2nd day fishing

Day 2 of fly fishing was exciting but I didn't catch a single fish. I had a lot of fun and know that I'm not doing things quite right. On the up side, I'm getting better at my knots and getting my rig set up. Even though I didn't get a strike, I had a great time. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time.

Finally tried fishing!

My 1st Trout

I finally got a chance to go fishing. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I knew my basic knots, but must admit that I was not very good at tying of them. In addition to not being very proficient with my knots, I actually had little knowledge of fly fishing, but I was trying. My waders were getting new (different sized) neoprene booties, so I was fishing from the shore.
The people I met were great, very encouraging and offered some advice. I messed around for a couple of hours and had little luck, not even a strike. I did, however, successfully snag my line in lots of trees, grasses, rocks, etc. Eventually, I moved to some ripples and somehow hooked a nice little trout! One of the coolest parts of this is the fly I was using was a Sowbug I tied myself (some gray dubbing on a hook).

Rod & Reel

Having really never fly fished, I had no idea what I needed as far as a rod & reel. So if you're reading this, you are a lot like me, you went to the Web and started looking for advice. I stopped into some shops and was discouraged a little. One shop told me rods are like women, every guys likes something different. Of course, that didn't help me much. Seeing that I hadn't been "fishing" yet, I didn't know what kind of woman/rod I would like. My thought was, since I knew I'd be fishing in specific locations for specific types of fish, they might have some advice. Everyone has to start somewhere. In this case, it wasn't at that shop. I went online and looked at the myriad of options and that didn't help much either.
So I found myself at Flyfisher's Paradise in State College. I introduced myself and asked them my question. Dennis and Steve were quick to explain some of the differences in sizes and weights and pointed me toward some of last season's rods that were on sale :-) It was a really nice day for February, and Dennis took me outside and helped me experience some of the differences. He gave me some free casting advice (which was very appreciated) and let me sit there and fling my line around even though I really didn't know what I was doing. That being said, I could feel some differences and I decided on a rod that felt the most natural.
I purchased a 5 weight, 8'6" Orvis Clearwater II, 4-piece .
Then we had to talk about reels. One of the great things about this shop was there was no pressure or up-selling. They explained some of the basic differences and suggested a fairly inexpensive reel, the Orvis Encounter, Large Arbor Reel. We even found some highly visible floating fly line that was on sale and they loaded my reel with backing and my line and got it ready to go.

Waders - Patagonia Rio Gallegos

Before moving, I took advantage of having access to make an Employee Purchase from Patagonia. Having never owned, or even worn a pair of waders, this was a crap-shoot for me. I did some reading and these waders looked like a great option. Being able to purchase them at such a reduced price definitely made them quite attractive, not to mention the Patagonia Iron-clad warranty.
There are a number of size options, and merino wool-lined booties for some added comfort without adding thickness to the neoprene. Patagonia's H2No technology is reported to have excellent water proofing while remaining quite breathable. These waders also convert from chest to waist for lack of a better term. There is a suspension system that allows you to lower the upper portion when you don't need it. They appear to have excellent strength in the seams (something that seems to be an improvement from what some folks say about earlier versions), knee pads, and a belt.
One thing I did run into was the fit. Based on my measurements, I was at the high end of one size so I went up to the next size. Two things happened with that.

1. The neoprene booties also went up and were like flippers on my feet. 
2. They may be a little big.

Solutions and things learned 

As for the booties, if you are ordering from Patagonia, you can order your size and specify a different size bootie be added. I was able to ship mine back and for $45 they switch the booties. I feel that was fair. As for the size, I'll likely get an additional pair (maybe not quite this nice) that I'd use when a friend comes to town or for me in the summer (fewer layers) and my current waders will be great in the colder months when I'll want some extra layers.
Final thought, if you can go to a shop and get fitted, do it! I was saving a lot of $$ by employee purchasing them, and had to guess.

1st purchase

Obviously, I need to get some gear. From photos and some basic reading, I knew I needed a vest. So I did some research and decided to get a Fishpond Gore Range Tech Pack vest. I'm a guy that likes organization and lots of options, like 17 pockets. This vest seemed to have all the things I was looking for. I really liked the idea of the fly storage benches as well.
The "one-size fits most" is pretty good. I could make this vest bigger or smaller than it is. I'm a pretty big guy and it fits well out of the box. However, if you are a smaller person or really skinny, this vest might be a bit big.
The overall quality and feel is really good, strong zippers, good fabrics, etc.

Tying Flies...do I dare?

During the months of Feb and March, Flyfisher's Paradise offer free tying clinics. Some of strictly watch, ask, and learn, others are beginner tie-along. This was a great way to meet some local anglers and start learning about the local streams, etc. Of course, the idea of tying flies seemed a bit daunting. There is a lot of gear and it looks very complicated. 

The first couple of clinics were definitely over my head, but I took a chance and bought a vice, a bobbin, good scissors, lead wire, hooks, thread, and some dubbing. After some basic instruction I starting figuring it out for basic flies. This is certainly an art, but I really do find it enjoyable. I'm not planning to tie elaborate flies, but in Central PA, I can certainly use some simple flies like Walt's Worms, Sowbugs, etc. These are very basic flies to tie. If you're getting into fly fishing, give it a try.

A new adventure

I have recently moved to Centre County PA. I had no idea I was moving to one of the country's best fly fishing locations. To make it even better, I live within a few minutes of Spring Creek and Fisherman's Paradise. This area is well known for excellent trout fishing. Much of the area is catch & release. There is also some prohibition on wading for a short section of the creek that is near the hatchery.
In addition to Spring Creek, I'm not far from Penns Creek and not far from the Little Juniata River. All of these are reported to be great places to fish. I can't wait to try all of them.
Anglers in this area are also lucky to have 2 great fly shops at our disposal: TCO Fly Shop and Flyfisher's Paradise. Both of these shops offer some of the best gear and flies for the area. Additionally, they both have great guides and educational opportunities.