Fishing for beginners

[Uncle Ted]

I've a ton of fond memories of fishing with my dad, mostly Flaming Gorge out on the boat. Used to take girls on fishing dates up the Provo while at BYU. Truth is... it's about 1/10th as fun as golfing. As I got older I had my kids focus on golf. Fishing never came up, anytime we had time, I'd take both the boys and girls golfing in late summer evenings. Watching and enjoying my daughter get a par... is the same as good feeling that all parents should feel individually with their children. If you can't find something better than fishing... fishing is better than nothing with your kids.

Waiting for the JL tsunami..

Fly fishing on the green just below the flaming gorge dam is awesome.

[old_gregg]

You need to get going now before your wife gets sick of it and your kids end up learning to enjoy life with their new stepdad who will be cool and way more fun.

[Uncle Ted]

Pelado, it is very important that you ignore all these low-t desk jockeys who are falling all over themselves to justify their sad, miserable lives. I have seen this countless times when kids realize that their dad is a loser for not dragging them off the the couch and engaging in healthy, fun, and rewarding outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, rock climbing, backpacking, etc. You are wise to note their dissatisfaction. You need to get going now before your wife gets sick of it and your kids end up learning to enjoy life with their new stepdad who will be cool and way more fun.

As for fishing, you need to go big or go home. Don't try to figure it out by yourself. You will probably struggle and end up crashing and burning like Art Vandelay obviously did and NOBODY wants that to happen, except maybe Art. Find a friend or two who know what they are doing and beg him to take you and your kids along. Better yet, hire a guide to take you out on the river. Boise area has outstanding fly fishing as I understand. Most quality fishing lakes have guides you can hire for a day where they take you out on their boat. The nuclear option is to book a trip to Alaska to catch salmon and halibut. Catching massive fish surrounded by whales, orcas, seals, dolphins, sea lions, bears, etc. is a life-altering experience. Your kids would consider you to be the world's greatest dad at that point.

Flystripper has some good suggestions too. Take your kids out camping and hiking and get them conditioned to outdoor activities. Tons of websites where you can research trails and cool destinations. I would also recommend signing up for a rock climbing class at your local climbing shop. They are cheap and safe and you will have a blast.

If you are ever in Utah County, let me know. I could show you and your kids a great time. But I would need advance notice because I have a ton of dads in similar straits begging me to take them up.

Good luck!

JL has lots of good suggestions.

Pelado, before doing a fishing trip I would practice with your kids casting in your back yard. Just put on a casting weight and practice hitting a target like a kiddy pool or a hula hoop. It would be best to start off with a spin caster before trying a fly rod.

I don't know if you can beat Alaska fishing. In my experiences there I did the rivers so I was surrounded by whales but there were lots of bears.

[Northwestcoug]

Pelado, it is very important that you ignore all these low-t desk jockeys who are falling all over themselves to justify their sad, miserable lives. I have seen this countless times when kids realize that their dad is a loser for not dragging them off the the couch and engaging in healthy, fun, and rewarding outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, rock climbing, backpacking, etc. You are wise to note their dissatisfaction. You need to get going now before your wife gets sick of it and your kids end up learning to enjoy life with their new stepdad who will be cool and way more fun.

As for fishing, you need to go big or go home. Don't try to figure it out by yourself. You will probably struggle and end up crashing and burning like Art Vandelay obviously did and NOBODY wants that to happen, except maybe Art. Find a friend or two who know what they are doing and beg him to take you and your kids along. Better yet, hire a guide to take you out on the river. Boise area has outstanding fly fishing as I understand. Most quality fishing lakes have guides you can hire for a day where they take you out on their boat. The nuclear option is to book a trip to Alaska to catch salmon and halibut. Catching massive fish surrounded by whales, orcas, seals, dolphins, sea lions, bears, etc. is a life-altering experience. Your kids would consider you to be the world's greatest dad at that point.

Flystripper has some good suggestions too. Take your kids out camping and hiking and get them conditioned to outdoor activities. Tons of websites where you can research trails and cool destinations. I would also recommend signing up for a rock climbing class at your local climbing shop. They are cheap and safe and you will have a blast.

If you are ever in Utah County, let me know. I could show you and your kids a great time. But I would need advance notice because I have a ton of dads in similar straits begging me to take them up.

Good luck!

Fly fishing on the green just below the flaming gorge dam is awesome.

I spent a handful of fishing trips with my Dad on the Green, most of them when there was still snow on the ground and freezing my ass off. My dad would pull out some pretty big trout on these trips. Unfortunately, the temperature imprinted on my mind more than those fish. I appreciated more the smaller fish we caught on Labarge Creek during the summer. I returned back to Labarge after leaving my house, but never back to the Green.

[hostile]

Agree w JL. Pay for a guide. Pick their brains about gear, technique, etc. Green River is a blast. Teton Valley Lodge out of Driggs does a great job on the South and Henry’s forks of the Snake. Salmon fishing out of Cambell River , BC is amazing.

[clackamascoug]

Fly fishing on the green just below the flaming gorge dam is awesome.

We used to raft the Green below the dam... but we'd do our fishing up the flats by Dutch John... we'd throw in a couple of treble hooks, one baited with velveta and the other marshmallows and often time you'd catch two German Browns with one cast. I've only ever fly fished the Deschutes... I'd rather golf.

[Pelado]

Pelado, it is very important that you ignore all these low-t desk jockeys who are falling all over themselves to justify their sad, miserable lives. I have seen this countless times when kids realize that their dad is a loser for not dragging them off the the couch and engaging in healthy, fun, and rewarding outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, rock climbing, backpacking, etc. You are wise to note their dissatisfaction. You need to get going now before your wife gets sick of it and your kids end up learning to enjoy life with their new stepdad who will be cool and way more fun.

As for fishing, you need to go big or go home. Don't try to figure it out by yourself. You will probably struggle and end up crashing and burning like Art Vandelay obviously did and NOBODY wants that to happen, except maybe Art. Find a friend or two who know what they are doing and beg him to take you and your kids along. Better yet, hire a guide to take you out on the river. Boise area has outstanding fly fishing as I understand. Most quality fishing lakes have guides you can hire for a day where they take you out on their boat. The nuclear option is to book a trip to Alaska to catch salmon and halibut. Catching massive fish surrounded by whales, orcas, seals, dolphins, sea lions, bears, etc. is a life-altering experience. Your kids would consider you to be the world's greatest dad at that point.

Flystripper has some good suggestions too. Take your kids out camping and hiking and get them conditioned to outdoor activities. Tons of websites where you can research trails and cool destinations. I would also recommend signing up for a rock climbing class at your local climbing shop. They are cheap and safe and you will have a blast.

If you are ever in Utah County, let me know. I could show you and your kids a great time. But I would need advance notice because I have a ton of dads in similar straits begging me to take them up.

Good luck!

Thank you. We might actually be down in Utah County in June (21st-25th-ish). I understand if that's not enough notice.

[clackamascoug]

Thank you. We might actually be down in Utah County in June (21st-25th-ish). I understand if that's not enough notice.

We should all get together in later June and Lebowski could put on a clinic for us on the upper Provo. If enough people would want too, I'm sure JL wouldn't mind.

[Pelado]

We should all get together in later June and Lebowski could put on a clinic for us on the upper Provo. If enough people would want too, I'm sure JL wouldn't mind.

"Lebowski's First Annual Stepdad Prevention Clinic"

[Uncle Ted]

I spent a handful of fishing trips with my Dad on the Green, most of them when there was still snow on the ground and freezing my ass off. My dad would pull out some pretty big trout on these trips. Unfortunately, the temperature imprinted on my mind more than those fish. I appreciated more the smaller fish we caught on Labarge Creek during the summer. I returned back to Labarge after leaving my house, but never back to the Green.

The best time to fish on the green, IMO, is from November to March. Lots of fish will stack up in the tail waters of the dam looking for food. Nymph patterns will catch fish all day.


Sent from my iPhone (and not some dumb android device)!

[Northwestcoug]

The best time to fish on the green, IMO, is from November to March.


Sent from my iPhone (and not some dumb android device)!

Believe me, I know

[Scott R Nelson]

Truth is... it's about 1/10th as fun as golfing.

Ughhh. Ten times more boring than golf!

My father used to take us fishing several times a year. Always on the opening day, which was something like the first Saturday in June. We would get up at 3:00 a.m. and drive to someplace like Strawberry Reservoir, stand around in the cold waiting for it to get light, then stand around holding a pole waiting for something to happen. I had usually warmed up by about two hours after the sun came up. My brother turned into a fisherman, taking regular trips to Montana for fly fishing and I never wanted anything to do with it.

I remember taking my older son to somewhere like Wheeler Farm in Murray when he was about ten for fishing lessons in a stocked pond. He at least had someone there to explain how to do it. My younger son apparently picked up fishing skills on his own and does all sorts of fishing, including deep sea and fly fishing.

My wife wants to take up fishing too. I told her the rules are that once she catches one, she has to get it off of the hook, kill it, and clean it. I may look for fishing lessons for her in Boise once we get settled there.

Personally, I can't handle something as boring as fishing. (Can't handle something as boring as golf either.) I'll be off riding motorcycles in the hills.

[clackamascoug]

Ughhh. Ten times more boring than golf!

My father used to take us fishing several times a year. Always on the opening day, which was something like the first Saturday in June. We would get up at 3:00 a.m. and drive to someplace like Strawberry Reservoir, stand around in the cold waiting for it to get light, then stand around holding a pole waiting for something to happen. I had usually warmed up by about two hours after the sun came up. My brother turned into a fisherman, taking regular trips to Montana for fly fishing and I never wanted anything to do with it.

I remember taking my older son to somewhere like Wheeler Farm in Murray when he was about ten for fishing lessons in a stocked pond. He at least had someone there to explain how to do it. My younger son apparently picked up fishing skills on his own and does all sorts of fishing, including deep sea and fly fishing.

My wife wants to take up fishing too. I told her the rules are that once she catches one, she has to get it off of the hook, kill it, and clean it. I may look for fishing lessons for her in Boise once we get settled there.

Personally, I can't handle something as boring as fishing. (Can't handle something as boring as golf either.) I'll be off riding motorcycles in the hills.

Also fished there with my Dad... we'd rent a little Alumaweld from Charlie's Trout Creek Camp marina. Cold as hell in the early mornings out in an aluminium boat on that reservoir.

[Flystripper]

Lebowski nailed it. Learning how to do it right is important and don't mess around with a half ass introduction unless you want to discourage them from enjoying it. Find a fishing friend or hire a guide. Given where you live, I would just jump into fly fishing. A fly rod is a much more efficient way to cover a stream and you have many great trout streams in your neck of the woods. Some pics of my son and I fishing the west walker last summer in BigPiney's neck of the woods.

Tay on west walker.jpg

Tay on a creek.jpg

[Pelado]

Lebowski nailed it. Learning how to do it right is important and don't mess around with a half ass introduction unless you want to discourage them from enjoying it. Find a fishing friend or hire a guide. Given where you live, I would just jump into fly fishing. A fly rod is a much more efficient way to cover a stream and you have many great trout streams in your neck of the woods. Some pics of my son and I fishing the west walker last summer in BigPiney's neck of the woods.

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How is a fly rod more efficient on a stream (Did I mention I'm a beginner)?