Members' Bio: Where'd you come from?

[Benny]

Welcome guys, looking forward to reading and looking at some nice photos.

[1mocast]

Welcome and hope you both get a chance to post some of your adventures.

[hbhager]

I am from Pa ,near Philadelphia
I started fishing when I was about 6 yrs old ,I learned how to flyfish back in the early 70's got out of it for a few yrs and then into it again
A friend of mine taught me how to tie ,and I haven't looked back since
I learned to tie woven flies ,and I really enjoy tying them ,if I could figure out how to post pictures I would post some
Thanks
Henry (hbhager)

[WanderingBlues]

I am from Pa ,near Philadelphia
I started fishing when I was about 6 yrs old ,I learned how to flyfish back in the early 70's got out of it for a few yrs and then into it again
A friend of mine taught me how to tie ,and I haven't looked back since
I learned to tie woven flies ,and I really enjoy tying them ,if I could figure out how to post pictures I would post some
Thanks
Henry (hbhager)

Welcome to the site. I'm a former Maryland boy and still have a lot of family in PA.

[flybob]

To all the newcomers, A hearty WELCOME to the family!

Getting really hard to keep up with all the new members, age has it's disadvantages...........

[rkfiske]

Hello everybody,

My name is Travis and I am 18 years old and am from north Orange County. I am brand new to fly fishing, and will talk more about that later on in this post, but I will give you some background on my fishing life and about myself beforehand.

I caught my first fish, a 10" rainbow trout, at the age of 4 on a spinning rod and reel in the creek below Taioga Lake many years ago. From that point on, I was hooked on trout fishing, and counted the days every year until I could get up into the Eastern Sierras again. Like most kids, my early days of fishing were filled with the awful phrase, "Can we keep him?" Luckily, my father and grandfather set me straight about preserving our sport, and since then I have done my best to C&R every fish I've caught. Around the time I was 12, I began to refuse to use bait (it's boring to just sit there!), and got interested in strictly lure fishing for trout, and furthermore into begging my dad and grandpa to let me take a turn with their fly rods!

Around the time high school started, however, I began to get into saltwater fishing and lose the focus on trout, as I live 10 minutes from the ocean as opposed to the 6 hour drive it took to get up to the mountains.

Since I caught my first Barred Surf Perch, I have become hooked, and fish the surf or the bay about 3 times a week in the summer and even work at a sushi place, as I love to eat fish but don't like to kill my worthy adversaries myself! I can be found stalking Corbina before sun-up or launching my kayak to do battle with Spotted Bay Bass. Still, I had always envied those who lived to get up in the ice cold streams miles away to make that perfect cast and see their fly get swallowed by whatever was dwelling in behind that rock. Now, after I graduated, I finally got my chance! My grandpa bought me my first fly rod (Redington Crosswater 5WT), and my dad set me up with a guide on Lake Crowley just this past week (the best graduation gift ever!), and while the fishing was not that great, I am officially hooked on fly fishing.

The sad thing is that at my college, Harvey Mudd, there won't be much time for fishing, and there is not much fishing close by, however I will do my best to be a student of the sport and post my learnings and outings here. Once I get the pictures I will try to put a report up of my guided trip and of a few other outings I had in this past week. Thanks!

Travis

P.S. I am a bookworm, so if anyone can suggest books to help me learn how to be a better fly fisherman, whether it discusses technique, entomology, etc, it would be greatly appreciated!

Travis, congrats on Harvey Mudd that's quite impressive. I'm a relatively young (comparatively) forum member and am always happy to help get more young people in to the sport. Welcome to the addicts board and good luck with your schooling.

[WadeK]

I have no idea when the 1st time I went fishing was, probably before I was out of diapers knowing Dad and both Grandpas. The 1st fishing story involving me was of me getting pulled off my Grandparents dock on Corinthian Canal on Clear Lake by a Crappie eating Bass. Dad had a framed picture of 4 year old me holding the 6#+ Bass with most of it still laying on the ground in 1 hand and a Snoopy rod in the other hand. The red and white (still a favorite color for Crappy) Crappie jig still stuck in its lip. I’m wearing a Donald Duck lifejacket that my brother is holding onto. The story goes that I hooked a Crappie that dove under the dock and came right back out with the Bass right on its tail. My brother saw it just as the Crappie hit the end of my line and rose to the surface. He grabbed the back of my life vest at the same time the Bass hit the Crappie and I fell/was pulled off the dock. I wouldn’t let go of the rod even though I was getting repeatedly dunked and couldn’t swim. My 8 year old brother kept me from being towed away but couldn’t stop the dunkings. Somehow the Bass got hooked and stayed on through Dad coming to the rescue. I was yelled at by everyone but Dad to drop the rod. Grandpa B netted it when the fight was over.
Psychologists tell us that people are often drawn to things that are associated with the most or 1st Traumatic/Dramatic experiences of our lives. They might have something there.
The next story commonly told about me involves much the same scenario except Grandpa K had the picture of a mud covered 6 year old me and a 16# catfish from 1 of his 2 ponds in Arkansas.
As a fisherman I have gone through the phases of “I want to catch-anything, -a lot of anything, -a big anything, - anything by X method, -a lot of anything by X method, -a big anything by X method, ad nauseum.
With 128 species on my life list there are few species common to CA Freshwater and Saltwater that I haven’t caught. Notable amongst the species I haven’t caught are Piaute Cutthroat, Sacramento Perch, Yellowtail, Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Opah and any of the Marlins. I haven’t spent too much time chasing Pelagics. Does anyone know if we still have a legally fishable population of Grayling in CA? (PM’s appreciated!)
I’ve only seriously been flyfishing since shortly after I moved to Bakersfield in Jan. 05. Prior to that I had FF’d with my Dad probably less than a dozen times before he passed when I was 18 and maybe 30 times since then until moving here. He also taught me a little about flytying and I inherited all of his stuff for that, most of which he inherited from his Grandpa. I didn’t use it for much other than tying up Bass jigs during my Tournament Days. Now I enjoy tying a wide variety of flies, just not very well. As of the Brown Bullhead Catfish I caught at the SSFF ‘vous I now have 22 species on my FF life list. Anybody want to help me add a few?

Tight lines,
Wade

[Western Coachman]

Hello all. Good to be here. I see some names I recognize. Hope all of you remember me too. Hello Pete, Flybob, Watchinthewater, Papasequoia, Dr. Creek, and others I didnt mention. Good to see you again. I was wondering where you all went.

[WanderingBlues]

Welcome Wade and Rob! Look forward to some great reports.

[flytier07]

I lived in southern California a very long time ago -1947-48 to be exact. Firstly I was born in Anacortes, Washington. My parents stayed and worked in North Hollywood and I was very lucky that they met the people who trained Roy Rogers, horse Trigger as I got to meet loads of stars at the time and got their autographs. Then in 1949 my father decided to try to farm the old Thiel farm land near Ashton, eastern South Dakota and promptly got hailed out two years running! No crop insurance in those days either so we were officially broke. Went to school in Redfield from 1949-1962 and joined the Air Force in 1963 and spent the next eight years of my life there mostly stationed overseas where I met my wife and after we married in 1969 made my home in england and have lived here ever since 1971-London till 2002 and now in the northwest near Manchester since then. First shown how to fish in 1950(bait fishing) but not handled a fly rod till 1955, my mentor Louis Davis died of bowel cancer in 1960. Wasn,t able to fish for trout till 1968 by which time my family had moved to Colville, eastern Washington and had the tiny Mill Creek flowing past less than a hundred yards from their back door. Joined the Palmers Green North London Anglers Club soon after I moved, but by 1974 when I suddenly found myself with two children with less than a year between them I had to work all kinds of hours to pay the bills so fishing went on hold. Then returning from a family break in the sumer of 1979 discovered the padlock to my garden shed had been sawn through and all my gear stolen. Hit hard as some of it had sentimental value and didn,t retrun to fly fishing till 2007-since when I,ve taken it back up with a passion. Hope to hear from like-minded people and see how fishing is over there as I can guarantee you it,s far different here in the uk. Tight Lines

[briansII]

I lived in southern California a very long time ago -1947-48 to be exact. Firstly I was born in Anacortes, Washington. My parents stayed and worked in North Hollywood and I was very lucky that they met the people who trained Roy Rogers, horse Trigger as I got to meet loads of stars at the time and got their autographs. Then in 1949 my father decided to try to farm the old Thiel farm land near Ashton, eastern South Dakota and promptly got hailed out two years running! No crop insurance in those days either so we were officially broke. Went to school in Redfield from 1949-1962 and joined the Air Force in 1963 and spent the next eight years of my life there mostly stationed overseas where I met my wife and after we married in 1969 made my home in england and have lived here ever since 1971-London till 2002 and now in the northwest near Manchester since then. First shown how to fish in 1950(bait fishing) but not handled a fly rod till 1955, my mentor Louis Davis died of bowel cancer in 1960. Wasn,t able to fish for trout till 1968 by which time my family had moved to Colville, eastern Washington and had the tiny Mill Creek flowing past less than a hundred yards from their back door. Joined the Palmers Green North London Anglers Club soon after I moved, but by 1974 when I suddenly found myself with two children with less than a year between them I had to work all kinds of hours to pay the bills so fishing went on hold. Then returning from a family break in the sumer of 1979 discovered the padlock to my garden shed had been sawn through and all my gear stolen. Hit hard as some of it had sentimental value and didn,t retrun to fly fishing till 2007-since when I,ve taken it back up with a passion. Hope to hear from like-minded people and see how fishing is over there as I can guarantee you it,s far different here in the uk. Tight Lines

Welcome!

Sounds like you have some very interesting stories to tell. Pull up a chair and enjoy. Oh, and the first pint is on the new guy.

briansII

[beachbum]

I lived in southern California a very long time ago -1947-48 to be exact. Firstly I was born in Anacortes, Washington. My parents stayed and worked in North Hollywood and I was very lucky that they met the people who trained Roy Rogers, horse Trigger as I got to meet loads of stars at the time and got their autographs. Then in 1949 my father decided to try to farm the old Thiel farm land near Ashton, eastern South Dakota and promptly got hailed out two years running! No crop insurance in those days either so we were officially broke. Went to school in Redfield from 1949-1962 and joined the Air Force in 1963 and spent the next eight years of my life there mostly stationed overseas where I met my wife and after we married in 1969 made my home in england and have lived here ever since 1971-London till 2002 and now in the northwest near Manchester since then. First shown how to fish in 1950(bait fishing) but not handled a fly rod till 1955, my mentor Louis Davis died of bowel cancer in 1960. Wasn,t able to fish for trout till 1968 by which time my family had moved to Colville, eastern Washington and had the tiny Mill Creek flowing past less than a hundred yards from their back door. Joined the Palmers Green North London Anglers Club soon after I moved, but by 1974 when I suddenly found myself with two children with less than a year between them I had to work all kinds of hours to pay the bills so fishing went on hold. Then returning from a family break in the sumer of 1979 discovered the padlock to my garden shed had been sawn through and all my gear stolen. Hit hard as some of it had sentimental value and didn,t retrun to fly fishing till 2007-since when I,ve taken it back up with a passion. Hope to hear from like-minded people and see how fishing is over there as I can guarantee you it,s far different here in the uk. Tight Lines

Welcome to the board! I fish the UK a bit, and you are right, it's far different, but it's some pretty good trout fishing. Look forward to seeing some posts from your waters!

Bill

[flytier07]

Hi Bill-I also belong to the FFF forum and the Lancsy Lads section I joined even though I don,t actually Live in Lancashire(Cheshire,s only a few miles away). We had about five meetings during the summer-the last one held on Sunday, October 23rd at a small reservoir at Goosnargh near Preston called Barnsfold. Though the weather wasn,t great and only ten members turned out every angler caught-something that had NEVER happened previously-all rainbows and one eighteen year old youngster-grandson of the organiser Alban had no less than 31! I had one on the third cast then missed countless pulls for seven hours then caught three in ten minutes-the last being the biggest at 4 pounds exactly. As I don,t like the taste of trout from the stillwaters here in england I fish only catch and release. No more forum meets now during the winter but do hope to get out again soon and maybe have a go at rivers and grayling fishing this time as I,ve never fished for them-never lived anywhere when in the USA that had them! Tight Lines.

[WanderingBlues]

Flytier, welcome to the site! Can't wait to hear tales from the water's of the UK. I lived in Ipswich for several years, courtesy of my dad being in the USAF. It had so much impact that I'm Director of a rugby club here in California and my son plays as well. Cheers and tight lines as well.

[flytier07]

You,re mentioning Ipswich brings back fond memories of Bentwaters-Woodbridge as it was on a bleak August afternoon in mid August, 1967 that I flew in on a "goonie-bird" from Bitburg, West Germany getting a lift from a pilot-friend I,d been at Washington State with for a while as the Barons, Football team had a game with Bentwaters as a warm-up to the season. Took the train to London and stayed at the old Douglas House near Lancaster Gate, Bayswater in London,s west end. Got put in with two soldiers who were due to return to Germany the following day(Monday) morning as in those days the DOD leased the hotel as transient billets and servicemen on leave could stay space-available. As things would have it my two army "friends" stole all my dollars$(140) leaving me just £30 sterling and my leave lasted the rest of the week. It was in reception that morning after I,d reported my loss to the MPs that my life changed. There was a "new" pretty blonde english girl I hadn,t seen before working the information desk. I began chatting to her and as they say the rest is history and we married just over two years later. Moral-life is indeed Stranger than fiction!