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April 29, 2013

Trout Don’t Live in Ugly Places

37 Comments/ 4132/ 0

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If you read yesterday’s post you read that for my birthday Chris booked a fly fishing trip for us.  We have talked about finding something that we both like to do outside together that would be a good thing to develop.  Chris loves to fish and has some great memories of fishing with his grandparents and his dad and until recently his fishing trips have been sporadic. We hope to start a habit–a good one.

Chris hooked up with Kent at Bear Creek Anglers and he was a very patient and skilled man!  I am grateful for his expertise and knowledge and I know a lot more about nymphs, emergers, wet flies, dry flies, backcasting, roll cast, and nail knots.  Not that I know it all ! Whew!  There is a lot to remember.  I would do okay for a bit and then completely forget everything he had showed me but Kent being the patient man that he is proved to be very tolerant of my newness and was encouraging even when I hooked him.

Yes, I did.  I drew blood.  I apologized profusely and he said it happens all the time but I suspect not……

So pictures of me and my fish are few and far between because after all, I was fishing!!!  Not photo taking!!!  Chris took one of me upstream.

Bethy fishing

Obviously in the instructional phase. But listening and learning!!!

I can hear you all asking—“Well–did you catch anything?”   Yes, yes I did!

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Yep—I caught that little bub!!!  My one and only picture of what I caught and it was a blurry picture of a baby.  But rest assured—I did catch more and more and more.  I hooked 10 and landed 8 so that was fabulous for a first try.  Of course Kent led us to the prime spots and it was at the best time of the hatch of those wonderful mayflies so with the right fly I was hooking them left and right.  By the end of the 4 hours I had almost gotten into the rhythm and gotten the hang of it.  Most of my fish were brown trout that were probably 8-11 inches —although I did catch one larger rainbow trout.

My fish tales are tame and I would not insult the fish to pretend to have done better than I did but I had fun.  I didn’t fall into the water although I did get sucked into some mud along the way.  Since we were doing catch and release we tried not to stress the fish out too much and get them unhooked and back on their way.

Chris did well, too, and hooked 6 total—5 browns and 1 rainbow.  He was happy and it was really nice to get out together to do this.

I must admit I was a little stressed going  into it.  I had memories of failed piano lessons, failed golf lessons and my feelings of inadequacy were looming.  I also limited my coffee intake because you know it is harder for girls to get out of waders and heed the call of Mother Nature than boys.  Whew.

Chris is my biggest cheerleader and if I had hated it he would have understood but I didn’t and I don’t.   We will go again.  He is a good sport and a good teacher himself so next time we will probably go it alone.  HE will have to get me out of the rocks and get me untangled.  HE will have to net my fish because I certainly did not progress that far in skill level today!!!

Here are some pictures of my husband in action.

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All in all a wonderful day with fish tales to tell—all fun and as my husband pointed out “trout don’t live in ugly places” .  A beautiful day in Iowa, finally.   Hit 73 degrees and beautiful sun today.  I am storing it up because reports are that on Thursday it is going to drop to 36 degrees……

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Bear Creek Anglers brown trout Decorah fly fishing North Bear Creek novice fly fisherman rainbow trout trout streams
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37 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. Pix Under the Oaks
    April 29, 2013 at 06:41 am

    Well Beth Ann I think it sounds like a beautiful day outside in a beautiful place with soothing water. I am glad you enjoyed it. I have never been fly fishing but think it looks beautiful when someBODY is doing it.. 🙂 I do love to fish though and have caught my fair share of crappie which is abundant at the Lake of the Ozarks. It will be fun to hear about your next time!! I can tell you enjoyed it in your typed words.. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 08:23 am

      Thanks!!! It was fun and even though I have a lot to learn it will just take practice.

      Reply
      1. Pix Under the Oaks
        April 29, 2013 at 08:24 am

        And cooperative fishies!

        Reply
        1. Beth Ann
          April 29, 2013 at 08:28 am

          True!!! But the ones yesterday were very cooperative!!!

          Reply
  2. hilary
    April 29, 2013 at 07:03 am

    sounds like such a fun day… I always actually wanted to go fishing. You would think that living where I do I’d just buy a pole already 🙂

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 08:22 am

      Seriously!!! I used to fish occasionally with my brother growing up but haven’t done much at all since we got married. Chris always went with his dad but I wasn’t really interested. Now that we are getting older and thinking ahead about things to do together this seems like a good thing!!!

      Reply
  3. McGuffy Ann
    April 29, 2013 at 07:43 am

    This is great! Bill & I have always loved fishing. It is one of our favourite things to do. In fact we always have a friendly competition! To be out in nature, peace & quiet, and to fish is just the best! I am glad you like it too!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 08:21 am

      We did have a positively great day. The weather was finally perfect and the stream was beautiful. Even if I don’t catch anything it is still great to be out in nature!

      Reply
      1. McGuffy Ann
        April 29, 2013 at 05:26 pm

        Agreed!

        Reply
  4. Amy Prentice
    April 29, 2013 at 08:02 am

    I loved reading and seeing all the pictures from your first fly fishing adventure! 36 years ago Dave introduced me to fishing……he was and still is very patient……and I still can get my share of snags in which he patiently untangles! I think it is a great husband and wife hobby and I love being out in the wildlife!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 08:20 am

      I agree!!! I think Dave has a lot of the same qualities of patience. It was good to go with a guide the first time out I think because he was really trying to teach me. I am thinking it will be a great thing to do for a long time!!!

      Reply
  5. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    April 29, 2013 at 09:48 am

    Beth Ann, I loved this story for so many reasons. The humor (hooking the teacher), the love (b/n you and Chris), the try-something-new, your overcoming your inadequacies (ie. golf, I would have felt the same), your enjoyment of the outdoors and, finally, the great head “Trout don’t live in ugly places.” Excellent post, except for that 36-degree temp mention, which we shall not discuss more.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 10:14 am

      Sorry—-I ruined the post with that reference, didn’t I??? I am sooooo anxious for this weather to stay!!! Of course we are headed to SD on Thursday from the delayed trip because of the snow so it figures, right???? Grrr….

      Reply
  6. pattisj
    April 29, 2013 at 10:01 am

    It is a pretty place. Glad you enjoyed your fishing experience.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 10:13 am

      Thanks, Patti!!!

      Reply
  7. poemsandponderings
    April 29, 2013 at 10:33 am

    What, no trout filets over an open campfire? Well maybe next time!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 11:16 am

      Nah–we were doing catch and release!!! It was enough to just do that!!!

      Reply
      1. poemsandponderings
        April 29, 2013 at 12:05 pm

        Congratulations.. Did you get the jib jab card (via e-mail) that I sent you?

        Reply
        1. Beth Ann
          April 29, 2013 at 02:22 pm

          I did get it and I meant to email you a thank you!!!! I waited till I had my laptop to view it since our service was spotty. Loved it!!! Thanks so much!!!! 🙂

          Reply
          1. poemsandponderings
            April 30, 2013 at 09:49 am

            Thank facebook for blabbing when our birthdays are coming up… Happy that you liked it and that you had a great 39th birthday..

          2. Beth Ann
            April 30, 2013 at 10:29 am

            It was number 29!! 🙂

          3. poemsandponderings
            April 30, 2013 at 10:55 am

            Ooooops, my bad.. lol

          4. Beth Ann
            April 30, 2013 at 11:50 am

            Really!!! Geez!

  8. Helen Brown
    April 29, 2013 at 11:38 am

    I have done some fishing in my younger days as our farm was next to the river. That was done with a pole, no fly fishing. I enjoyed your pictures.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 02:22 pm

      Glad you liked the pics!!!

      Reply
  9. bocafrau
    April 29, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Looks like a beautiful and fun adventure. I’ve never been fly fishing and can only imagine that it takes a little more than fishing at the lake here. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      April 29, 2013 at 02:21 pm

      I think it will take quite a few trips for me to master it but it was fun to be outside and with my hubby!

      Reply
  10. benzeknees
    April 29, 2013 at 03:22 pm

    I missed your birthday, I am so sorry! I’m glad you had a great day & were able to do something with Chris. My mother felt the same way, so she took golf lessons & until her rheumatoid arthritis put a stop to it, they golfed together as much as possible.

    Reply
  11. Darlene
    April 30, 2013 at 09:55 pm

    Looks like you had a good time. I used to go fishing with hubby but I would sit in the boat and read while he fished. Sometimes at a a really good part in the book or magazine, I would read out loud to him. The amazing thing is that’s when he would get a bite. It was obvious to me that fish enjoy good writing and came closer to listen.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      May 01, 2013 at 08:08 am

      I love this and I think this is what will eventually happen if we go boat fishing! Chris is fine with me just reading, too but I wanted to give it a go!

      Reply
  12. My Odd Family
    May 01, 2013 at 11:34 am

    What a great fish tale! I had to giggle tho, one of my dearest friends was talked into sky diving after the kids were gone and her hubby was looking to for ways to spend more time together….followed by scuba diving….yep, still married, but spending a lot more time on the beach sipping cocktails with umbrellas. She earned it!!
    I could also relate to that anxious feeling about learning something new…I so want to “get it,” that I often stop listening…and ski over the instructor, or something like that.
    Proud to know a fly fisher-women! You go girl! Looking forward to more fish stories!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      May 01, 2013 at 11:43 am

      It was pretty funny. I am sure he thought I was an idiot–especially after I hooked him in the cheek—but he earned his money and I did actually get the hang of it by the end. It helped the fish were biting and we were in great spots thanks to him. And the hubby is hooked, so to speak. He is planning all these trips now…..

      Reply
  13. Mark
    May 03, 2013 at 09:23 pm

    Awesome post! I cannot tally the endless hours I’ve spent, inexpertly winging a fly at trout, and I’ve NEVER regretted the time I spent doing it! It is a healing activity, and I hope you are able to make repeat performances…

    You are right, trout generally do NOT live in ugly places (although some of the places we stock trout, in Yuma, would perhaps not fit the bill of “non-ugly,” to the uninitiated; beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all…).

    I’ve an observation, that I feel is worth passing on… I’ve only fished for trout in the western U.S., and every stream in which I’ve experienced great fishing, has American dippers (also known as “water ouzels”) in residence. My favorite bird, ever! They aren’t flashy, but they are WAY cool. All grey, kind of robin-sized and shaped, although a little more robust. Somehow, they swim and walk around on the bottom of fast-flowing streams, searching for the nymphs and other invertebrates that also are a diet staple of trout. If you see dippers, you are probably in a pretty healthy stream. If you are interested, check out the American dipper on Wikipedia, you won’t be disappointed…

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann
      May 04, 2013 at 08:29 am

      American dippers, you say?? Well I am headed to find out more. And by the way…..my husband is now officially addicted and going to try to reel you in at Lakeside…..

      Reply
  14. Gone Fishin’, International Panic Day, International Picnic Day, International Sushi Day
    June 18, 2013 at 03:42 am

    […] ~ El Morno friend Beth writes about Fly Fishin’ for the first time. Trout Don’t Live in Ugly Places  […]

    Reply
  15. Rekindled Passion – It's Just Life
    September 12, 2013 at 06:02 am

    […] might remember my own foray into the world of fly fishing back in April was pretty successful.  (Trout Don’t Live in Ugly Places)    The Orvis Store in Jackson posts the fishing conditions daily for all the different areas […]

    Reply
  16. Cows and Seeds—They Go Together, Don’t They? – It's Just Life
    May 09, 2014 at 06:00 am

    […] Iowa which is one of our favorite spots in the state.  If you remember this was where I had my first trout fishing experience last year and we have been to the town several times and enjoyed all that it has to offer.  It is […]

    Reply

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