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View Full Version : A "Perfect" Day



bp
11-06-2006, 05:22 PM
With all the effort we have to expend to flyfish in NorCal, thought you guys would appreciate this and get a kick out of it.

Had the chance to take a detour on a business trip and fish with some buddies in WY. We showed up around 9AM in the local fly ship to get me a license and check out the reports. Following the usual "everything is fishing well, pick a spot" BS from the "helpful experts" we headed out on our own.

i have to stop here and say that Kiene's has always been super helpful with detailed flies, locations and reports. wish they were all like that but sadly its a rare occurance in the well-known fly spots around the west.

We hit the Shoshone in Cody at a public parking area. Walked down the permanent steps to the park, followed the bike trail to the river and said something like - "this looks pretty good" and started fishing. Total of maybe 200 yards - all downhill - and the rest was pure magic.

i had tied on at the truck - heavy wire black stone with a 20 olive micro mayfly about 15" below. tossed that upstream, perfect drift and bang - 20" brown - jumping and all. 3 more takes in 5 casts landed 2. stuck a big fish which pulled out the fly right at the bank. pretty much went that way for the rest of the day. stuck over 30 fish and landed north of 20 - none smaller than 13" including the slam of rainbow, brown and cutty. NEVER MOVED FOR 5 HOURS!!!

What I thought you guys would get a kick out of:
1. Stairs, bike path, couple of steps down rip-rap: mucho fish
2. Actually caught fish on the same rig I tied at the truck - didn't even adjust my indicator
3. 3X to the stone, 4X on the micro - barely fit throught the eye (8X, you gotta be kidding me)
4. Never touched the stone - same one all day.
5. Had to change the mayfly twice because of damage (still caught fish when it was all but falling apart)
6. 20+ fish in the same spot - all day (moved a little for variety and caught fish there too!)
7. Guy at the flyshop had recommended a pink beadhead scud (seriously)
8. Schooled the Wyoming boys on their home court
9. never saw another vehicle, let alone a fisherman, all day.
10. blue sky, 45 degrees, very little wind by WY standards. only blew over 2 beers :-)
11. Wyoming browns jump

Thought you guys would appreciate this. Brings a smile to my face when i think of all the effort we go to sometimes and all the flies i purchase at the local fly shop so i have just the right match and i end up with 20+ fish on the same darn rig that works for me on Rock Creek, the Green, the Big Horn and in CA.

A final good word for Kiene's. Except for a few pleasant experiences, I never get any where near the time and info from others that i have received from Bill and his guys.

tight lines!!

bp

dtp916
11-06-2006, 07:49 PM
I am so jealous!!! :D :D :D That's an outstanding day, bp! I'd be bragging like crazy :lol: :lol: :lol: Schooled them on their own court :lol: :lol: :lol: One thing I've learned is that when you go to a shop out of town, be prepared to just find out for yourself on the river.

I'd have to agree with you that a lot of places aren't very helpful, and fortunetely Bill's shop doesn't fall into that category. Everyone at Kiene's Fly Shop is super friendly and helpful, which is why I drive all the way down there just to buy split shot and stuff I could've got closer. Plus, I want to talk with everybody.

I don't want to mention any particular shops :? , but I was buying some leaders and I was asking a salesman how to tie a particular pattern. He suggested I just buy some and pointed to the bin holding that pattern. I said OK, but how do I tie that, whats the materials? This was his response:

"Well I don't know, do you have a vise and a bobbin and a whip finisher?"

:shock: :shock: :shock: No I hold the hook with my fingers and use my dogs hair for dubbing when I tie flies. :x :x :x Why would I ask you how to make a pattern if I don't have the necessary tools to construct it? :? :?

Needless to say, I'll never shop/go there again. Thank you Kiene's Fly Shop for being an awesome store! You'll always have my business.

Bill Kiene semi-retired
11-07-2006, 01:32 AM
We try real hard to give people the best info and help we can.

We do hope people feel welcome and realize they don't need to buy a lot of stuff every time they come by.

WinterrunRon
11-07-2006, 02:04 AM
bp,

I was smiling the whole time I read your report. Funny drafting! Love your style, brother!

I fished the Shoshone in July (and several others around Yellowstone/Tetons the week I was there) and on several occassions, I had to stop and consider whether the spot I was fishing was, in fact, open to fishing!

Gorgeous spot right by the road, cutt after cutt willing to leap out of the water after a stimulators, no one waiting for me to move or vacate the spot I was fishing, no boats drifting over my cast, in fact, no one... period. I was certain I was fishing a closed section of the river...

Funny what we're accustomed to here in California.

I saw a bumper sticker on an old Ford PU there... Don't Californicate Wyoming!

dpt916,

I can relate. I was interested in knowing the difference in float tubes hanging on the wall of another fly shop in the area and the salesperson, willing, for only a moment, to break himself from time-sensitive task of restocking the inventory to help the only customer in the shop (me), said, "I think they're pretty much the same." He then re-focused his attention to restocking the very shelves from which I wasn't interested in purchasing a thing. Off to Bill's place...

Bill,

I hope you appreciate that we all would like to spend every last dime in your shop, but often times, we're there just because we can be.

Ron

bigtj
11-07-2006, 12:46 PM
No offense to any fly shop, but the day one starts thinking for ones self instead of letting the shop do the thinking for you is the day you take the first step to being an expert angler. Tips from shops and guide trips are a starting point but if you really want to be able to "figure it out" on any river any time of year you have to figure it out for yourself. Takes time and more effort but in the long run, it's worth it. Sounds like you're there and that's great.

Now, on another point, it's never good to get too cocky about things. Just when you think you've got everything figured out, and you can do no wrong, is just about time you get your behind handed to you in a hat on a silver platter with a side-dish of humble pie. Fishing is just a series of successes and humiliations and learning to live with both is all part of the process. Ride the wave when it's good, keep your chin up when it isn't, and always know that no matter how much you learn you still have plenty left to go.

jbird
11-07-2006, 01:31 PM
John (bigtj)

I think I would enjoy fishing with you. Give me a shout if youre ever in the rogue valley.

bjwspencer@charter.net

Jay

bp
11-09-2006, 01:37 PM
Boys

thought you would appreciated the story because so much of the experience went against the grain of my usual experiences and the effort we have to make around here. Plus, the left-handed compliment to Bill and a shop well-run.

BigTJ - Certainly have put in my share of learning rivers and will continue because for me the hunt is the funnest part of the game. Hope i never get to the point where each trip, even to a river i know, isn't fresh.

Finally, i have eaten my share of humble pie. i fish with the same guys on the Green and BigHorn every year and they routinely kick my A** so turn-around is sometimes fair play. hitting the Yuba tomorrow so we'll see which fisherman shows up.

BTW- a young guy in Leland's Fly Shop (when they were still in Lafayette) took the time to sit down at the vise and help with a couple of hints to tie some standard pattern - gave me some spare material too. So there are bright spots. Guess i don't understand retail. i would think that if a customer has a great day on the river with advice from the shop, he'd return and buy more. guess i'm confused.

bp