Who Am I To Give Advice? ~ Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

Is there really luck in fly fishing?  This is my take on the subject.  You might agree, disagree or think that it is a bunch of nonsense.  Whatever you think, here it goes...  On my journeys to the river lately, I am finding myself in situations of people asking me for advice.  I guess that you could say that I am giving "tippets" on other days of the week besides Sunday!  Now, who am I to give advice about the hatches, flies to use, the water temperature, the barometric pressure... etc.  I am no guide.  I am just the River Damsel.

Over the last four years or so, I have attended more classes than you can count fingers.  Or toes.  I'm sure that has added to whatever skills I have.  It's been a continuous learning adventure.  Then, the friends that I have fished with who have given me added bonus tips about this and that has been priceless.  But, now it surprises me when fly fishers stop me at the river and want to know what I'm doing different.  Am I in a lucky streak?    I most humbly say "no".   I used to think that it was all luck.  (Because of my catch rate)  Now, I can tell you that it is more than luck.  It's learning.

It's finding the place where the fish are feeding.   Finding the right place at the right time is not always an easy job.  

It's the mend.  Have I found that out this past year!   My friends have tried to help me learn to mend and to use it to catch fish.  The #1 way to catch a fish is a good drift.  Without it, you are working harder and longer.  I truly believe that.  And maybe for nothing.

It's fly selection.  Yes, there is a reason why we fly fishers look at the bushes, trees, and rocks while at the river or stream!  It's not just because we are snoopy and wonder what is out there.  We want that little bit of advantage in finding the food that the fish want to eat.  It's that simple.  Or is it?  Ha.

It's the cast.  Ok.  I am not one to brag about my casting abilities... I have none.  But, I do somehow get that fly where it needs to be, most of the time.  It might not be pretty.  Correction, no it isn't pretty.  Casting only helps you throw the line through the air.  But the fish don't live in the air.  They live in the water!   So, if you can get that fly in the right lane of fish traffic, you are doing well.  And all you need then, is the good drift.  Oh, and the right fly.  Ok...it might not be the "right" fly.  But, something close.  

So, when people stop me and want to ask a question... (like I often do to others), I am more than happy to share the little knowledge that I have acquired throughout my journey of fly fishing.  It seems funny to me that others think that I know what I am doing... haha.  But, when you have a fish in the net, you can't say that you don't know.  Right?  Because it isn't luck.  It's downright experience!  And perhaps a little bit of study, practice and patience... yes, that especially.  = )  Recently, I have had more fun observing others and seeing them catch a fish after I have given a bit of help.  Yes, fly fishing... whether it is a solo trip or a shared experience on the water with others, it is always different each time out.  

Sunday Tippet:  So, back to whether luck is involved in fly fishing.  There are many factors and yes, even a science to fly fishing.  I guess that is what makes us go back time after time to see if we can solve the equation.  It's not easy.  But, it is sure a heck of a lot of fun!  And if we can make that good presentation of a dead drift and show the fish who's boss by our fly drifting naturally... we are good as gold.  If the fly doesn't "drag" across the water, we have a pretty darn good chance of a fish making it to the net...

So, if you want to call it luck... go right ahead.  But, I don't believe it is a luck game.  Because if two fisherman have the same flies and different results... those previous factors that I have mentioned above, must have come into play.  I have been on that end of not being as productive as my neighbor on the water too.  That is why I am still practicing that mend!!!!  The journey continues...  And what fun it is.

Timing Is Everything

There’s an old saying that “timing is everything in life.” Many times our choices in life are considered either good or bad based on timing alone. From a simple joke to major life decisions, timing seems to impact our every move.  Well, timing certainly played a part in my last fishing day.  It was a cloudy Labor Day. The forecast called for 50% rain.  I fell rolled out of bed at 5 am and was out of the driveway at 5:30.  Now, I normally start work at 6 am, so I wasn't really excited about missing out on sleeping in on a holiday!  But, it was a front of a front and the barometer was telling me to go.  So, off I went.  I watched the sun rise at 6:50 am and the first cast was shortly thereafter.

I had my new camera with me and I was anxious to try it out.  I was also carrying my cell phone with me in my Simms waterproof pouch.  Now, I haven't carried it for awhile now, since I have dunked it a time or two or three.  But, there was a slight chance that my son, Ryan, might be calling me from the airport on his way to his new home away from home in Arizona on a church mission.  Ok.. So, I just said goodbye to him about 12 days ago at the training center.   But, it was another chance to hear his voice before the long wait for the Christmas phone call.  About a half hour into my casting, a barracuda brown trout went deep with my fly.  Precisely, 5 seconds later, my phone rang.  Timing.  Isn't it grand?  Here I am holding my fly rod with a pretty strong fish at one end and struggling to get my phone out of a zipper lock bag with my other... Ahhhhh!!!!  As I finally brought out my phone, the phone went silent.  (His dad would get the next call.)  All I can say is that I have a very nice voice mail that I can save for the next two years and replay when I want to hear "I love you, Mom"!!   (The good side to this story.)  Here is the culprit of the lost call...

Is he laughing?  Yeah... probably.

Then, a few more in the net... I was wondering where all my luck was coming from!  I had gone to the long run where I have the most problems.  It isn't an easy place to fish, because it gets so much traffic each day.  The fish have seen every fly and every set of feet.  So, being first on the water gave me an advantage.  And I had read a fishing report that said to throw some different bugs at these fish than the usual ones to throw them off.  Well, that report was dead on.  I didn't go with the hatches of PMD's and Caddis.  Throwing everything from Prince Nymphs to Rainbow Warriors

 to Midges.  

"Hey, would you mind taking a picture of me and my brownie?"  Yeah, the guy next to me now, looked thrilled.  (He hadn't caught anything yet and I was feeling rather badly about it)  But, he came over to help out ol' RD...  I asked him if he wanted the nymph that I was using to tag behind his dry... but, he shaked his head and said "no thanks".  

(Not a wet fly believer... Oh well!)

My smallest brown, which wasn't too shabby.  

Well, it was an incredible morning to say the least.  The rain came and drizzled off and on.  The fish weren't rising all that much, but they sure liked my menu of bugs that I bounced off the bottom of the river...  = )  I was meeting up with a couple of new fishing friends and by the time they came, I was extremely pleased with how things were going so far.  They were both pretty new to fly fishing (about a year or so) and they were interested in my bug selection and my set up of my line.  I had my fun already, so I helped them out a bit and we headed out to our war zones.  Fish on!  Incoming!  OH MY...

I didn't want to get too excited in front of them, but I finally got the fish that I have been looking for in this hole now for a couple of months!   Heehee.   So, there was kind of a victory dance lady like scream.  They were stoked too and loved this brownie.  It was cute how they were so excited for me.  Thanks, guys!

Back to our places. 

Ok.  That's what I'm talking about!  Getting it done on the Middle

Provo and catching the front of a front!

Nice work, now time for a group photo...

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines timing as “the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect.”

Catching the storm at the right moment was exactly that.

The phone call... not so much. 

IV's To Fish Hooks

It has been an interesting week or so.  I am playing Betty Crocker one moment, baking cookies to send to Howard as a thank you for the flies he sent.  Then, after the second dozen of cookies come out of the oven, I end up in ER... After a brief stay, I rest up and hit the road with a friend to mjy favorite water for my birthday last weekend.  Whew! There has to be easier weeks... That's for sure!  If you want to read Howard's side of things, you can find it HERE.  It's the funny side of the story.  = )

No worries... I just had a little bout of low potassium.  What was ironic was that I started feeling light headed when the phone rang and the doctor told me that my labs came back and showed a very low count and she advised me to get to the ER right away!  You can just go into cardiac arrest, that's all... Let's see... So, I get back home and bake the rest of the cookies to send and Howard gets 2 day stale sort of fresh cookies.  And as you can see, he is a very happy cookie monster geezer.  That reminds me... I think he was supposed to share with the other geezer, Mel.  Hmmm... Don't think that happened.  Maybe, because in defense to Howard, Mel is hard to find.  He is now a Pond Stalker, in search of fishies in his local ponds. 

 Yep, no longer chasing rainbows.

A week later, I get my labs in good enough shape to leave town for a little birthday fishing trip with my friend Wendy.  We venture to my favorite place in the world. 

 We would find higher water levels that we wanted.  We would find slower fishing than we wanted.  (Yes, sometimes fly shops put that "excellent fishing" on their reports to attract attention.)  All in all, we found a few rainbows and browns to keep us happy.  And after talking with others on the river, felt like we did as well or better than most.  And we got two points for braving the wind, rain, lightening and hail that pounded us on two different days that started with blue skies.  

Wendy was the "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" recipient...

Hey, I make a pretty dang good guide, don't I?!  I do know the spots.  Ha.

So, we had our fun and the game was over.

I landed one hook into a finger... but, guess what?  The River Damsel has learned to pinch down barbs...  = )   Now, if I could just avoid going to the ER again while baking cookies!

And lastly, here are my birthday socks from the hotel manager, Paul, who sells these woolies at the motel front desk.  What a nice guy to knit me up some custom socks in my favorite color.. (And with only two days notice)  The perks of being a loyal guest and a devoted fisher lady with stories to tell, most of the time... <"((((><<

Now, where is my orange juice and bananas?

The Rope ~ Sunday Tippets, Damsel Style

A rope is as strong as you make it.  When anchoring a boat in a fierce windstorm, you want it to be as strong as it gets.  If it is not, that storm can toss your boat into the shore destroying it, or it can be lost out to the middle of the black hole out there.   Ropes can be made of all types of material.  Cotton, nylon, steel...etc. etc.  They all have their purpose.  Their fibers are usually intertwined to make them even stronger. 

I guess that lately, my rope seems to have frayed a bit.  Even though it has a tough core, it has been tossed like a vessel to and fro.  Life has its challenges for sure.  And if we can stay the course without being broadsided from the storm that approaches, we are doing good.  But, sometimes while weathering the storm, our cord becomes a little weaker and more frail.  It might stay in tact, but it needs repair afterwards.  And while undergoing this part of the journey, you might find that friends and family are there to help you make that rope strong again. And you count your many blessings that you can breathe in the crisp, fresh air once again as you sit and meditate at your favorite fishing hole after the storm.

Life... It might not be easy.  But, it is worth it.

Bushwacked

Two weeks later... I'm bushwacked.
Yes, as in tired... The River Damsel, tired?   Hard to believe, I know.  But, sometimes I need to learn how to slow down and not run, run, run...  Exhaustion has set in.  Yes, I need to listen to Howard more.  He just might have something there about taking things at a slower pace and even reading a good book from time to time.  It just might be the relaxation that I need!   Well, let me get you up to speed on what I have been doing 
the last couple of weeks.

Letting great catches flop out of my net and over my arm and well... yeah.

Finding a huge brown trout at the end of the day in shallow water.

Surprise!!!

 Sharing the banks with Kirk Werner's runaways...

Talking to "Mr. Ed" about River Public Access rights...

Attending the Heber Valley Fly Fishing Festival and saying hello to my buddy, Brian Schiele.   Yes, that would be his new book, "Trout Dreams", which even has a photo of  RD!  How about that???









Overseeing the yard clean-up which brought in a troop of about a dozen neighbors giving their time to be true "BUSHWACKERS"!!!  Love my neighbors! They are the BEST!

Who dislikes junipers as much 
as I do?  Trees trimmed, undergrowth removed, bushes and hedges cut back.  

Next matter of business...

Preparing a luncheon for two waves of friends and family following our church services...  Just around 150 or so...

You see...my son, Ryan, is leaving for two years on a church mission... 

Oh, this is just the line to the front door.  Heehee.  Yes, his parents couldn't be prouder of this fine, young man.  He loves God, family, and friends.  And it's pretty evident that they love him back... He will serve well.

So, if I have been missing for a little while, you will have to 

give me a hall pass this time around...

No rest for the weary.

Until next week, after I get all teary.