Kids Fly Fishing

So after a great morning out at the Berry, I didn’t think that things would get any better for the day…But was I wrong. After talking fishing at work Jeff, Dave and myself decided that a run to the Provo was much needed to get out our Trout envy out. So the plan was set and all we needed now was to make it down to the river in search of big fish rising to very late season Caddis flies. I still am amazed that we are even seeing Caddis this late in the year. The latest I have fished Caddis on the Provo before this year was August. It truly is amazing that fish are still rising to these few bugs that are still hanging around. On this outing I had Gunner, Jeff and his son Griff. (Dave couldn’t make it) I have to admit, I was pretty nervous as we approached the river…I didn’t have a clue if the Caddis were even still around(and I had talked it up), but as we walked down the path to our hole. I noticed a few Caddis flying around and that made me feel a little relief. Then as we made our way down the steep hill, through the tress and into Hoovers hole we were greeted by a splashing Trout, which made us all excited. We quickly tied on our outfits and right off the bat Griff on his 4th cast ever with a fly rod hooked into a nice 15-17 inch Brown on his Para Adams. With his excitement he poled the fish right out of the water and just like that it spit the hook. As the sun went down and night fell upon us Jeff got into a few nice fish, but the as luck has it they some how eluded his Caddis flies and swam free for another day. (That’s fly fishing) Gunner also hooked up but was never able to bring one to the net. The rest of the night was owned by the beginner himself. Griff hooked up again with a nice 14 inch Brown which he brought to hand for a quick release. But the highlight of the outing was when Griff hooked up for his third time of the night. I guess third times the charm…This time he said with a shaky high voice “I got another one and he is big” He fought the huge Rainbow as it made multiple runs and leaps. Finally as the large fish tired his brought it to the the shore like a seasoned veteran fly fisherman. The Rainbow was a nice 18-19 inch fish that was fat as a pig. It was an amazing experience to see father and son so excited as they gazed at their trophy. It’s experiences like these that make me realize why I am a fly fisherman and what it does not only for myself, but for all those I fish with. It is memories like these, we share that build friendships that last a lifetime…We all shared in the success that night…What beginners luck

This outing was set up by Brent to give Steve and Jason a little taste of what the Provo has to offer. Well it worked out, but in a way I didn’t think it would. I was planning on spending most of the time with one of them, but instead I invited my little Bro Gunner for his first Caddis Hatch and the chance to catch his first fly fishing fish on the Provo. I picked up Gunner at about 6:30pm and we headed straight for the river. Brent and the crew would meet up later. We got to the river and it was practically empty. A hunch said go to the island riffles so we got to the riffles and the PMDs were everywhere. So we strung up Gunner with a Para PMD and a Killer Caddis as his dropper. The fish weren’t really rising with much contestantly, but on Guns first cast he had a hit and then the second cast missed another. Finally on his 20th or so cast he hooked into a little Brown that marked his accomplishment of catching a fish on the Provo. He hooked up one other time and missed quite few other takes. After coaching Gun I decided it was time to give him a break and fish a little. I hooked up with two large Browns on the north end of the Island, but they both out smarted me and somehow spit the hook. As it started to get a little darker we moved up to the east side of Hoovers. (my favorite spot) Right away Gun hooked into his largest fish on a fly rod. It was a 20+ Brown that jumped and then went on a run that all most made Gun crap his pants. Instead he held onto the line and broke the monster off. After a quick lesson on fighting large fish on a fly rod. Gunner was hooked up once more with a big brown. This time he was ready and after 3 hard runs he brought the bruiser to the net. It was awesome to see his excitement and accomplishment in his eyes as he fought the large trout.

The rest of the night was the Travis Gillespie show staring, that’s right ME! I don’t know if it was something I ate, but I landed several hog Rainbows that wouldn’t stay off my Killer Caddis. The second to last fish of the day was the largest Bow I have landed out of Hoovers . It was a sweet fish with a tuff attitude.

It was a great hatch with very large tan Caddis flying everywhere. We stayed out on the river until 11: 15 pm. It was a great time with my little brother Gunner who is going to become a master fishermen. Down the river Brent, Steve and Jason all caught fish and had a great time. That’s what the Caddis hatch does, it makes people have fun in a wild, rugged, scary, dark way. Can’t explain it, its just amazing.