Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Part One

Is it possible to teach an old dog new tricks? Maybe not, but I think its possible to teach an old spin fisherman how to be a successful fly fisherman. Needless to say my father is infatuated with fly fishing, the skill and art behind tying flies to hook fish. Although he doesn't tie he finds it quite interesting to see me tie and catching fish on flies his son has tied. Even if he is still an old mickey finn, muddler and olive woolly bugger kind of guy on a swung presentation. "Stan" has done well lately, catching some nice trout in still water situations where he is less experienced.



To the Left: "Stan' Trying his luck at the falls.

I had just gotten home from Charlottetown, Dad and I had been planning an overnight trip for a few months to a set of still waters that I have visited a few times. Both figuring the fishing would be amazing in the morning and evenings, and we weren't wrong. The road to the fishing area was grown-in and rough, but we made it to the washout without a scratch. We then unpacked all of our gear and started to load it onto our backs for the short kilometre hike up the alder infested road. Making it to the hardwood ridge, we decided that here was as best as any to setup camp. We setup a small eating area, clothesline, a place to store food away from animals and donned our waders and fly rods. Making our way down the old trail to the water, we each dreamed of the gems we would find in these treasured waters.

 This was dad's first time seeing the still waters and he was quite amazed. We fished a few still waters mid-day having some success but not as much as I'd hoped, we had just missed the mayfly hatch and the fish were likely stuffed. We ventured down the old rocky shoreline to the falls where last year yield lots of fish of good size. As I casted into the pool, nothing was really moving. I thought back to last year and what fly had done well there. I opened my box and saw the #6 limerick streamer hook dressed with a zonkered rabbit, mylar body and a muddler head with a cone, A Zuddler will do the trick I thought. Needless to say within a dozen casts I had harvested two beautiful trout for supper that evening, both measuring around 13 1/2 inches. We returned back to camp, after a beautiful walk through the standing woods of large pine and sucker maple, hiding our quarry with our food stash and ventured back to fish the upper still waters.  Dad was tired, and decided to relax at the stillwater nearest camp. I decided to fish the upper two still waters and caught some nice fish, but not until the run at the top of the farthest pool from base camp did I find great success.

 The fish were taking mayflies, but would not look at my streamer patterns, nymphs or even dry flies. I had just tied some dark dun CDC mayflies the week before for this trip but had left them in my box until now. As I gently landed the fly in the foam waiting for the take, slowly the fly fell through the foam and as I pulled it back up a nice fish took hold and came to hand. Learning from this fish I repeated the process and landed a few more beautiful auburn coloured gems and as each one swam back I realized how lucky I was… I took a step back and sat on the granite rock that split the current in the run, thinking about how special these fish are made me a bit emotional. I felt greatly for these fish as in the coming decades, their presence may be lost…

I returned to the pool below and heard coyotes, dad must have started supper I thought to myself, they could smell the fresh trout on the frying pan. I opened my phone to a call from him making sure I was okay, I was thinking the same thing about him. I didn't fish on the way back to camp as I was quite hungry. Thinking about the trout, bread and butter with nice cold water after a day of fishing could make most mouths water. Like I said before, conservation of this provincial fish is key but taking a two fish from a system with a healthy population will not greatly affect the overall well being of the stream. Supper was great, but I was eager back to the stream. I fished down to the lower stillwater and caught some beautiful trout on streamers and dries. But landed a nice 14 inch trout for breakfast the next morning just as it was getting dark. We walked back to the camp as the moon rose and carefully stashed it with the rest of our food and settled down for the evening.

To be continued….