As a whole, outdoor lovers also seem to be do-it-yourselfers. The kind of folks who not only enjoy, but take pride in, making their own tackle. Examples of this that quickly come to mind, especially when the subject of interest is trout fishing, would be tying flies, making in-line spinners and even fishing rods themselves.
My father was an active fly fisherman who, with the help of a few books, managed to teach himself the basics of fly tying. He passed this interest on to me. Though it has been years since I’ve been an active fly-tyer, I can still recall how much it meant to me when I caught my very first trout on a fly that I had created by myself. A fly which I’m sure looked far from perfect, yet good enough to fool a foot-long rainbow.
I was 11 years old when my father began trying to pass along the basic skills needed to tie a trout fly. My flies looked well, let’s call them creepy — but I felt that I had tried my best and they deserved a chance to float past a trout or two.
A week or so after the trout season opened, my school district held a half day on a Wednesday, releasing students at noon. After a bit of pleading and begging, I managed to arrange a ride for me and a school chum to the village of Cowan where we would fish Buffalo Creek until my father could pick us up that evening.
For us youngsters, this was a huge adventure. If memory serves, my friend and I managed to each hook a trout or two using bait. Come the middle of the afternoon as the sun began warming things up, flies began to hatch. It wasn’t long before the fish began to completely ignore our baits, instead feeding heavily on the hatching flies.
Putting my spinning rod aside, I assembled my fly rod — a gift for my 10th birthday the year before — and tied on one of my crudely-tied flies. A few casts later I was hooked up with my very first trout on a fly rod. Whether the fish struck because my offering looked like the real thing, or because it simply looked scary and the fish felt threatened by the snarl of feathers and thread I called a fly, I’ll never know. But either way, he broke water, sucking down the fly.
Later that evening when Dad showed up, I’m sure I was beaming with pride when I showed him my catch. That rainbow might have only been a foot long at best, but to me it was a trophy. Up until then I had only caught bass and bluegill with my fly rod. Now I was a verified trout angler and the creator of a bait that had brought a trout to net! To a young boy who loved to fish, I was enjoying one of the best days of my young life.
Though I was still a number of fish short of the limit, I told my father that we had had enough and were ready to head home. Dad however, who also suffered from the same addiction, suggested that my friend and I instead sit back and relax for a short while first.
Soon Dad had his hip boots on and was casting a fly of his own making. Being much more proficient than myself, Dad soon creeled several fish as well, before agreeing that if we were any later Mom would be upset about us missing supper.
Whether it’s a fly tied by your own hands, a spinner you’ve made or a fishing rod assembled at your work bench, there’s a special feeling of accomplishment when they are used to bring a fish to net. If you’re one of those guys or girls who take pride in creating things yourself, consider making your own fishing tackle. It can add a whole new dimension to the sport of angling.
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