# Humbling



## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

Its been 5 weeks fishing for these bonefish and I have came up with 2 hookups and zero fish. I realize that fishing is fishing but, i put allot of time and effort and thought into these little critters that swim around the shallows. To have had 25+ shots at tailing bones and not come up with one makes me feel like an amateur..... that's when it occurs to me, what I am is an amateur or even a novice. I guess when someone pays me to fish i should get mad at myself for screwing things up but, I guess for me I pay for the rods, the line, the flies, the glasses, the reel, the backing, the camera, the leader, and all the other things that I feel will make me better at this sport so I feel I should be capitalizing on these opportunities that the good lord has given me. I am not good at very many things, I could screw up a two car funeral but, what I put effort into I like to be good at. This is the way I was with golf throughout my earlier years in Michigan. I would scrape up change ever day over the summer and go hit golf balls until the sun went down, eventually I got to wear I could do what I wanted to with it but, I believe the two sports of Golf and Fly fishing are quite similar because you can make a great shot and still make a bogey or "spook the fish". With both sports you can become good but it takes time, not minutes or hours but, more like years or decades. The good news is that every time you smack balls at the range or go skim the water with your fly line you get better. They both bless you with a growing experience, unlike any two other sports i can think of.

Now as I sat on the Beach of Aruba tonight with a broken rod tip, a cluster of a knot in my fly line, and a sandy reel I realized I am not good at this game quite yet, in fact I think it will be another 3 or 4 years before I am confident in my levels of casting, line management and lastly catching fish. 

Buenos noches amigos


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Broken rod tip and a knot in your line.
To me, that sounds like a good day.
Proof that you gave it your best shot.
I don't care if I catch, just the chance to see 'em is great.
One thought though...
have you tried singing "Mickey Mouse"?

                           

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1220494929/67#67


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

tanner, you've undoubtedly heard the old saying, "nothing worth doing is easy". 

As fer fly fishing I started around 1967, mentored by some of the legends in the game too and I screw up plenty these days. That's exactly the allure of it though. It's why I choose to hunt with a longbow instead of a compound or even a gun. I don't want it to be easy, I don't want every advantage over my quarry, be they finned or furred.

The challenge IS the magic that keeps you at it. Being humble is a good too.


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

> tanner, you've undoubtedly heard the old saying, "nothing worth doing is easy".
> 
> As fer fly fishing I started around 1967, mentored by some of the legends in the game too and I screw up plenty these days. That's exactly the allure of it though. It's why I choose to hunt with a longbow instead of a compound or even a gun. I don't want it to be easy, I don't want every advantage over my quarry, be they finned or furred.
> 
> The challenge IS the magic that keeps you at it. Being humble is a good too.


Just so you know... I was looking forward to your response to this because I know you've been at it longer then anyone that I know and it shows. even through your writing. I love fly fishing even when things are going wrong. I learn most when I watch another angler with more experience then I do work the bow. Bring the Son over in april or ill come to the WC... id like to absorb some of your knowledge.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Measuring success fly fishing by catching a desired species results in too much frustration. My advice is concentrate on enjoying a perfectly executed day of fly fishing and let the catch become an enjoyable interruption to that pursuit.


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

Tanner. Don't beat yourself up. When I started flyfishing I caught a redfish pretty quickly. It was close to a year before I caught redfish #2. And that was fishing 1-2 days a week. But after the planets aligned, and the flyfishing gods decided I had put in enough time, I catch redfish pretty regularly.

Just out of curiousity what flies are you throwing and what size hooks are they on?


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## galleta_loco (Sep 2, 2007)

I think Charles F Orvis said it best back in 1886"Unless one can enjoy himself fishing with the fly,even when his efforts are unrewarded,he loses much real pleasure.More than half the intense enjoyment of fly fishing is derived from the beautiful surroundings,the satisfaction felt from being in the open air,the new lease of life secured thereby.and the many,many pleasant recollections of all one has seen ,heard and done.


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

IM mainly throwing kwan patterns but, i've lunched just about everything near them... over the last 5 days i have only seen one fish so, right now thats my problem. I just need all the planets to line up for me


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## capt_gordon (Sep 10, 2007)

"Some men fish all their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after."


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## Green_Hornet (Nov 1, 2008)

It is supposed to get down to like 29* here in PSL tonight. I would give about anything to have a cluster knot and broken tip on a beach in Aruba right about now. 
Have a boat drink and give it another go tomorrow!


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

Gotta get a new rod first


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

Loomis> any other broken rod


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## OSWLD (Apr 20, 2008)

> Measuring success fly fishing by catching a desired species results in too much frustration. My advice is concentrate on enjoying a perfectly executed day of fly fishing and let the catch become an enjoyable interruption to that pursuit.


well put Tom


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## B.Lee (Apr 29, 2008)

Bait is wrong...



Do they have shrimp in Aruba? How about Gulps?

;D


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

They don't have anything in Aruba for fishing, one little half stuck together tackle store


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Have to think like a native mon...

dem hermit crabs be da good bait,
been using dem fo' generations...

How do I know? I watched the islanders fish with handlines.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

What size are the bones? If you can also describe the circumstances (current, no current, soft or hard bottom, lots of grass or bare sand...). I've got a few tricks from years ago that might help.

These days, of course, if anyone wants to fish bones in Biscayne - I refer them to someone else...


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

coral flats not grass, tailing fish no current.


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## redfish (Nov 12, 2008)

"*Now as I sat on the Beach of Aruba tonight with a broken rod tip, a cluster of a knot in my fly line, and a sandy reel *I realized I am not good at this game quite yet, in fact I think it will be another 3 or 4 years before I am confident in my levels of casting, line management and lastly catching fish."
Sooooo, how exactly, Grasshopper, did you break the tip from thy rod?


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

well the top guide was falling off and i superglued it back on and now it went missing....

so I dont have a top guide.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

OK, here goes... I'm making the assumption that the fish are less than 5lbs, and that Kwan fly is probably on the large side..

When I'm asked to fill orders for the Caribbean, the fly size is generally on the small side - a #4 is a large fly in those areas many days, lots of #6 and occasionally even a #8 bug is needed. I would want bugs that match the bottom color (or as close as you can get..) with Gotchas, Charlies, Blind Charlies (take a regular Charlie and nip off the bead chain eyes), small crab patterns (between the size of a nickel and a dime overall including legs) and very sparse Clousers (no longer overall than 2" in tan/white, pink/white, etc on #6 hooks). If there's one color ordered more than any other it would be tan or any light color with a bit of pink in it.

Now here's the trick that's brought me a few tailers over the years. If the fish are spooky (you cast at the tailing fish and it promptly heads anywhere else...) the delivery is usually the problem. Try to guess which way they're moving and set that fly a few feet ahead of them and don't move it at all... You'll need to have sharp eyes to see exactly where that fly landed and you're hoping the fish will move close enough (a foot or two away) to see it. When the fish is within range, twitch the fly just once so that it hops almost in place and don't move it again. If the fish sees it you should be in business, if the fish doesn't come after it, then twitch it again. Usually anything on the bottom that sees a bone coming will try to hide, that little movement should be all it takes to trigger a strike. If the fish don't move within range you'll have to start the process all over again, making the cast where you think they're headed, then waiting them out. Here's a few patterns that might work...




























































Good luck


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

I love the red X flies............... ;D


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

A little too much url captain...
still some nice flies.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

thanks for sorting out the pics Brett... that's the second time someones' had to sort out one of my postings. I'll get it figured out eventually.


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## Flyline (Mar 3, 2008)

I like fluffy balls to  fly fish with ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D  works for salmon, chook, and Reds.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Those are my version of Matthews Turneffe Crab....


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## orlgheenoer (Dec 10, 2006)

awesome !!!!!


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## bamaflyfish (Apr 16, 2007)

The only fly rod I have ever broken was in Aruba.  

If you ever find a moment or two that the wind is not blowing (on Aruba that is a big "if")  you may find that your casting is better than you thought.  

Have you tried the beach at the end of the Airport runway?  I had some followers but no takers at night in the yacht harbor.  I was told baby tarpon could be caught there.  

How did you end up in Aruba from Orlando?


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