Confronting a Cliche

First, please excuse my long delay in posting.   I am tired of writing about the train wreck that is Obamacare - which is odd in itself - this is a train wreck that keeps on getting worse.    So yesterday I went up on the Trinity river in Northwest California to fish for Steelhead.

The cliche is "the worst day of fishing is better than the best day of working..."

Steelhead are an interesting fish.   They are bigger than trout (mostly) and are very spooky - the best conditions to fish for them are pretty miserable.  When the water is cold and clear, they are very tough to catch.   The Trinity is a tributary of the Klamath river and is a total of about 165 miles.   For Northwest California it has been pretty dry.  So the water yesterday was very low and very clear.   In the time that I have fished the Trinity I have averaged two fish a day - which is actually pretty good - although that average is a bit misleading between days when I landed 4 fish and days when I landed none - I've never had a so so day on the Trinity.

On Saturday, there were evidently a lot of fishermen on the river - so going into Sunday was not promising - low water, clear, pounded heavily the day before - not promising.   And indeed, the promise came true.   I got one or two nibbles but landed nothing.  At one point the outside air was cold enough so that the guides on my fishing pole were clogged with ice.   But the Trinity is very responsive - if they get some good rain before the end of the year - the fishing will come back quite well.

But was it a good day?   There is another cliche that many fishermen use - there is a difference between fishing and catching.   We had a pretty good fishing day - but a lousy catching day.   It was great to be outside in one of the prettiest rivers in the US.   I got to work on technique yesterday under a lot of different conditions.   We had a great guide (Brian Kohlman from Confluence Outfitters).   I got to go up with my son and introduce him to fly fishing - he has been a gear guy before.   And that was fun.

But was it better than the best day of work?   Not really.  It was different, fun, challenging.  But certainly not better.   But the skills you gain on a day like this are many - patience is one of the biggest.   And that then can make even the worst day of work a bit better.

Some thoughts on Fishing Guides

Yesterday I spent a very enjoyable day fishing for Salmon on the Sacramento River near Corning.  I caught my limit (2).   But that is not the point of this post.   The picture at the left is of the two monsters I caught.  They each weighed in at about 30+ pounds.

I went with a guide named Bob Sparre who works out of Sacramento but guides around Northern California.   Most of the guides that I have worked with specialize in trout and steelhead.   Bob does that but he also does shad and salmon and stripers.

Bob has a big boat which can comfortably hold perhaps six people fishing (yesterday we had four).   The best analogue I can think of for a trip with Bob is what I used to do when I went fishing off Redondo Pier in what was called a party boat.  Bob offers some insight into fishing but his real job is to find fish.  And he does that well.

That is in contrast with fishing with a trout guide.   One of my favorites is Confluence Outfitters, I have fished several times with Andrew Harris.   There the emphasis is on individualized fishing.  Every time I go out with Andrew I learn something more about fishing. Andrew is one of the hardest working guides I have ever worked with - he constantly tries to find fish and is a very patient instructor (with my casting skill that is essential!)   You also get a lunch (which is often a deli sandwich).  The difference between Bob and Andrew is the difference between a classroom and a tutor.   But there is another difference - cost - a day with Bob is $200 - a day with Confluence is more than $400. (Both are before tips.)  From my perspective both are worth the value.  I would recommend both - but they are very different experiences.

There is one other difference - at least for this trip.   When I fish for trout, I am a strict catch and release fisherman.   My only memories of each trip come from photos (with the advent of inexpensive digital cameras and smart phones - no fish is real without a picture.   But on the trip yesterday we brought home about 25 pounds of Salmon steaks that had been reduced to filets each of about 4 pounds.

Opening Day

For the past several years I have fished opening day for Trout season with a bunch of guys somewhere in Northern California or Southern Oregon.  Fishing during this time of the year is often spotty.   For many years we went to the Truckee river, in part because it was close and one of the people had a cabin near there.

But this year we found a location that was almost ideal.  While the water is not as wide or deep as some of the places I like to fish, and the fish are generally smaller, the location offers a lot of opportunities. The fish are plentiful.  The water is mostly pretty clear so you have to begin behind where the fish are and let the fly come back to them.  These are wild fish so they can be very spooky.   Five of our group were able to fish all day without bumping into each other or, indeed, without seeing other fly fishermen.   We did see some locals who use spin cast set ups.   But even those were few and far between.

I fished most of the day with a variety of dry flies - which means that part of the fun is watching the fish come up and grab the fly.  Yesterday was unseasonably warm and so two in our party actually wet waded - which means they did not wear normal waders.

One of the benefits of living where I do is that one can find a broad range of excellent fishing opportunities within a few hours of home.   But when you find a spot like this you tend to want to keep it to a small, select group of individuals.  You may be asking OK Drtaxsacto where is this spot?  What I did not mention was that we found the spot with two guides who we have fished with before.   The are superb guides so if you want to find it, and it is worth the find, you might want to send a note to the guides we worked with - Confluence Outfitters.

Bill Moore

On Thursday, a mentor, friend and colleague died as a result of the effects of Lupus.   I first came to know him when he became President of the Association that I worked for.   I was the runner up.  The board chose him because they wanted to get on a different tack than his predecessor had chosen to take the group.    We quickly figured out how to work together, I think quite well and continued that collaboration for six years before he retired and then beyond as I succeeded him.   During that time he taught me more about management and leadership than I had understood in all of my previous work.

Bill spent a career in higher education after completing a PhD.  He went to the University of Redlands (where he served on the board for a couple of terms) and then taught there and began a rise in university administration.   His last job before I met him was at Chabot College in the Bay Area.

He had a several skills - which I continue to try to emulate (some more effectively than others).  One was an ability to listen.  It is strange that the old admonition all of us heard as kids (God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason) is not followed more closely.   Bill was the exception to the rule and had a special skill in keeping that standard.  He also had a remarkable ability to synthesize what he had heard.   About ten years after I succeeded him, I asked him to come back and help us with some strategic planning.   I asked him to go around with our board and gather information and then join us in a retreat to help us think about next steps.  At the meeting he did a remarkable job of bringing together 20 or so opinions into a thread that we could work with.   I was working with a board earlier in the week, in my role as a consultant, and thought of how I have tried (imperfectly) to emulate what I watched in that role.   It is a lesson I keep thinking about.   Finally he had a nice touch of being able to synthesize what he had heard - to continue to bring people together.

One of his key roles during his tenure was working on a revision of the California Master Plan for Higher Education.   That required a set of meetings in five or six venues - often with similar but not exactly the same participants.   In the end we came out of that process with something that was useful to our members.

Bill had a good sense of humor.   Early in his tenure he had played a trick on me - I am not sure what it was.   But I decided to get him back.   At the time we had second or third generation Macintoshes.  He would commute to the Bay Area each day so would leave on most days by about 5:30.  I went into his office after he had left and wrote a short Applescript which would start up an Application (I've forgotten the name) which made noises of a woman in hot passion.  I thought it would be funny when he started up on the following Monday - but little did I know.  My office was next to his and he came in that morning and immediately got on a conference call with the straight laced President of the University of California (David Gardner).    He sat down, started the call and then flipped on his computer which immediately began to make the noise - as I rushed in laughing he was red-faced and trying frantically to shut the thing down.

 
Bill introduced me to two other things for which I am grateful.  He served on a corporate board (including a role as the chair and then as an emeritus member) and I succeeded him on it.  For the first several years he offered valuable advice and counsel on the culture of the board.   It was much appreciated.

But then there is fly fishing.   Each summer Bill would take a month off to go to Montana and fish near West Yellowstone. It was a way of keeping balance.  He eventually built a house there and after retiring there spent about six months a year there.   He was passionate about fishing.   And little by little I have been drawn into the sport.   The three pictures are in Montana, near his house and in a place that both of us loved to fish in Wyoming.

One thing Bill and I did not share was politics.  He was a New Republic Democrat and I am not.   We had some spirited discussions about issues of the day.   We did share a passion for one political issue - the improvement of opportunities for all students in higher education.  In one of his last notes to me he said he had moved to his new home to help balance out the voting.  (Obviously in his half year home in Napa his vote did not make a difference.)  In one his last notes to me Bill explained why he moved from his "beloved" California - "We left CA not so much in anger as in sadness.  It seems bent on becoming a banana republic, the same status as the country seems headed for if the idiots in Washington cannot bring themselves to understand the difference between governance and campaigning."   On that we could agree!

Bill asked that his ashes be divided between his new favorite spot at the Swann and on the Madison where he fished for many years.

Fishing Alone

Once a year I have the opportunity to fish on some private water in Wyoming.  The deal is simple - we get invited to come to this place and to fish for a couple of days with some of the best fishing guides in the US and with a cook who is first rate in a house near the Green River.  (No I am not going to be more direct about location.)

But the trip is set up in such a way so that once during the trip you need to go out and fish by yourself.  When I started fishing I did not like that time.  It still takes me an inordinate period of time to change a fly and I, while I am getting better at it, I am not perfect at finding fish.  So you go out for a period of about two and a half hours where you may not see another human being.  Today, I saw a blue heron and a dog and a couple of horseback riders.  But what I really got to concentrate on was fishing.

The benefits of a guide a obvious - the best figure out how to find fish in almost any location but more importantly they also help in the mundane tasks that can be frustrating - like changing rigs from one fly to another and the like.  They can do it in a few seconds where it takes me, at my best, about fifteen minutes.  Today was my lone day.  I fished in three locations and caught a couple of fish including the one in the picture.   When you are alone you also have to be able to take a picture and get the fish back into the water.  That is no easy feat.

At the end of the period I had my line fouled up so simply waited for one of my friends who was fishing upstream to pick me up.  There is something in fishing called the five minute rule - if you can't untangle in less than five minutes - you cut the lines and start over.  With my rigging skills the better rule would be a fifteen minute rule, but you get the idea. Before I went in for lunch,  I got to figure out the challenges of the stream without the able assistance of someone more proficient than me.  

I need to work on my casting (a lot) but I am pretty good at landing fish once I hook them.  So I got to practice technique under a number of conditions.   While I like working with a guide, I have not gotten to the place that I also like fishing by myself.

Shad Fishing with Bob Sparre

Yesterday, my son and I went fishing for Shad on the American River with a local guide named Bob Sparre.   We were fishing for Shad.  Most of the fish we caught were about 2-3 pounds.   We used Spinner rods - which I had never done before.   During the afternoon we hooked into about 10-12 fish each.

At this point in my fishing I have been with a lot of different guides.  I have fished with some of the best guides in various areas and with some who are not so skilled.   The value of a good guide comes from two things.  A good guide will get you where the fish are.    That is both a skill and an art.   At the same time a good guide is a good teacher.   The guide helps you get better at fishing.

Sparre fills both of those roles quite well.  We had a fun and low key afternoon.  Like the best guides I have been with, he was constantly checking conditions and offering suggestions but never seemed to intrude.  The most interesting thing about Shad fishing for me was the release; people who read this blog know I am a catch and release fisherman.  When the fish is netted, one gives them a pancake flip and the hook (which is barbless) is released.  The second flip then puts the fish back into the water.

Sparre has a wide range of trips and fishes about 200 days a year.

Trout Season - Opening Day

Mount Shasta from the Fall River

For the past several years I have started trout season somewhere in Northern California either in the Sierra or on some other river near my home.  Opening day is rarely a good day for fishing.   Often the bug growth, which makes for exciting fishing, has simply not started enough to make it interesting.  The fish are a bit slower - so the real point is to get out on the water.

This year the group I go with fished the Fall river which is in northeastern California.   The Fall meanders through a valley that has spectacular sights - on a clear day you can see Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen and at this time of the year, even with the meagre rain we have had this season, there is snow on many peaks.

The author on the water - with friend and guide

The weather on Saturday was perfect, if a bit windy.  Most of the day was spent on stripping line back into the boat - you present your fly and let the current take it downstream and then strip the line back into the boat - often to a musical beat (uneven is best - many people swear by Mary had a little lamb).   Fishing was light and most of what we got were "dinks" - smaller sized fish.   I think among the six of us we landed only three that were more than 12".   What seemed to work was leeches - although I did try a run with nymphs.  When I am having a slow day I use it to try a bunch of strategies.   Sometimes you find what the fish are interested in.   My partner in the boat used only three flys all day.

When the day is not great on fishing, I tend to snap a lot of photos.  My current fishing camera (which is water proof) is a Canon D-10.   I like most of what the camera does - it is a pretty good point and shoot.  What I do not like (and I think I understand why this was done) is that it does not have a viewfinder (it uses an LED to both compose the picture and view the image).   I assume that for those who use the thing underwater that a viewfinder would be inconvenient.   But for capturing exactly what you want outside of water a viewfinder is far superior.

This part of the state (with the Sacramento, the Pit, the McCloud, Hat Creek and the Fall) should be one of the major destinations for fishing.   But it is remote enough so that it is still very low key.

Priorities

I had an interesting day today - the second time I have fished for Steelhead on the Trinity and I caught (and released) four with a good friend and an excellent guide from Confluence Outfitters.   Tonight was the Iowa caucuses and it seems that former Senator Santorum won the thing but Romney was a strong second.  There are two realities here.  First, Ron Paul - after committing a lot of time and energy to the state came in a dismal third but ahead of both Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry.  Seems I had a much better day than most of the GOP field.  I think, assuming that Romney wins New Hampshire that he becomes the closest thing to a nominee possible.  


Tomorrow the California Legislature reconvenes for the beginning of the second year of a two year term. For the first time since 1974, I will not be there to work on stuff.   Again, even though I only fished for one day - ditto for the California Legislature.

Fishing and catching

Yesterday was the opening day of trout season in California and as I have done in recent years I went up to the Truckee. There is lots of water and still a fair amount of snow up there, so there were not many people around. The water is fine- clear and a little high. But as often happens the fish were not biting. We fished in the morning in a space on the little Truckee and in the afternoon in a spot near town. No fish but a good time nonetheless.

I may have some pictures but my traditional fishing camera may be on its last legs. Tried a new reel.

35 fish later

This week was spent in Wyoming on a friend's ranch. This is a gathering of five guys who fish, I am the newest to the sport; a great cook and four guides (that means in six fishing sessions (am/pm three days) you get a lot of fishing in. So it was a lot of fun. The colors in these wild fish are magnificent. The two photos are of different fish.

A couple of things happened this week. First, I think I got a chance to learn a lot more about all the things you need to know. On one of the fishing sessions I guided myself. It now takes me about 20 minutes to change a fly. A good guide can do it in about a minute. But I gained a lot of confidence in that session. I netted three fish that afternoon after I figured out what they were looking for. I started out with a small hook on the dropper and popped off three fish. When I went to the same nymph in a larger size - I was able to get three fish very quickly. There are a lot of details to keep track of - including what should be on your line, where to try to place the cast and then when to react. I brought two poles - one that I have used a lot since I started fishing and one I bought about two months ago - an Orvis Frequent Flyer. It comes in seven pieces. I was able to get it on sale (bought at 8 at the same time) and really like the feel of that rod. It is also very easily packable. That is a real good feature - performance and portability.

Second, each of the guides - which are some of the best guides in Idaho or Wyoming - has a slightly different way of teaching. One of the four is not the most patient guy in the world but each got me a bit closer to figuring out the mechanics of casting. Ultimately there are some similarities of style - everyone says a cast is between 10 and 2 on a clock face. But keeping your back cast from going too far back is tough - and that determines how far your forward cast will actually go. This week had some wind and that is always troubling. When I get it right I have now begun to feel it. That is a good sign. I just wish all the elements coming together was a bit more consistent.

Third, I got variety of types of trout including a couple of small brook trout - and then a couple of big browns and rainbows. My largest was about 21". I was able to fish under a number of different conditions and that was interesting.

A Thing of Beauty

Saturday was opening day for Trout season in California. We went up to the Little Truckee. We went to some wild water - which requires a bit of a hike. But the payoff is well worth it. Fewer fishermen. And wild trout. We had a very nice morning. Wild trout are supposed to be more vibrant in their coloration than planted ones. The picture of my second catch of the day is a good example of that type of extra beauty. The first fish of the day was a 21" rainbow with a very distinct red color on its sides. Unfortunately that photo got the fish in a partial shadow so you could not see the fish as well. My third fish for the day was a brown of about 19".

For those who are interested in this type of stuff - the fish was caught with a 20 Blue Nelson and a rigging that had a pivot ring between the leader and the tippit. That is something that I had not done before and it seems to the fly to the fish a bit better. We used an indicator and a couple of different kinds of upper flies.

Drifting on the Trinity

View from the front of the boat
Originally uploaded by drtaxsacto

Yesterday a friend and I went fishing on a drift trip on the Trinity. We were looking for Steelhead. We went fishing rather than catching. In the time honored tradition of looking for fish there are both options - fishing and catching. Although we engaged several fish we did not land one. Steelhead hit a lot harder than trout. In the hits I got I knew I had a fish on the line. For the most part you are also working in relatively shallow water.

The weather the day before had been cold and rainy, which, according to our guide was miserable. (That one actually did not require his expert opinion, I could have guessed.) But yesterday was magnificent. The weather yesterday was brisk, but mostly dry.

We did a seven mile stretch of river down to the remains of Steel Bridge. Our guide was Scott Stratton. We both thought he was excellent. A great guide helps you find fish but also imparts knowledge of local conditions and fishing in general (also of catching). Scott does that quite well. He knows the river well but he also has a knack for bringing out skills. Our trip involved fishing in the boat and in the water. It was great to mix up the options. At several runs we went back over territory, if it looked promising. In one stop we got a good understanding of the entomology of the river. Fish feed on what is there, so understanding what is in the water is critical to finding something that they will go after. So in all the day was fun and informative.

On the trip we saw a lot of fish, but the ones that rose were for the most part youngsters - who had not made their treck to the "salt" - steelhead go from fresh water, out to the sea and then back again (sometimes more than once). At this time of year the Trinity is near the end of one run of fish and slightly ahead of the next, so expectations were not high. For me fishing is only part of the experience on a day like yesterday - we also saw a lot of wildlife including a Golden Eagle, and both Blue and White Herons and a 3 point buck. Besides the wildlife, the scenery was awe inspiring.

The night before we had dinner at a place called the LaGrange, which is in Weaverville. Both the food and service were excellent. If you want to see some more Trinity River Photos.

20 minutes can be a long time

Two Fridays ago I went up to a place on the Eastern Sierra called Hot Creek to fish. The two photos were within 20 minutes of each other. It gives you a very clear picture of why it is important to be prepared in high elevations. The day of fishing was cold but very clear. We got up out of the canyon at Hot Creek (which is a very pretty stretch of water) and changed and then went north on I-395. The second photo is about 20 minutes after we left Hot Creek. By the way, the cloud or fog bank in the first picture was not where the storm came from (which came from the north). (Photos by Bill Quinn)

Fishing Guides and the Economy

The other story for me was the fishing guide I had last week in Colorado. He runs a small fly shop in Carbondale (discussed in detail in an earlier post) and last year doubled his business. He is in his third year and thus that might be expected.

The most interesting thing he told me was that he spent this year his last dollar on print advertising. He has been building an internet business and the use of Google AdSense is much more productive than the print stuff. His business is more regional or national than John Armour's in that he attracts clients like me from around the country and they probably buy a high percentage of his gear.

But like my trainer, a lot of the guiding he does is based on personal referral. Interesting contract with the fly shop and guiding business. I think both of these guys are pretty good businessmen.

Fishing in Colorado

For the past couple of days I have been fishing in Colorado. Some rivers are classed "gold medal" for their fishing and within a few miles of where I was, in Carbondale,there are four of those in close proximity. The place we stayed had the Crystal as a back yard. I will have some more pictures of the area in the next couple of days. I will also do a second post on thoughts gained from the guide we hired in Carbondale. But here is a rundown of the last couple of days.

The first day I was able to fish the Crystal and the Roaring Fork. I will post some in a later post but the waters were pretty, if unproductive. It often takes me a day or so to get into the strange rhythms of fishing. So on that day I am a little impatient - casting too much or to short.

Yesterday we went to one of the most technically challenging rivers in the country - the Frying Pan and then finished the day on a drift on the Colorado. The Frying Pan, even if you are not successful, is one of the prettiest rivers I have ever been on. There are fourteen miles of open water with lots of different kinds of challenges. We started at about mile 4 and spent a couple of hours working some seams. All of the local people said the fish were finicky here - and based on those two hours they were right.

In the afternoon we hired a guide for a drift trip down the Colorado. We ended up spending about 5 hours on the river. Drifting is different. We had two in the boat, plus the guide and the goal is to not step on your companion's territory. You are also trying to match the flow of the river and at first I had a great tendency to not be able to do that.

Our guide owns the Crystal Fly Shop in Carbondale. I am a great believer in guides, especially in areas you don't know well. They require a special mix of skills - they have to be dialed into the areas they are guiding but also into the people they work with. Dave Johnson has both elements.

For the start of the trip we had a pretty long dry spell but then for the remainder we seemed to hit a series of hot spots. All the time Dave gave us good tips about how to find the fish while all the time maneuvering the boat. I would rate him among the best guides I have ever hired. We got a lot of fish, looked at a lot of water, got some great instruction and all the while had a good time in the bargain.

Oddly enough, although we got some pretty good fish (mostly Browns and a couple of Rainbows) they seemed to hit on the smallest fly on the rig.

Patience in Fishing

On Wednesday afternoon a friend and I went with a guide on the Metawee river in Vermont - about half an hour out of Manchester. Over the afternoon we fished in three locations. Each had a lot of very clear water. The Metawee has mostly wild fish (not that they care but it requires even more attention - the fish are more wily). For me most of the day was spent in casting. I got one small nibble and caught a couple of rocks and trees. (About normal for someone of my skill.)

Late in the afternoon we went to a place where there were two deep pools. One shaded by trees and rocks. The idea was to simply drop the hook in the water and let it float down into the second pool. The water was almost black. (The bottom picture shows what it actually looked like.) After about four or five drifts, I got a firm strike. I am reasonably good at setting the hook. I began to play the fish. It felt like a good sized one. My friend had seen a fairly large Rainbow a few minutes before, and that was probably the fish. But a common error among fishermen is to go to the reel too quickly. When the fish first hits it is often better to strip the line in slowly, giving the fish a chance to run when necessary. I went too quickly to the reel and began to reel my catch in, and the fish popped off. That cost me the fish and an informal bet - my friend and I have fished at this meeting for a couple of years. The last time we went out (without a guide) I got a very tiny Rainbow (barely legal) and got a picture. On this trip he got a small brown - but without a picture. Had I landed the Rainbow I would have had bragging rights - having caught two fish to his one (over two years) but as it was we now need to go to Mammoth for the "rubber match" next summer.

Opening Day of Trout Season

Fishing on the Lower Truckee
Original photograph by drtaxsacto

This year's opening was rather sparse. There were not as many fishermen as last. Our group caught the same number of fish (0). This early in the year they are often reluctant to bite at just anything. The weather on the Lower Truckee was magnificent. Snow has mostly gone from the Sierra - although there are still patches. The water was cool and clear. The food was great. And in the space of about two nights of conversation I think we solved all but six of the world's problems. Unfortunately, none of us was taking notes.

5 Steps to Fishing Bliss - Final Post

Saturday, on my way to Wyoming, I landed in Bozeman and then traipsed down to West Yellowstone to pick up a friend. Saturday afternoon it had snowed lightly and so as I drove down 191 at dusk there was an incredible set of scenes. The one with the Aspen was replicated many times over. It made me take about 3 hours for a 90 minute drive - simply because I wanted to slow down to see the sights. My friend and his wife said they were worried. They should know better.

Today on the return all of the snow had melted away - so there was a different set of scenes. In some cases a bit less interesting (snow is something I like not to live in but I am always captivated by the change in tone that it brings to the world). So the second picture is of one of the numerous river scenes - each one a little better than the last.

It gives one a sense of the world.

The 5 Step program continued

In my last post I offered 5 tips for dandy fishing. But these two pictures are to prove a point. The first is a second picture of the Brown in the previous post. On Tuesday, when I threw him back into the water, he stood by my feet for about 5 minutes. I continued to cast. I kept having two contradictory feelings. The first was that this fish figured out that by staying near the guy who was casting - there was minimal chance that he would get caught again. The second was that he was trying to tell me that even though I had just caught him - it was OK. Of course both are examples of what the noted Icthopsychologist Carl Sage once called troutlusions. But who knows. It could also be that the thoughts came to me late in the afternoon after a lot of tromping through water.

The second picture is but one example of the kind of scenery that one encounters in the West. My host this week commented that I had taken more than 200 photos. That is true. I caught a great sequence of an eagle landing, several of Moose and deer on the run and simply walking in the open land. It is a wonder I did not take more.

5 Steps to Fishing Bliss

OK, I admit it, this title is all wrong.

For the past couple of years I have been trying to learn how to fly fish. It has a lot of neat qualities. You never go to ugly places. Initial equipment costs can be pretty reasonable. Aging does not limit your skills.

But as I have spent more time on it - I think I have come down to 5 basic skill sets. (Not in order)

#1 - Finding - fish have some peculiar habits, especially trout. You need to understand where they live and why. I spent a lot of time this week working on that one.
#2 - Matching - fish are a lot like your 5 year old, they are finicky eaters. They generally will eat what is available (and to keep alive they need to almost constantly feed) but if you approach them wrong they will tell you to buzz off. One of the fun parts of this is figuring out what they are eating right now and trying to match it in something you have in your fly collection (they are not all flies). But there is a second part to this rule. When someone else has hit on something, you might do better at trying something different. (This is sort of a reverse psychology, again like a 5 year old, but only for something with a brain the size of a large pea.)
There are also lots of variations of rigging for fish - some involve little insect like hooks called nymphs (who are under water). Others involve things that are on top of the water (flies of all sorts or grasshoppers). Still others look like injured fish (streamers) or even Salmon eggs (glow bugs). The latter are considered by some of the purists to be not reasonable. (That is bunk).
#3 - Casting - This is the effort to move line off your reel and over the water. Notice I said over and not through. There is a natural tendency to try to hurl the line - but this step takes a lot of patience. The trick is to let the rod do the work - much easier said than done. There are all sorts of tips - but for me none of them work any better than looking a bit at the line and hoping it has a small loop when you transfer from the back cast to the forward one. The best line I have heard is 11-1 (like the positions on a clock) - but again practice makes better here. I still need some practice.
#4 - Setting - What do you do after the fish grabs your hook? - you yank it with care to make sure he has it. In catch and release - which is what I have been doing - the ultimate game is to land the fish and then release him. The trick here is to set the hook but not rip it. I am actually pretty good at this skill. Trout hits can be very subtle and the excitement of feeling the hit (sometimes you can see the hit and sometimes you only feel it) can get you to yank too much. If you do that you lose the fish.
#5 - Playing - After the set comes the attempt to land the fish. Trout (mostly) do not think this is a fun event - so they give it their best not to be landed. After the strike (hit) and the set, they tend to run. If you have some line out you need to do two things. First you need to get your rod tip up in the air - that allows the flexibility of the rod to work for you. But second you need to begin to reel the fish in. If you have line out (and you often do because you are bringing the line in slowly as you wait for the hit - called "stripping") you need to first establish a reasonable tension on the fish and then slowly wind up the reel. But if the fish runs - you need to let him do that. Each reel has a control which adjusts tension(drag) and that needs to be loose enough to allow him to run but not so loose that he gets away. He will try to run all sorts of places - in and under rocks, around trees in the water, through debris. Your job is to bring him back to you and away from the places he wants to go.

There are some things I have not mentioned. Knots - the basic knots are not that tough - but try tying something with clear line that is very tiny and threading it through a very tiny hole. On Wednesday, when I was alone on the water, if did one fly change in about 30 minutes. Clearly, here vision helps.

The two pictures (one of a 22" Rainbow and the other of a spectacular Brown) have been cropped to show you that at least this week I was able to catch some fish. The first Browns I have ever caught were here - notice the colors. Wild fish tend to look better than raised and planted ones. The Brown in the picture was gussied up a bit because spawing season is near. Their colors become richer now. But this is not about me - so I intentionally cropped out the part with me in it. There is one other thing about this hobby, (Especially where I was this week) the locations are often spectacular. So even if you do not get many fish, you see beautiful country. On a future post I will offer some pictures of the kinds of locations where this sport happens.