BFS

Fly Fishing HeadQuarters

The Fly Tying Journal
Written By: Joshua Trey Barnett
Edited and Revised By: Mrs. Tammy Barnett


The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. All of the alarm clocks were sounding off. My father walked down the steps and awoke me. The clock said it was five in the morning, and I said to myself, Its not the week... we must be going out for a day on the river! Finally, the day Ive been waiting for had arrived. Its was the first day of trout season, and all I needed to do was pack in my waders and flies. After what seemed like a week, we were ready to leave . My father steped once again into my room and said Son, weve got to go, weatherman says best time is 6 a.m., Hurry up!

I walked out on the front porch and sippped on a cup of Joe, while I waited for my father to get the truck warmed up! As he pulled into the front driveway, all my blood flourished throughout my body like I had just been in a wreck! He called to me ..hurry up... I can hear the fish calling your name! I rushed over to the truck, with waders in one hand and vest in the other! All the time I was thinking of all the fish I was going to catch and all the good times we were to have this season.

As usual, when we go fishing, we stop at a local Shoneys or McDonalds to grab a biscuit and some coffee. When we got to the restraunt we ordered our food and we were off! My dad yelled at me for getting crumbs everywhere. The whole time I could tell he was laughing, inside, because it seemed so funny and yet so cruel to be yelling about something like that! Thats just the way it is when fathers and sons go fishing. Somehow or another you can always find the good in the bad! Especially, when youre on the river, all problems seem to disappear in to the fog!

Finally we pulled onto what we thought to be a short dirt road named Creek Road. It was a very familiar river, but we were not used to coming into the area on this road! We drove for about ten minutes; and my dad was already getting irritated with the fact we were going to miss prime hour, because of a dogon road! Finally, after passing through and over the creek many times, my dad spoted the perfect area. We pulled off into a dirt pile my father called a pull off area!

My dad told me to hurry and get out my rod and set it up, so we wouldnt miss the best fishing. I scurried onto the side of the truck and opened the back door to retrieve my Dogwood Canyon Rod! Sitting in its case, so majestic, and yet very bold- it was waiting to be taken to the river and to feel the pull of the first fish of the day! I quickly tied on my fly and hopped into the river. The water was so miserably cold in its own right! I stood and observed the first section we were to be fishing. I noticed many caddisfly under the nearby underbrush off an offsetting tree into the creek! I gently picked up a river stone and observed many of the local nymphs. I gently place it down, so as not to harm the aquaticlife that would one day feed the fish, that we would like to catch!

I pulled out about ten feet of my bright orange line and began to make the first cast of the season! A perfect cast into a small flowing area of water near the bank of the river. I, to my amazement, pulled in a small Rainbow! Even though it wasnt a trophy, it was a most amazing feeling any being could ever imagine! Now thinking this was the way its going to be all day long, I casted back into the same area. Nothing! I repeated the cycle many a time before I decided to move upstream! I walked for hours and hours only catching a few fish. My dad said that it was time to pack up and head home, because we had a family reunion to attend. I replied OK! Just one more cast!

I made my last cast of the day, with about 30 feet of line out I let the dry sit there for a few moments before I began to pull in my line! Finally, I reached the end of my orange line. No fish! Well maybe just one more cast!

tie on... caddisfly