I knew he was in for a treat as I had been fishing the cicada hatch just two days prior and the fish were extremely agressive for the prize. When I mentioned that most of our action was coming on this hatch, he smiled from ear to ear. I took him to some holes to see what he had for personal experience. The first couple hours of the morning were consumed with teaching him some finer points of the art such as rigging, how to read the water, refining his casting stroke and how to look for what the fish may be eating.
About 10am I suggested we hit my favorite stretch. I whipped out the big, huge, 4" foam fly not knowing if it was too early in the day. Within seconds of the first cast he was into a fish. The bugs hadn't really even become active yet, but I guess they were just used to seeing the big meal floating overhead. I know one thing, I gotta get some night game in within the next two to three weeks before they vanish for another 17 yrs. Later, we came up to one of my favorite holes. It has one of the best lies I have seen, and I have cherished it since my start to fishing on the fly. This hole always has fish. I directed him where to cast and the fly landed on the spot. Dom had a great drift and for a beginner, quite frankly, I've never seen such drag free drifts! Sure enough a big fish rolled, he set the hook, we saw the belly and it was gone in seconds. I'm sure if anyone was in the canyon they heard a very audible ....."AWWWWWWWWWW MAN".
We had a stream side lunch outside of my mothers house which is right on the stream where I cooked chicken and corn with chips and iced tea. Dom was talking to someone on the phone and I heard him say "I'm having the time of my life". We fished a little while longer and he had to pack it up to go on a family trip. We had a great time together and after speaking with him, it sounds like I will see him again come fall to fish at the chrome dome. I must say, the guy really listened well, took my advice, and caught fish. He progressed from a slow start to someone I think could fish alone on hard water and do well. Dom landed a few and hooked and lost too many to count. Surely the bug life is confusing, but you can bet if he ever sees another cicada hatch he will be going fishing. Till we meet again Dom... rip their lips!
To view more pictures from Dom's trip please check out my personal blog at Outdoor Integration click here.
See you on the water,
Jeremy Hoffman
Pennslyvania Trout Guide
Steelhead Alley Outfitters
No comments:
Post a Comment