Members' Bio: Where'd you come from?

[beachbum]

Great Bios, Ryan, Stevie, and Shequilla (love the name..lol)!

[flybob]

Hey Shequila, FFFF, Ryan
Welcome to the fray, lots of fun, and great bunch of people here!
Looking forward to seeing some posts from youz with lots of photos!

Bob

[Sasha]

To the new members.......Welcome to this great site

[WanderingBlues]

I have been fishing for as long as I can remember. My grandparents have a farm with several lakes and I cut my teeth on bluegill and catfish on a cane pole with a bobber and some hot dog for bait. I moved up to the big time with my first 'real' set-up, a Zebco, at the age of 6 and started raiding my uncle's tackle box for his rapalas, jitterbugs, and other bass lures. Caught my first bass soon thereafter.

Having lived in quite a few places, some fishing highlights include trout in Scotland, bluefish and striper in Maryland, tarpon in the Gulf of Mexico, monster cat's in the Mississippi River, and pike in Pennsylvania. I've been in California for 25 years now and have enjoyed fishing the Sierra's on ultra-lite spin gear with lures I make myself. I also love off-shore fishing for yellowfin, bluefin, dorado, and the like. The finest trips are the one's I take with my son (who's 14 now). Through fishing, I've watched him learn responsibility towards the environment, and accountability for his success on the water through preparation and care of his equipment.

And, now, I'm learning flyfishing. The appeal is the totality of the sport; the study of the food supply, the search for the right water, the presentation of the fly, the honest battle of a fish on an appropriate set-up, and honoring the fish through C&R. Yeah, it sounds corny, but the older I get, the more I appreciate the greater experience. I'm looking forward to my first fly set-up this xmas. My father-in-law is getting me a nice TFO 5wt to get going and I'm already looking at 3wt's for the local stuff.

So, there you have it.

[darrin terry]

Nice intro. Welcome. If you enjoy making your own lures, then fly tying just might be your thing. Perhaps rod building too. I gotta say that catching fish on flies you tied and tossed with a rod you built is pretty sweet. Talk about totality. Now, start making your own reels, lines and leader/tippet and you would have the entire picture in hand.

[flybob]

Hey Curtis, welcome aboard!

Great bio, I think for the most part, unless you were lucky enough to have someone teach you the way of the fly at a very early age, we all came down, or should I say up, the same path.

But don't give up on those gills just yet, wait until you experience a hubcap on a lightweight fly rod.....



There are a lot of great people on this site, looking forward to seeing some of your posts,
Bob

[WanderingBlues]

Hey Curtis, welcome aboard!

Great bio, I think for the most part, unless you were lucky enough to have someone teach you the way of the fly at a very early age, we all came down, or should I say up, the same path.

But don't give up on those gills just yet, wait until you experience a hubcap on a lightweight fly rod.....

There are a lot of great people on this site, looking forward to seeing some of your posts,
Bob

Beautiful bluegill! Pound for pound, there's nothing like a bluegill, especially when they hit topwater.

[fly_baby]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking for a month so I think it's time to introduce myself. I was born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles (Hancock Park) so you might say I'm a real city girl. Unlike most of you my family was not the outdoors type so I never went camping until I was in high school (many years ago). My family's idea of a great vacation was going to Hawaii and swimming in the waters of Waikiki but no fishing. Fishing never entered my mind because no one I knew ever mentioned fishing it. Even when I was in college no one ever mentioned it...skiing yes, camping yes but fishing no.

About a year and half ago I saw someone fly fishing in the Sierras and it looked interesting, a lot more than the bait fishing my friends were doing. So I went to Orvis and bought my first rod and reel - 9' 5wt mid-flex TLS rod with a Battenkill Large Arbor reel I took a few casting classes, bought some flies and headed to Rock Creek. I was able to catch two 'bows and four browns - all wild - in a few hours. I think it was beginner's luck but I was "hooked." I have a float tube and fished in Grant Lake, Lake Sabrina, Intake II on Bishop Creek and a few other creeks. Tried Big Bear Lake but didn't like it. I love the Sierra Nevadas!

I happened to meet fflutterffly at a local fly shop and she told me about this forum. Boy am I grateful - I've been looking for a community just like FFA. How lucky am I? Thank you Ariel! She convinced me that Carp are worthy fish and has promised to take me to the L.A. River - but not to the honey hole.

I now have a 2wt, 3wt, 5wt and 7wt rods all with Orvis reels BBSs and BLAs. After reading this forum, I realize that while Orvis reels may be good, there are many others to choose from and hope to learn more from everyone. I don't have tons of money so I can't afford the very best but I won't buy cheap gear just to save a buck. I am saving up for a 4wt rod and am looking forward to the Pasadena show. I'm also into ultra light gear and want to hike/backpack into the Golden Trout Wilderness and fish some of those pristine brooks.

My biggest challenge is finding people to go fishing with. None of my friends have any interest in fly fishing - they haven't seen the light yet. I'm hoping I'll meet everyone eventually and make some fishing buddies. This forum is great and I've learned a lot already.

Ava
fly_baby

[Sasha]

Welcome to all the new members

[Papasequoia]

Welcome, Ava! Take Ariel up on her offer, you will have a good teacher there. However, there are two problems with this forum: it turns people into fanatics about carp and ultra-lightweight rods. Resist the temptation!!

[Benny]

Welcome to the forum Ava. I'm quite sure you'll find some good people to share the water with. Have fun on the forum and ask any questions you might have, the people on here are a world of knowledge.

[fly_baby]

Thanks for the welcome guys, I can feel the love!

[darrin terry]

Welcome, Ava! Lots fly fishers down in your area. I'm quite certain Ariel will steer you right, too. Looking forward to your posts.

[1mocast]

fb,
I think you are hooked...
Welcome aboard!

[midger]

Welcome! For somebody just starting you sure have a lot of fishin' poles.

Enjoy this place. Lots of great folks willing to help on this site.