July 2018

From The Guide Seat

 

I am happy when local fly fishers want to fish the Bow. Most want to know more about the river, how to fish it and mostly which flies to use.

The first thing I like to ask clients when we head out is “Are you confident with your casting and presentation skills?” If not, we are always happy to provide lessons along the way.

I clearly remember the first fish I ever caught on the Bow, after several failed attempts. I was using a #4 Black Wooly Bugger. After I caught that fish, I continued to use that pattern every time I went out, stubbornly not changing the fly for the conditions I was fishing. After all, I caught a fish on it once! I did this for a whole summer, only occasionally changing my fly. And when I did change my fly, I didn’t really know why, other than I wasn’t catching fish on my tried and true magical streamer.

Eventually, through the grace of other Fly Fishers on the river, some books and some advice from local fly shops, I started to learn about the bugs, when they hatch, how to read the water and where fish likely hold during different times of the year.

The very first thing I noticed as I tried new methods and different set ups, was I could cast! I could lay a fly anywhere I wanted. I could perform a roll cast while in tight situations, I could shoot line across the seam, or I could lay a dry fly nice and easy above a rising fish. All those days of casting, getting hooked on the bottom, losing precious Wooly Buggers in trees and grass, and catching myself in the back, actually did me a world of good.

If you are one of the many new to the sport, getting tangled and messed up, keep at it. Soon enough you will find that confidence and the fish will follow.