LivelyOne 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2018 Hi - I live and fish in New York state.. spring is trout in creeks, summer is smallmouth in rivers and lakes, and in the fall - salmon and steelhead in the tributaries. I mostly flyfish all the above, though I firmly believe a good flyfisher should have some firsthand experience catching and using bait, spinning tackle, jigging, etc. It's like cross-training for an athletic sport. My first trout was a 5" brook trout caught on a little cork beetle I made myself, dapping from behind a hemlock in northern PA, with a Shakespeare 8' 8-weight WonderRod lined with a L-6-F line (all the local tackle store had to offer.) I am a compulsive list maker and measurer, and have logged every fish I've caught since the age of 14.. currently somewhere north of 12,000. The majority of those were caught on fly tackle and flies that I tied myself. So I have some experience. However I am a total novice when it comes to flyfishing salt water. My family has vacationed off and on in the Tampa-Clearwater area and I just recently began to explore the flyfishing possibilies.. and discovered it is a great fishery with an active flyfishing community. I'm really exciting to have this whole brand new thing in front of me now, waiting to be explored. So I'm here to learn, and I'll share what I can.. Tight lines and an early spring (to you northerners on here).. John Lively Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
islander727 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2018 Yep. Lots of diverse opportunities down here! Fishing in shorts in January is a bonus! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Powershooter 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2018 Welcome to the forum . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cphubert 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2018 Welcome to the forum LivelyOne, great place and good people. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do, always something to learn from the other tiers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2018 Welcome to the site. I hope you can post some pictures of this new phase in your fishing. Just one question ... " logged every fish I've caught since the age of 14" and "somewhere north of 12,000" is an oxymoron. What's the exact number that goes with "every fish"? Just wondering! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjm 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2018 Welcome aboard. Wow, logging every fish is astonishing; I have lost count on a few good days of C&R. Have a son in the Tampa area but not sure he flyfishes the salt much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LivelyOne 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2018 Welcome to the site. I hope you can post some pictures of this new phase in your fishing. Just one question ... " logged every fish I've caught since the age of 14" and "somewhere north of 12,000" is an oxymoron. What's the exact number that goes with "every fish"? Just wondering! I keep all my fish records in a spreadsheet. Here's where the count stands at the moment: Summary Statistics Years fishing 50 Age began fishing (recorded) 13 Lifetime total fish caught 12,261 Most fish in single day 127 Longest fish caught 36 inches Lure type used most often Flies Fish most often caught Smallmouth bass The count is just incidental to the record keeping. The real benefit is knowing what was productive in the past, so I can do it again in the future. For each outing I record location, date, air and water conditions, hatches, equipment, flies, rigging, etc. Also what flowers were blooming in spring, and any wild critters I see (eagles, osprey, otters, bear, deer, bobcat, etc.). Just like any fish journal or diary. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjm 0 Report post Posted February 6, 2018 Very impressive record keeping. Done at days end from memory or on the fly while fishing? If I had kept a journal, a typical day would read like "went to creek/pond and caught a few/many" and the next entry would be "ditto ^^" details that make a journal worth while have never stuck with me long enough to write them out. I did try a couple times to make a diary and failed spectacularly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikechell 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2018 Thank you ... now that makes sense !!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LivelyOne 0 Report post Posted February 7, 2018 record keeping. Done at days end from memory or on the fly while fishing? For many years I used a small notebook and pencil/pen and made notes while fishing. Now I mostly write it down on a scrap of paper in the car when I quit the river, then put it in the computer shortly thereafter. Some things like river flow and barometric pressure I get straight off the internet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Prybis 0 Report post Posted February 8, 2018 Welcome to the site. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
