Humility!

Okay, I had to change the title. It bothered me...and it wasn't really a great thing to say. Plus I think there is a better way to explain my failure to catch any steelhead over the past few days! So here is the story - I have had the good fortune to fish this past Wednesday for a few hours and then again on Thursday for about an hour.

Wednesday I met Luke at Irondequoit creek for what we thought would be a few hours filled with epic battles between man and steelhead. Well...it wasn't! We flogged the water with all sorts of flies and techniques waiting for Mr. or Mrs. steelhead to show up...they didn't. We hit up all the spots were we knew fish would be, and were we have caught them before....they just weren't there.

On Thursday I had about an hour to try for steelhead on a stream just to the west of my home, Sandy creek. And just like Irondequoit creek, Sandy looked just about perfect! And again I flogged the water for an hour with no fish. And trust me, I searched all the "good" spots I had caught fish at before. Nothing!!

After two days of fishing with no fish landed, or even hooked for that matter. I have come to a conclusion. I either suck!!! or the spring steelhead run hasn't gone into full swing yet. Sure there are always a few fish here and there, but if you don't have the time to drive around and find fish, you are at the mercy of hitting the right spot at the right time. And obviously, I haven't hit anything right yet!

Wait...there's more! I also lost at least ten flies to various snags on the bottom of each of the streams I fished. I even left a marker at one of those snags (Luke you know where it is) so I wouldn't get hung up again. The marker looks very similar to a flo-orange strike indicator.

There is some good that has come out of all this. There has to be, or I would take up knitting blankets and sweaters. One - I get to spend more time at my half broken vice, tying more flies. Two - I was able to spend time with a good friend, and that is always a plus. Especially when you are blessed with amazing weather! Three - I was able to practice and perfect my fly fishing knots. And four - I get a humbling lesson, in which I have learned that no matter how well you think you have things figured out....you don't. And that is a good thing. It keeps me grounded and gives me incentive to keep at it until I find success!

Besides it is all worth it in the end, when you slide that 12 lb. silver sided trout on to shore after he pulled you downstream for a hundred yards or better.

Brian