Why I fly fish

Henry Winkler said it best when he said,  "The River is like a washing machine for my brain."   

That sums up why I fly fish in a nutshell. I started fly fishing in 1999. However, I didn't really get heavily into it until 2001-2002. I was going through a nasty divorce at the time with the mother of my two kids. She played all of the dirty tricks that heartless, immature women play in this situation.  She kept the kids from me when it was my time to visit them. She told the kids that I was a bad man, and that  "Daddy didn't love them anymore." You name it, she did it. So, I was constantly in court trying to fight for my visitation rights and to stay in their lives.

The only time that it wasn't on my mind 24/7  eating me alive. Was when I was on the water with my line tight. So, when it wasn't my weekend. I'd go fly fishing. When it was supposed to be my weekend and I couldn't get them for visitation. I'd especially go fly fishing. Needless to say, I kept the road hot between my home in Plano,TX and the Lower Mountain Fork River in Oklahoma.

I've tried to explain to many people the peace that fly fishing gives me. The just complete inner and outer calm that comes over me. It's hard to convey in words. I will say that if I hadn't discovered it right before such a difficult time in my life. I truly don't know if I would have made it though that awful period with my sanity intact. 

I've never felt closer to nature or God then when I'm in the river. No church experience has ever come close. Just being waist deep in the river. Feeling the power of the water moving against me. Having a fish hooked up, feeling it's strength as it fights to free itself. These are the things that I've tried and failed to explain to people when they ask me the question,"so why do you fly fish?"  Some still just can't understand that those Rainbows and Browns were and still are the only therapists I need.  

It was during one of my frequent trips to the Lower Mountain River during that difficult time. That I was just struck by a sudden and strong feeling that everything was going to be alright. I was fishing pretty far down into Zone 2 of the river watching two Crane fight over a smallish trout one had caught. When a light rain began to fall. It was there standing waist deep in the water. Watching that light rain pepper the surface of the water. When I knew that everything regarding my kids would be ok.

I'm happy to report that everything did in fact work itself out. To some degree at least. My son actually lives with myself and my new wife. Who is nothing short of an angel from heaven. He is 13 now. A straight "A's" honors student, and a three sport athlete. Baseball,football, and basketball. I say that things worked out to some degree, because my and my daughters relationship was forever damaged by my ex-wife's attempts at brainwashing and alienation from me. I see her now at least, but visits are spotty. I chalk some of that up to the fact she's a 15 year old too.

So, when stress at work gets to be too much. Or, I just need a "therapy session" I grab a fly rod and head to the water. Anyway..........that's "why I fly fish", and why I named this blog "Cast Your Cares Away", because that's literally what I feel like I do.


Tight Lines!

Shawn                 

Lower Mountain Fork River/Beavers Bend State Park Fly Selection Guide

I found this posted on the Beavers Bend Fly Shop Forum, and thought it was too valuable not to share here. If you're planning a trip to the Lower Mountain Fork River in Southeastern Oklahoma, this is essential information. I have it as a Word document as well, and if you contact me at castyourcaresaway@gmail.com  I'll be more than happy to email this list to you.  

This, along with A First Timer's Guide to the Lower Mountain Fork River by Untamed Outdoors, and you'll be set for your trip!                  

         Lower Mountain Fork River Fly Selection Guide
 

FLY PATTERNS THAT CATCH FISH YEAR ROUND:

Near Deere
Bead Head Pheasant Tails (Size: 14-18)
Hares Ear (Size: 14-18)
Orange Soft Hackles (Size: 16-18)
Red Hackles (Size: 16-18)
Bead Headed Wollybuggers (Colors: Olive, White, Black, Rust) (Size: 10-20, I like Big WB’S)
Black Midges (Size: 12-22)
Red Midges (Size: 12-22)
Blue Winged Olive (Size:16-22)
Sulpher (Size: )
Cahill (Size: 18-22)
San Juan Worm

Patterns more specific to the season, hatches etc:

January:

Hatches: Baetis, Blue Winged Olive, Light Cahill, Midge
Flies to use: Pheasant tails, Red Fox Squirrel, San Juan worm, Egg Patterns, Griffiths Gnat, Adult Caddis, Emergers


February:

Hatches: Mayflies, Midges, March Brown
Flies to use: March Browns, Bead Headed Black and Red Midges (size 12-14), San Juan worms, egg patterns, Griffiths gnat, CDC, Emerger Patterns, Soft hackle

March:

Hatches: Blue winged Olive, Midges
Wet Flies to use: Soft Hackle, Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails, Egg patterns, Red Fox squirrels, crane fly 

Dry Flies to use: Griffiths Gnats, Hares Ears, March Brown (mayfly), Blue Winged Olive (mayfly)
Flies to use: Elk Hair Caddis, Parachute Adams, Thread Midges, and Caddis Pupae Flies, Soft Hackles, Midges, Hares ears, Pheasant tails, Prince nymphs


April:

Hatches: Flying Ants, Caddis, Mayflies, Crane flies, Midges
Flies to use: Red Soft Hackle, Elk Hair Caddis, Midges, Ants,

May:

Hatches: Baetis, Beetles ,Blue Winged Olive, Brown Caddis, March Brown ,Tan Caddis
Wet flies (nymphs) to use: Cream Colored Soft Hackles, Nymphs, Adam Parachutes 12-16, Hare's ear Nymphs, Elk hair caddis
Dry flies to use: CDC Caddis and CDC Mayfly Emergers, EHC, Adam Parachutes


June:

Hatches: Mayfly, PMD's, Sulphurs
Flies to use: Grasshoppers, Ants, Midges, Mayflies, Caddis

July:

Hatches: Mayflies, Midges
Flies to use: Copper Johns, Griffiths Gnats, EHC, Ants, Griffiths Gnats, Soft Hackles, Hoppers, Soft Hackles

August:

Hatches: Midge, Hexagenia, Caddis, Mayflies, Mosquitoes
Dry Flies: Caddis and Mayflies (including dry, emergers, and cripples)
Flies to use: Soft Hackles, Midges, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, Small Mayfly Imitations, Caddis Pupae, Emergers



September:

Hatches: PMD/s, BWO's Yellow Sally, Grass Hoppers and Katy-Dids, Hexagenia Mayflies
Wet flies (nymphs) to use: Green Bead Head Caddis Nymph imitations in about size 14-16, Egg patterns, San Juan Worm, Various Soft Hackles, Light Cahill, Grasshopper, Ant, Hex Nymph
Dry flies to use: Stimulators on a size 10 hook, Elk hair Caddis, Hex

October:

Hatches: Caddis, Grey Mayflies, Blue Quills Blue Winged Olives Midges, Sulfurs
Flies to use: Miracle Midge, Zebra Midge, Egg Patterns, San Juan Worm

November:

Hatches: Small Tan Caddis, Small Black Caddis, Midges
Flies to use: Thread Midges, Caddis Emergers, spiders, Copper John, Egg Patterns, San Juan Worms

December:

Hatches: Black Caddis, Blue Winged Olives (mayfly) and Midges.
Flies to use: Emergers, Caddis, Mayfly, Midges, Egg patterns
Dry flies to use: Griffiths Gnat, Blue Winged Olive, Black Caddis

I hope you've found this useful,

Tight Lines!

Shawn

Lucky fishing hats,lucky shoes, and NO CAMERAS PLEASE!!

Do you have a lucky fishing hat? What about a pair of lucky boxers that keep you from getting skunked? I'll admit it, I am very superstitious when it comes to my fishing. I think I've gotten better over the years, but I'm still hanging on to a few good luck charms! 

My lucky "fishing hat" (I have other lucky hats for other things which is why I specify "fishing hat").  Is an olive SIMMS long billed cap that I purchased in 2005. It's old,it's faded,my sweat has bleached the color out of it, and.......it kinda smells.  However, I ALWAYS catch fish when I wear it! Maybe not always monsters, and maybe sometimes only one or two, but I've never been skunked while wearing it. So, if you're cruising around my usual fishing haunts, and you see a guy in an olive hat that looks like it needs to be thrown away. Say hi! It's probably me!   

Up until recently I never took a camera with me when I'd go fishing. People always ask me,"how come you don't have more pictures of you holding fish?" Well it's simple, I believed that taking a camera along was a guarantee that I would get skunked! When I first started I always had a camera at the ready, and then one day I forgot it. I had the most amazing day ever! I landed 42 trout on the Lower Mountain Fork River in Oklahoma that day. Four of them were over 20 inches! 

So, as a result I logically surmised that cameras were bad ju ju, and stopped bringing one along...EVER! I figured that I was fishing for my enjoyment anyway. Not to have a  bunch of pictures to show other people. I gotta admit though, there have been more than a few fish over the years that I wish I had pictures of. 

My wife Tracy gets the credit for helping me overcome my aversion to fishing photography. Partly because she is a very talented amateur photographer, and partly because she wants to see pictures of the trips she isn't able to join me on. If you see pictures on this blog that are awesome. I promise you she took them. If you see pictures that look like our dog got hold of the camera, and started chewing on it. Repeatedly biting down on the shutter button........then well.....I took those. 

Our girl Sammi

 
Anyway, Tracy convinced me recently that cameras really don't generate a force field that keeps fish away from me. So, I'm hoping to have more pictures of some fine fish on here soon. 


Regular readers of this blog know that my father in law passed away last November. He was a very talented fly fisherman, and one of the best all around men I have ever had the pleasure of having in my life. During our recent trip to western North Carolina this past August. I went on a float trip with my father in law's favorite guide, Ollie Smith of Blue Ridge Anglers.  

As we were gathering our gear to head out and meet Ollie. We came across a yellow waterproof bag, and inside were my father in law's lucky fishing shoes! To say that these shoes are worn out is being too kind. They're all white Reeboks (well, at least they used to be all white) with the soles hanging loose and flopping. Silver duct tape has been applied to them more than once. They are by no stretch of the imagination safe footwear anymore, but my father in law hung on to them. Everyone that he fished with knew about his lucky shoes. 

When Ollie saw the yellow bag he asked, "Are those ugly shoes in there?!" It gave us all a good laugh. We even thought about burying the shoes on the bank of the Watauga, but decided that my brother in law should be there for that. So, we may do it next trip.


I hope you enjoyed reading and leave comments about your lucky fishing stuff and rituals. I'd love to read them!


Tight Lines!

Shawn            

Respecting Private Property and Landowners When Fishing

The Watauga River

  
I was very saddened this week to hear of the closing of public access to some of the delayed harvest trout water along the Watauga River in North Carolina. The private land owners in this part of the river have always allowed anglers on their property. However, they say they have been forced to make this move due to abuse of their properties by activities other than angling. The stretch of river now closed runs from  Shull Mills rd. downstream to a parking area close to the intersection of N.C. 105 and Old Shull Mills rd. Since there is no more public access, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will not stock it with trout this fall. 

The full news article can be found here 

This is an ongoing problem not just in North Carolina, but everywhere. The sad thing is that a few disrespectful, immature people can ruin a good thing for all of the others that show the proper respect for someone else's property. 

When allowed access to private lands and waters please treat the property as if it were your own. 

1. Clean up and pack out all trash.
2. Be careful with campfires and cigarettes, and observe all burn bans! 
3. Don't play loud music since someone's home may be nearby.
4. Remember to close any gates you open behind you! The quickest way to pissing off a landowner is to let their cattle or horses out!
5. If a gate is open, leave it open. They have it open for a reason.
6. Don't  harass any livestock, or other animals on the property.
7. Behave like a grownup, don't shout profanities,talk loudly,or relieve yourself out in the open. Remember, someone might be living nearby. You wouldn't want your kids hearing or seeing that!  
8. This SHOULD go without saying,but sadly most folks don't do this. If you see the landowner while there....say Thank You!

Following these simple guidelines will insure that YOU are not the one that makes the landowner decide to lock their gates, and put up no trespassing signs. 




Tight Lines!

Shawn