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The year was 1975, but I would not cast my fly to water that contained a single fish.
As a junior member (9 years old) of the Long Beach Casting club, and fly tying school, I was told that I should learn how to cast, double haul, and roll cast before the adult members would take us (there were about seven of us little rats addicted to fishing). So, before and after the fly tying cast, I would watch the guests cast, and I would give it a go with my Fenwick 8 foot seven weight. I went to the casting tournaments, and had no idea of the (high)caliber of people casting in that that little cement pond. I remember a young man (maybe or 17?) that put even the adults in their place. His name was Steve Rajeffe (sp?).
After several months of casting practice, but before the summer Sierra trips, I caught my first fly caught fish--El Dorado park bluegill. I then rode my bike to Cerritos Regional, and on a cork frog popper, caught a huge (for a kid) largemouth bass--4 1/2 pounds on the spring scale. A year earlier, I would have for sure brought that fish home, to show off, and eat. But even back then, LBCC was preaching catch and release, and I let that fish go. My friends never believed me, and back in those days, I did not even own a camera.
I like to think of that bass as my first "real" fly caught fish for some reason.
I did my first Sierra trip--backpacking into a chain of lakes that few have ever heard of--the Nydiver Lakes. I was kinda disappointed at how easy the brook trout fishing was--if your fly made if five feet from the bank, it was immediately inhaled.
Then I moved to saltwater--must have been 1976 in the fall, a full year after I had started fly fishing, that I took master fly tier and rod builder John Hochenbrocht's advice to catch a corbina on the fly. There was exactly one guy doing it 'well' back then, Mr. Nick Curcione. I used my ghost shrimp flies to catch lots of surf perch, and a few corbina, topped off by a 4 lb. sight fish.
Next came bonito, and I have never looked back. I have been making rods professionally for many years, and and have 30 or so fly rods, from 2 wt.. to 15/16 weight.
I like fishing for the tiny cherry trout (Amago) here in Japan best, followed by bonefish on the Belize flats (three trips there) a close second.
My largest fish to date was 165 lb. tarpon on a 12 wt. rod. with one of those heavy, foul casting "cockroach" flies. That was the estimated weight by a professional guide--I'll take the estimate over killing the fish and bringing back to the dock for pics and a certified weight. I have nothing against killing tarpon (or other fish); it is just not how I roll.
I have lived in Japan for the past twenty years, and do quite a bit of blue water flyfishing for dorado, and small bigeye tuna.
So, that is my story.
After reading, you will probably want to say "Capt. G, I have read more interesting stories, but never a longer one".
Capt. out.
__________________  世界一の男
Last edited by Capt. G; Nov-17-2009 at 12:29 PM.
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Sad but true!
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