the catching.
I am 58 and I get just as much enjoy poling people around and putting them on fish than I do on the pointy end of the boat in my older age I will be poling my buddy who just moved to central Florida from NC and his buddy who is visiting him around Matlacha tomorrow. So I still enjoy fishing but being up on that platform with the pushpole in my hamd
A trout eating a dry fly is absolutely amazing. Cutthroat love to eat on the surface, it’s simply awesome to float a dry over a feeding trout. Sometimes it takes many different flies, and the perfect drift, it’s very challenging, but when one sips your size 20 midge 40’ across the stream on a perfectly placed fly drifted flawlessly over the rising fish, you rejoice. I very rarely fish for trout below the surface, specially out west in the fall. Those things eat hoppers, ants, beetles, or rising Caddis, mayflies etc. they love eating stuff on top and I love catching them on top.
Nymph guys catch more fish many times, but that’s ok, I’ll take a feeding trout any day over 20 nymph bobber fish, and yes nymph guys call their bobber an “indicator “, it’s just a fufu way to describe your bobber, lol.
That’s a popping cork or at least what I consider a popping cork…pretty sure it originated in Texas or at least was/is the place it was/is most prevalent besides Louisiana. Mansfield Mauler is the original I believe and that’s Port Mansfield Texas where hipshot now resides. They do work very well.
