Managing Expectations

[AKSkim]

Another trout season is upon us and I just read a post and he said the fish were not that big but in the 6-8 inch range.
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What is the difference if you have a 20 inch brown trout on the end of your 6 weight rod and a 8 inch brook trout on the end of your 2 weight rod?
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You read posts from fishing guides about clients wanting to catch large trout and lots of them and when it doesn’t happen they feel the day and money spent was a total loss.<O</O
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Or was it?
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What I am getting at is how we as fly fisherman manage our expectations.
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My brother when I tell him about the trout fishing in The Great Smoky Mountains and he asks what size Brookies I caught, I tell him they were in the 6-8 inch range that is when he looked at me and stated, you traveled all the way down there and spent how much money for a small fish!<O</O
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Does the size of the fish and the number of the fish we catch really matter?
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I take very, very few photos of fish I catch since the time I was fishing in North Central Pennsylvania and I caught a very beautiful Brook trout on a Letort Cricket and I was holding the fish and was getting my camera ready when the colours of the Brook Trout really hit me. I knew then any photo of that fish would not do it justice. So I placed it back into the river and to this day in my minds eye I can still see how vibrant the colours of that brook trout were.
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How I manage my expectations are very simple.<O</O
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1) I am out and away from the daily pressures of life standing in a trout stream.<O</O
2) I am generally fishing with a good and trusted friend or family member.<O</O
3) I take the time to look around and see just what a beautiful place trout live in.
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Everything else is just gravy.<O</O

 

[danme]

AK

I never put expectations on any fishing I do -- I look at like this -- I fish to relax and get away from the everyday B/S of living in times where money is tight --jobs are few -- everyone is in a hurry and life is hectic outside the home.

When I fish I look at it this way Im outside communing with nature and wetting a line -- I started fishing with my dad at the age of 5 (Im 48 now) When I was younger it was VERY IMPORTANT for me to catch a Lot of BIG FISH and when I didnt I was Pissed Off.

Today I look at it this way -- I go fishing -- If I catch them thats great -- If I dont catch them I had a great day watching wild life and learning something new. As far as size of fish go -- I would rather catch the 12 to 16 inchers IMOVHO they have more energy and are more willing to jump than the occasional 20 - 24 inch fish. Now dont get me wrong those BIGGER FISH are awesome to catch but I never expect to catch them.

Another thing I do is try to help the 12-15 year old kids just starting out fly fishing. I could stand there all day (NOT FISHING) and enjoy myself just as much as fishing to help a young kid catch trout on flies. I have over the years done this many times and it is very gratifying to me to see the look on a young kids face when he hooks a trout on a fly and lands it

LOTS OF FUN

Peace
Dan

 

[BRK TRT]

I have extremely high expectations every time I visit a small stream. And every time I do my expectaions are met. For any time spent in the solitude of a stream that runs free and clear, with the opportunity of taking a wild trout of any size is all that I can ask.

Good thread AK.


Brk Trt

 

[WBDluver]

I think we all go through the same phases. 1. we have to catch our limit. 2. we have to catch big fish. 3. we just like to fish.

But it still fun to yank a chain now and then. What? no pictures of fish? McFly I thought you were in Florida etc etc

 

[MACFLY]

Asked and answered you schmuck

I think we all go through the same phases. 1. we have to catch our limit. 2. we have to catch big fish. 3. we just like to fish.

But it still fun to yank a chain now and then. What? no pictures of fish? McFly I thought you were in Florida etc etc

 

[JeffK]

Amen brother,

I guess my expectations of trout and women are the same as I get older - I appreciate any one that cooperates.

 

[Simms]

Wow, wonderful thread! May I digress a bit?

I remember the first day I picked up a fly rod, was also the first day I mastered the clinch knot! It was right after my 4th birthday in November. The entire way up I had my head lamp on, with a size 2 hook, trying to be able to tie it. As we crossed Lake Oneida, I DID IT!!! My father said, "That was the easy part, now try to do it when its 14 degrees and a white out."

My father and I pulled into the trestle lot at 5am with a fresh 8'' of snow on the ground. We had left New Jersey at 1am. While one would regard this as about 1.5 hours too early, as sunrise was not until 630 or so, I could tell my father was absolutely floored I possessed the fishing "spark". I had it BAD too, always seeing my father leave for trips out west, alaska, down the shore or wherever, I WANTED TO GO! Well, this was my time!

I quickly jumped out of the truck and began suiting up, my heart beating to a pace I never felt it beat before. I heard my father say to another gentleman standing close by, suiting up as well, "He is so excited to go, he put his shoes on the wrong feet." Feeling like a wing nut, I switched shoes and brushed it off. The snow was deep, for me, and it was still falling at a decent clip. So my father and I slowly headed down to the pool and then WAY down stream, myself in tow by my wader straps...(we walked from the trestle down to the bend where you can see across from the fish cleaning station).

He rigged up his 9' 7weight with a tangerine looking glo bug and a strike indicator. He brought me down a 8'6'' Cabelas beater and a Medalist, as he was certain I would be taking my share of falls and throwing fits. So, I strung up the rod and pulled out a similiar fly my dad put in my fly box for me. It took a while to tie it on, but my father refused to help me. I was detemined and finally got it. He lay his rod down on the bank and took mine from me and began showing me the basics. Its much different when your in your backyard!

So he showed me the general roll cast, mending, stack mending, high sticking techniques, swinging, etc. It was just a fricken blurr Ill tell you that. So I then was in the drivers seat, my father standing on my upstream side. I peeled out enough line where I felt comfortable. Gave it a chuck out there and tried all that fancy stuff my father just did. Well, it was not going happen. So he coached me through and finally I was able to I guess call it a "cast" and a "mend", still looking barbaric. We set up on a seam and he just said drift it down the slack side of the seam. Well, 3 hours went by, my father still standing next to me, my legs frozen solid, but I refused to leave. I was going to catch a fish whether it was the last thing I do. Finally, the rod darn near got yanked out of my hands. Once I gained composure, it snapped and there it went. A bit bummed, my father said, well get another one. We moved down stream and took a break, sipping on some hot chocolate and munching on some sandwhiches and snacks...
He again layed down his rod ont he bank and stepped out in the stream with me...We fished a seam for a while and BAM! FISH ON! I was jumping out of my waders, as was my father. I fought it around for what seemed like forever and we landed it. I couldn't be more happier, ever! My first steelhead, at 4 yrs old nonetheless and fishing with my favorite fishing partner in the world.

The rest of the weekend consisted of me fishing and my father coaching me...HE NEVER ONCE took his fly off his hook keeper. I then asked him why he never fished. He said, "Catching something is the last thing on my list..Hell, fishing is down there too. Just being out on a stream, river, or lake with company, teaching them how to fish, and successfully accomplishing that task is better than the biggest Leopard Rainbow one could boated on the Kenai..." It was years and years until I understood that.

For the next 15 years (until 19 years old) I fished more than you could even imagine. I even was able to get the bus driver to let me off near a local stream on the way home from school some days...It was an incurable disease that I still posses to this day. I fished in puddles for christ sake. I didn't care. My father and I were always going on weekend trips whether it be to the Catskills, ADK's, Saltwater, or the Salmon River...We were forever fishing...If we were not away one weekend, we would be fishing in Jersey...

My best friend also loved and still does to fly fish, possessing that same disease all of us here posses. However, my father and his buddies gave me the nick name, the "fish whore." Up until 19years old, everytime I stepped in the water, I really never gave consideration to anyone else. I just fished from sun up to sun down...What I mean by that is I never took anyone under my wing to show them the ropes, how to tie a knot, or anything like that. I never really thought anything about it as I was in my glory everytime that amnesia lurched away from me or the strike indicator dissapeared. My friend was the same way. I always had some jabs thrown at me back at the campfire, but again, never connected those dots. I also never knew how people could stand around on shore and bullshit, and NOT fish and be happy with it. It just baffled me.

At the fly tying table with all my fathers friends, which we still do every tuesday to this day, remarks such as "Dont worry about tying any for Christopher, hell walk right over your body on the river without a care in world." or "Dont give him any flies, his fly boxes have lock jaw." Everyone chuckled as it was all in the fun.

However, one day walking down the bank of the West Branch of the Ausable, there was a kid there, a bit younger than me, flailing away without a clue in the world. I could see him getting frustrated as he tangled his back cast just about everytime due to him clearly opening way up on the back cast. So, I decided to go over and lend him a hand... I chopped off his windknots/bird nests he had in his line, tied him on one of my newly constructed knotted leaders, put on a frog hair indicator, opened up my fly box and plucked out two my prettiest princes, and tied one on, giving him the other...I took his rod and walked him through some basic steps and how to read water. I gave him the rod back...His casting was much better as was his mending...I told him to make a cast out behind that boulder and quickly throw some stack mends in it to prevent drag...Well, no sooner did he do that, WHAM! Indicator went down and he brought a nice little 10'' bow to hand...He was the happiest kid in the world...THEN, it hit me... THAT WAS ME 15 years ago...I WAS THAT KID!!!!

So I walked back up on the bank, and plopped down on the grass and watched him fish. He pulled in 2 more bows from that very spot...My heart was beating at the same rate when I caught mY first fish!!! After 15 years, now I know why my father never picked up his rod that weekend and was perfectly happy not doing so! Now I know why I was the brunt of everyones remarks...From a distance, my father, his best frriend who I knew since I was a child stood and watched this all unfold. I came back to the truck and the smiles on their faces were from ear to ear. I think they were more happy that this "bubble" I lived in while fly fishing was popped than they were when I caught my first fish! For the rest of the day, I just sat on the big rock at the Monument, while my father and his friend demolished the browns on the matukas in the slack water, and then coming down and cleaning house on Ausable Wulffs in the riffles...It was the first time the "pond scum" urge of jumping in the river, not to be outdone, had left me and has yet to return.

Now to the point of the thread, sorry guys... lol

Everytime I hit a peice of new water or even water I have fished for many years, I NEVER go expecting to catch fish. That is like walking into cumbies and buying a lottery ticket expecting to win. I pull up to ever river and make believe I have never fished it before. I take into account the temps/sunny/not sunny, bug activity, and do the trademark walk over to the bank/bridge and take a peek...

I then take sip of my coffee, bullshit with the guy parked next to me, and pIick out a fly I feel will work TODAY. I suit up, and then hit the water. Unfortunately, for the last 5 years, I have not had a fishing buddy here in MASS... I fish by myself 100% of the time unless my father visits... Sure, I spend a day with an old timer I meet on the river everyonce in a while, but I dont have buddy I can call up the night before and says lets go! While some may think that is boring, I particularly enjoy it. I am not attached in anyway so I am able to spend 10 minutes or 10 hours on the water. But catching fish is the least of my concerns. Hell, 2 years ago when I fished the gorge more that I probably should have (doctors said DONT DO IT), I fished it by myself. There were days I spent just shooting the shit and helping people fish and just giving them some pointers...Now, dont think by the comment I am the all knowing god...I AM NOT. Who is? What I mean is it just FEELS GOOD to know your helping someone out and they appreciate your help... I think thats better than catching fish anyday!!!!!....It just AWESOME to be disconnected from that damn cell phone and the parrot back home... Hell, I used to go out and sit in my deer stand and do homework...call me crazy, but there is a connection with the outdoors that most people dont know exists and are unable to fathom how we can stand waist deep in water all day, and not care about. catching fish...ITS AWESOME!

[FONT=Arial, Sans-Serif]"When I go fishing I ... want to get away from it all, for it is silence and solitude even more than it is fish that I am seeking ... As for big fish, all is relative. Not every tuna is a trophy."[/FONT]

 

[AKSkim]

SIMMS that post was something else.

BRAVO ZULU

 

[flyI4]

I think my expectations are all revelent to how much I am getting out during a given season. On years when I was able to get out every weekend, I start getting greedy and start trying to set personal bests, only target larger fish during hatches, ect ,but on those years when time isn't on my side and I get out less I start just being happy to be out there and size of the fish isn't as important. Lets be real though, if you could be catching 20 inch fish out of the stream you were getting those 8 inches out of, most would take the 20 incher.

 

[AKSkim]

Lets be real though, if you could be catching 20 inch fish out of the stream you were getting those 8 inches out of, most would take the 20 incher.

Maybe.... but not in my case.

The streams where you catch an 8 inch trout isn't all that wide or deep to support a 20 inch fish.

I once was given a book on fishing the Smoky Mountains National Park, there isn't a day that goes
by when I think of fishing, I think of the Smokies first and foremost.

They only have small trout there.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

 

[Joe D]

Excellent thread, AK.

I think the only expectation I ever have when I'm on any water is that I'm going to enjoy myself. Fortunately, my expectations have always been met.

This thread reminds me of something Bob Lawless once wrote; "If I'm not going to catch anything, then I 'd rather not catch anything on flies"

Too often I see people who forgot why they went fishing in the first place. Which brings to mind some other words penned by Alfred Miller (Sparse Grey Hackle); "Soon after I embraced the sport of angling I became convinced that I should never be able to enjoy it if I had to rely on the cooperation of the fish."

You're on a roll, AK. First the exposé of the 4/2 coup and now this thread... Well done.

 

[Drossi]

On each and every trip out I expect to:

1) Be washed clean from the filth of everday life
2) Enjoy nature for it's beauty, wonder, and amazement
3) Laugh out loud at myself for doing some assine, funny shit with a rod, reel, and line
4) Remember trips past with my dad and daydream of trips future with my sons
5) Slow down and enjoy life

Catching fish is but a bonus. Wild fish an even greater bonus. Size matters not, sure its fun to catch large fish but I gave up stressing that long ago. Time is short so we must enjoy our time.

 

[G Lech]

My expectations of fishing are simple.
I want to be on a stream trying to fool a wild fish with a fly I tied.
This is all I can ever ask for.
Great thread A.K

---------- Post added at 09:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 PM ----------

SIMMS what you did for that kid was great and very generous. Trust me he will never forget it, I know I will never forget the time an old timer climbed down a few rocks to show me how to roll cast and gave me a few flies.

 

[Trout Nazi]

My expectations are very basic. Have some time to fish, doesn't matter where, get inside me head for a while, expectations met. I like places with no cell service. Trying to teach a 4-year old how to cast with an Echo practice rod. If he gets into it, things will only get better.

 

[Joe D]

After reading these responses it occurs to me that the expectation of catching fish could be the easiest of all to accomplish, bringing light to what the oft quoted Henry David Thoreau meant when he said, "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."

My client and now good friend, Jack Leonard who has caught more fish in his life than really matters, one day during a quite time on the water quietly stated, "When you are on the river, ocean or in the woods, you are the closest to the truth you'll ever get".

It became one of those phrases that I've heard that means more things than the words in it.

Wishing everyone a wonderful season with the chance to catch what you're fishing for... Enjoy!

 

[G Lech]

Wishing everyone a wonderful season with the chance to catch what you're fishing for... Enjoy!
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Nicely said!

 

[AKSkim]

Some very good points have been brought up, not in any particular order.

(1) Most use fishing as a relaxing hobby to get away from the everyday pressures and gives you time to think and sort out issues.

(2) To get out and experience nature up close and personal

(3) Brings back fond memories when you first began.

(4) Catching a large fish or any fish is nice but not as important as being out there

(5) Passing on the knowledge to other.

Lets talk about #1

Say the daily grind has gotten to you and you just want to get sometime by yourself away from everything.

You get there and nothing goes right, can't cast worth a dime, wind knots on a calm day.

How would you handle it then?

Call it quits, head for the nearest bar, or find a rock with a great view and just take it all in?

 

[Joe D]

Find a rock with a great view and just take it all in. Then maybe later head for the nearest bar, but I'd rather have cocktails with friends in more natural surroundings.

Call it quits? Isn't that what you did when you went fishing to begin with? ...at least for a little while.

 

[Simms]

At least a few times a year, for most of us, the day begins by arriving at the river or stream realizing we have forgot our sling/fanny pack/ or vest, so we scramble to dig out flies from out headliner, roach coach, or wader pockets with little success. We then suit up and SNAP one of our laces on our boots and somehow gerry rig it. Our first step in the water results in us twisting our ankle or taking a complete header while our first cast ends in us hacking off our leader/tippet to begi the process again. When this happens, I put all my line back on the reel, close all my pockets soI can not access them, find the nearest rock, preferably where sun is beating down on it and sit there and regroup...Sometimes it takes 5 minutes or sometimes it takes an hour. Either way, its a wonderful time to take in your surroundings, enjoy the great outdoors, and save your rod from getting smashed in half

 

[G Lech]

Lets talk about #1

Say the daily grind has gotten to you and you just want to get sometime by yourself away from everything.

You get there and nothing goes right, can't cast worth a dime, wind knots on a calm day.

How would you handle it then?

Call it quits, head for the nearest bar, or find a rock with a great view and just take it all in?

Take it all in.
To me there is nothing better than just being there.
Fly fishing has a way of putting everything into perspective.
A fish sipping my spinner off the surface is just a bonus.

 

[flyman23]

Just have to sit on a rock and be glad to be where you are. I had one of those times last year in a middle of a sulpher hatch, trout rising and me casting knots into the leader. Good time to sit back. Although, it's great to have a hobby that still gets me as excited as the first few times I experienced a hatch.

 

[strike proof]

I didn’t understand the whole wild trout magic until about a year ago. I had this leftover childhood valuation of fishing related to the size and number of fish. I have only caught a few big fish on a fly rod, and they were generally overfed mutants on private water. It is still a thrill, and probably always will be, but it’s not the best measure of a day on the water. Don’t get me wrong. I like wild places. My wife calls me a bird geek. I would rather find a shed snakeskin streamside than watch a ballgame inside, waiting for something exciting to happen. When I found a box turtle on our property last year, I grinned like a five-year-old.

My first decent fly fishing experience was outside Seattle. I had lived in the city for a year, but had very little time to fish. When I planned a visit a year later, I set aside some time to enjoy the area and spent a day with a guide. After learning some basic entymology and casting, we were out on the water landing native cutthroats. My guide said, “Hey, you're catching wild cutthroats.” I thought to myself, “I didn’t know they could get this small.” Besides, aren’t all fish wild? Sorry, Dave, of Emerald Water Anglers. I didn’t get it.

When I first came to this board, I was intrigued at how members revere BRK TRT. I appreciated his posts, too. His photographs are inspiring: the pace of the streams, the fractured rock, the contrast of deeply grooved bark, the sheen of an outstanding leaf or mushrooms, and the gem-toned trout. His respect for his natural surroundings, his appreciation for the opportunity to spend time fishing, and his pride in the success of his flies as well as in the ability to release the fish safely are all manifest in his posts. But man, I thought, those are some small fish.

Last spring, I started fishing the Claremont stretch of SBR as a quick getaway from work. It was the first time I caught wild trout consistently. As I “got to know” the fish there, I developed a much better appreciation for their daily struggles: where they lie, where they feed, how much risk is ok, when to take a crummy drift, when to refuse. They were much more eager to take a fly than most of the bigger fish I have caught, and much more eager to escape or be released. Their struggle to balance the risk of eating with the need to escape was pretty striking. Around the same time, I had the good fortune to exchange a couple of PM’s with BRK TRT, and I started to value being out, as opposed to catching fish. A guy at work gave me a "tip" at the end of last season, a place where you can park in a paved lot, walk under a bridge, and catch an entire pool of stocked rainbows. He used a drainpipe into the river as a landmark. I passed.

My fishing trips are all better now. Seeing a beautiful little brookie that I can’t catch can be a highlight (although seeing a big fish that I can’t catch still sucks – haven’t figured that out yet). The goldfinches, waxwings, and herons (yeah, I know they eat trout, sorry) are all part of the joy of being in the trees. Watching a deer ford a river is pretty interesting. The only owl I have ever seen, I saw while walking a tiny stream, spooking every fish in the place, trying to figure out if I could even find room to cast. Just being away from the sound of cars for a few hours is sometimes the best part of the day.

For better or worse, I do most of my fishing alone. My friends are involved in other pursuits. Right now, I value the solitude. I hope I can fish enough to develop sufficient skill to get my son involved and excited, once he is old enough. For now, I enjoy the escape.

John Gierach in Fly Fishing Small Streams: “…if you get into small streams you will catch your share of what you consider to be small trout…Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn’t determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed…”

A quick word to Simms: Great post. I am glad that you were able to see your younger self in the eager but frustrated novice. One of the principles of my job (not a teacher) is to educate colleagues and those behind us on the same path. It is not an instinct for everyone. Now that you have met a lot of your own fishing milestones, you will be impressed at the joy you find while bringing others success.

 

[Trout Nazi]

You get there and nothing goes right, can't cast worth a dime, wind knots on a calm day.

How would you handle it then?

When this doesn't happen to me, I consider it an upside. Depite whats happening, I'm usually the guy walking down the river in the dark. I need to buy a good flashlight.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

Some very good points have been brought up, not in any particular order.

(1) Most use fishing as a relaxing hobby to get away from the everyday pressures and gives you time to think and sort out issues.



Lets talk about #1

Say the daily grind has gotten to you and you just want to get sometime by yourself away from everything.

You get there and nothing goes right, can't cast worth a dime, wind knots on a calm day.

How would you handle it then?

Call it quits, head for the nearest bar, or find a rock with a great view and just take it all in?

I consider myself blessed that no matter what stresses are in my life that day that made me drop everything and head to the trout stream, I can always set them aside while on the water. I can't say that for many other pursuits I have done in my lifetime. And if I feel like the stress might be creeping in to my fishing early on, I can always crack a smile at recognizing that stress, relax and focus on my fishing.

 

[AKSkim]

I didn’t understand the whole wild trout magic until about a year ago.

Strike Proof:

I read your post and was very disappointed when it can to an end.

I just wanted to turn the page and continue reading.

While reading it I could see your growth as a fly fisherman, but more import your growth inside.

Very good post, thanks.





Since we all are fond of quotes,

My child arrived just the other day,
He came through the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew...

 

[emoussa]

I am still in the beginning stages of my fly fishing career. I have no friends who fly fish and my father has never picked up a fly rod, so fly fishing is something I am exploring and learning alone. I never have great days with numbers and huge fish but I always have great experiences. Some of the things that are new and exciting to me are probably old news to many of the guys here. All I expect when I head out is that I will see and learn something new and I am never disappointed. To be honest with you, I sort of like those tough days of fishing. They remind me how wonderful and complicated the trout and mother nature is and that makes me feel good for some reason. It makes me feel like I have a long road to travel, one that will take a lifetime, and I love that. Numbers and big fish mean nothing to me. That's not what flyfishing is about. If those were my concerns I would dunk worms. I fly fish for the experience of solitude in a beautiful trout stream. My expectations are always met.

 

[Karel]

I have been humbled too many times to have "expectations" when going fishing. I am now older (but not necessarely wiser) and learned to leave expectations behind at home.

I hope for many things, such as finding inner solitude and reflection and to enjoy the precious time on the water. But the biggest hope is to come eye-to-eye with a colorful jewel from the river for just a few moments.