Fly Recovery

[mcfly 0]

How many of you have lost a fly after having a fish break off only to recover it on the next few casts by catching the fish you just lost?

 

Its happened several times to me. I've even caught one of my own flies from a tree that was snagged on a back cast.

 

I had tied up some olive elk hair caddis to fish the Neshannock. Not having the proper hackle I used black and set out to catch some Rainbows in a bit of tailwater I had picked out. After catching a couple fish I had a larger Rainbow break the fly off and thinking nothing of it tied on another. Five minutes later I had another nice Rainbow on and soon into the net. When I bent over to pull out the hook I noticed that there were two elk hair caddis flies in its mouth both tied with olive dubbing and BLACK hackle. I removed them both and thanked the fish for returning my fly.

 

So, tell me your fly recovery stories.

[Graham 0]

This is my strangest fly recovery. While fishing the San Juan in New Mexico, in the area below the dam, I had a fly that was rod hot, a tiny black thread midge, and I lost it to a nice rainbow. The rest of the day was a struggle not having any more of this pattern. That night I tyed a couple dozen more and went back to the same spot below the dam the next morning. On my first cast I caught a nice bow and my fly from the day before was in its mouth and about 8” of tippet has hanging out its anus. I cut the fly off and pulled the mono out and let this fish go. A strange experience I’ll never forget.

 

Graham

 

[SmallieKiller 0]

so fish pass tippet like people pass burritos... awesome.

 

[Steeldrifter 0]

Happen's alot when salmon fishing. The salmon get in the rivers so thick that you can't help but to foul hook them sometimes. I've landed salmon that had one of my fly in his mouth, one in the dorsal fin, and one in the tail, guess I had him pretty well surrounded

[Sean Juan 0]

I hooked a tree and broke off...

 

Then a few days later I saw that my fly was a decoration for a beaver house.

[Guest]

A few years ago, I was with some friends fishing for bonito, and a fellow had bought a new set up for fishing and had it resting on the side of the boat, baited, and in the water. A fish took the complete setup, the friend was bemoaning the fact he had just bought the set up without having a chance to catch a fish.

He tries a different rod and reel, proceeds to get a fish and lo and behold, he catches a bonito with the new setup still attached to the fish!!

This wasn't fly fishing , but it's a true fishing story.

 

Have a good one,

Pat Carroll

[fishyfranky 0]

I hooked a steelhead on a purple woolly bugger and it busted me off. A few hours later I hooked it again on a purple woolly bugger and this time I managed to land it. I took the first bugger off but it squirmed and broke my tippet. The next day, I landed it again but this time on a brown woolly bugger. I guess it wanted me to bugger off

[Joe Hard 0]

I hooked a nice brown and lost it. I continued to fish I think I raised 5 or 6 more before dark with no luck. It was a bloody yellow bugger. I got home and looked at the fly and the hook was broke at the back of the hook. I tied up a couple of more flies and went back two days later and hooked the first fish and could see the broken hook sunk in its lower jaw it was a nice brown 23 inches long and about 14 arround the back of the gills. I let him go and did not see any more fish that day. about four years ago Bait fishing with my girlfreind I hooked a nice brown about 3.5 pounds. I called her to come over and have a look. I told her to throw in her line as we saw another one surface. About a second after her line hit the water she hooked a fish that had a hook full of worms in his mouth by the leader. We just saw a guy loose a fish sure enough it was his line. The leader had a loop on the end and that is where she hooked it.

[nedbm3 0]

Years ago when I was bait fishing, I hooked a trout and was bringing it in when it broke the line. A few casts later, I got a snag and was going to break me line when it started coming in. I hooked into a branch and at the other end was the trout i lost with the line wrapped around the branch.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pennsylvaniaflyfishing/

[conehead 0]

I once caught a 14" rainbow on a conehead bugger. With the fish still in the water I reached down to take the fly out when the clasp came undone on my watch (cheap walmart special). The watch slipped out of sight with the big bow's mouth wide open, at the same time he gave a head shake,snapped the tippet and was gone.

 

About an hour later I hooked another trout (same spot). As I lifted him to take the hook out, I could not help but look down his throat. Nothing.

 

But I did see the watch on the bottom of the stream. Released the fish used the rod tip to snag the watch.

 

Funny, I thought this story would top the previous ones. Oh well, must be the fisherman in me.

 

Sorry guys,

Conehead

[Toadster01 0]

Fishing the Green river a couple years ago, my dad lost a large brown on a size 22 BWO as it came close enough to see it. I was not close enough at the time and all he could tell me was that it was BIG. The next day, to my surprise, I hooked into that monster 24" brown on a size 22 BWO. I brought it over to me after it tired and yep, there were both flies sitting in the upper jaw, right next to each other. Yelled over to my dad and let him land and hold it for after all he had struck first. I was just a copy cat. Fun day on the river, we still talk about it.

[nedbm3 0]

It happened to me again this weekend. I was fishing this deep riffle with a muskrat nymph when this bow attacked my fly. It put up a good fight and got me snagged but then got it free. It was jumping into the air and crashing back down to the stream. A few seconds later my tippet snapped and I lost the trout. My dad came fishing right behind me and about 15 minutes later landed a nice trout with my fly still hooked in its jaw.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pennsylvaniaflyfishing/

[Michigan Trout Guy 0]

I took a steelhead trip to the PM this weekend with steeldrifter, skunked, ridderbos, and fishigan. I lost an egg sucking leech to a tree early in the day. On one of my last casts for the day, I snagged the same tree, and when I broke the line trying to get that fly back, the egg sucking leech I lost earlier fell off the tree and floated right to me.

[Guest]

Yup, I have a few times. In fact, caught one I had lost a week before at my feet. Funniest thing of all, was one where I was told the fish would be dead. It had rolled at my feet and ripped it's gillplate, was bleeding pretty bad. Way it was rolling it sawed through the tippet and fish swam off. Was weird when I caught it, since I've always heard the hooks work themselves out fast. It was barbed though. LOL. But a week later, hooked the same fish and brought it in. Yes, it was my fly for those who my doubt. Was one of my patterns. Pretty "out there", but catches fish.

[Redleg 0]

I broke 3 off this weekend. Two I alomost recovered, but the fell off the guide into deep water.