The Obligatory "my first fish with a fly I tied myself" Post

[L. Ben Doe]

I started tying about three weeks ago, but haven't tested any of them out until today. At first, I was going to save them for my trip to GTW next week. How awesome would it have been to catch my first golden on the very first fly I tied? Oh well, impatience got the best of me...

You tell me if this fish was worthy of popping my fly tying cherry.


Things got a little better...




There was a nice 9-incher in the mix, but I was too lazy to bust out the camera...

Here's that magical first fly. After I caught the guppy, I retired the fly. Maybe I'll stick it on my lucky hat.


At the end of the day, I caught fish with:
1. red headed griffith's gnat
2. yellowish-type gnat
3. Orange Stimulator
4. Mutant Stimulator
5. Some Emerger pattern than I pulled out my butt
6. Standard Elk Hair Caddis
7. Butch Caddis with green fuzzies
8. and finally... a good ole' Adams!

Overall, it was a great day on the water with friends (both old and new) and amazing fish... even the sub-4" guppy.

[flybob]

L.B.D, a great start! And a successful one at that!

You have almost reached the pinnacle of fly fishing!
Catching fish on your own ties!

The next level is catching fish on a rod that YOU built/assembled yourself!

Great Job!

[fflutterffly]

Welcome to the My fly fish caught! Great fly and beautiful 4"r. Eat your heart out Angie.

[NorcalBob]

Congrats!
Now you're gonna turn into someone like me, who spends hundreds of dollars on chicken feathers!

[darrin terry]

Of course it's a worthy first on your own fly! Why not?

Here's my first from a couple years ago:

Notice he's missing an eye on his right side:


Keep at it! You'll keep finding fish to give you feed back and often enough to eagerly gulp and swipe at those flies you tie.

And you'll get bigger ones sometimes too. I caught these two about a week apart, both on flies I tied, one at 24-inches and the other at 24.5-inches:




It all depends on what you want to pursuit. Creek fish, river fish, lake fish, trout, bass, bluegill, crappie, carp…you can tie the flies needed for the chase. Or chase them all, as several here do. Pick you poison and go after it!

And congrats and the catch! You'll not forget it any time soon.

Now try building your own fly rod and catching them on that, too.

…The next level is catching fish on a rod that YOU built/assembled yourself!

Great Job!

I was fortunate to have caught my first fish on my own fly (the brookie above) on the first fly rod I built. Fun times indeed.

[beachbum]

Congrats!
Now you're gonna turn into someone like me, who spends hundreds of dollars on chicken feathers!

What Bob Said!! Congratulations! At this moment there are chicken feathers in many colors all around me, and while I really should clean up my fly tying area, there's more flies to be tied tomorrow. Welcome to the club

PS..nice fly!

[WanderingBlues]

You do a fine job on the tying!

And Darrin, those are some toads!

[darrin terry]

Yeah, fun toads too. LBD is gonna have much fun chasing all the fish he wants if he keeps tying. I have been down this trail and caught little wild creek trout, big planted toads, bluegill, crappie and bass (and suckers) and have had loads of fun doing all of it.

Caddis, mayfly, frog, crayfish, baitfish and many other forms of fish food can be imitated in fly form. So much to learn if that's road you want go down, or you can stick to a few basic patterns that work on the waters you fish most often. Just remember to keep laughing as you go.

[Sasha]

Congrats

[Wildman]

Congratulions.....I fell off that truck about 4 years ago and wished I had kept some of my first ties in a jar to look at now. A few years from now...you'll look back at those first efforts and chuckle. Good stuff!

[briansII]

Congrats Bendo. For being your first. That is a very well tied fly.

briansII

[k9mark]

I like the red you put in there. Have you made any with other colors? Perhaps purple?

[Flatsix]

Catching a fish with a self tied fly is a great feeling for sure.

Congrats, now your addicted!

[Papasequoia]

5. Some Emerger pattern than I pulled out my butt

I'm sorry, but adding any kind of scent, flavoring or taste enhancers is strictly forbidden! (oh yeah, congrats on the first fish on your own fly! )

[1mocast]

Nice First Tie! Congrats!