Tales of fishing outings, all true!
September 12, 2003 at Yellowstone Park
on the Firehole River with my three brothers, three sons, one nephew. My brother Thad caught a nice 12" Yellowstone cutthroat trout on a 3 weight outfit. After reviving it, he released it. As it was swimming away and about twenty feet away, a bald eagle swooped down and picked up the fish in its talons, and flew off with it. - Pat McGibben
Whitehorse, Alaska
How dumb can you get? (as told at the December club meeting)
About 10 years ago, while weathered over in Whitehorse (on a fly away to Alaska), a fellow aviator suggested we go fishing until the weather cleared ahead. We went to the local fishing shop where I bought a Scientific Anglers fly rod kit. Since this was my first fly rod, I thought it best to have everything balanced and perfect. The fellow there loaded the backing and the line, even put on the first leader for me. Perfect!
We fished all that day and I could never master casting the line more than about 20 feet. Came home, watched the video that came with it and practiced, but about 20 feet was all I could ever do. I have used that rod now for several years in Idaho streams and lakes. Never can seem to cast very far. Should have learned this when I was young and more coordinated, I surmised.
I joined this august organization (SCFF) two months ago. In November, Tom Hogye had a double haul casting seminar in the Soquel Schoolyard. I brought my old rod and a new one I had recently purchased. Figured I would use the old one so as to not damage the $50 line on the new one.
I swished back and forth just like they showed me, over and over, great rhythm, great form. But the line still only went 20 feet and dropped straight down.
A nice lady came over to help. She swished it a couple of times, stopped, looked at the rod to see if the ferrules were straight, shook it a few times and tried again. She looked perplexed, so started stripping off my line on the ground! I thought to myself, "What in the world is this lady doing, I'm glad this is not my new $50 line she is throwing on the ground?" When suddenly I saw itŠ the line was getting fatter, the more she stripped!
Thanks to Kathy Powers I reversed the line and now cast it all the way to the backing! My $30 dues to the Santa Cruz Fly Fishing Association just paid off in spades. - Sam Bishop