It's Fly Fishing!!!

I have been away from the river for almost two weeks and I found myself going a little stir crazy. I finally made some time to hit my home waters of the Lower Stanislaus River last Thursday. I have had a lot of stuff on my mind the last two weeks and thought that going fishing would help me find the answers. I found some answers but not while fly fishing...All I can say is "appreciate where you are at." I was so focused on finding some answers while fishing that I was not focused on what I really love to do...fly fish! I found myself slipping and falling all over the rocks and I was constantly untangling my leader from making poor casts. I missed a few strong takes from some nice rainbows too. The last thing was I lost my footing and tripped in the water so my chest wader started to fill up and every pocket in my fishing vest got wet.

I'm sharing all this information with you because if you live in the "past" or live in the "future" you are not LIVING! Living is the "present" moment, that is all we have. Fly fishing for me is therapeutic in itself. I realized that just focusing on fly fishing and being one with nature allows my mind to be free from clutter. It also releases our natural "feel good" hormone Serotonin! If I'm focused on what is wrong or what is lacking in my life then I'm in constant stress mode. Everyone knows what you focus on "good" or "bad" only gets bigger. My big "eye opener" came once I made my way back to my car. I was having a little snack when I noticed this couple who maintain the bathrooms show up and they told me about a fisherman who had gone missing on this stretch of river. I walked back to my car and realized that life can be taken at any moment. Fly fishing keeps me "present." It grounds me and allows my mind to clear. Fly fishing recharges my battery and fills my cup so I can give freely to my wife and my kids.

Whatever it is you TRULY love to do...DO IT!! That is the best way to give to yourself. Every once in awhile I loose myself and every time it gets easier to come back to reality. So, find your PASSION and do it for YOU!

Even though I had a few challenges today I was able to land 5 fish. (did you really think I would get skunked on my home waters...Ha!) I started out fishing the lower pool and hooked into a small rainbow that must have broke water about 5 times. This little guy had a lot of fight in him. He is going to be one that will be fun to catch when he grows a few more inches. I caught another one at this hole and got him in the net. He was about the same size as the first one, about 8 inches. I scaled the rocks down to the next pool where my lack of attention had me miss a nice strike. I had a few more takes but didn't get one to stick. I walked down stream about fifty yards where Patrick & I always pick up a few trout. I switched my set up to a bead head pheasant tail nymph with a midge emerger pattern size 18. This set up seemed to get a few more fish excited. I caught 3 more trout at this hole before I fell in the water. I was able to get a little footage. Check out the video below.



The next trip will be to Bridgeport, CA. Patrick & I along with the Stanislaus Fly Fishers will be in search of the large Browns & Rainbows that inhabit these fisheries. We will be posting some great photos as well as some cool videos because I just got my underwater case for the flip.

Please feel free to comment on my blogs or just let me know if you ever want to experience fly fishing...I'm always ready to hit the water.

See you real soon...Back on the Fly!!