John Roberts - Virginia Fly Fishing Guide

 One big question many fishermen  whether beginner or veteran face is whether or not to hire a guide, I always invite an interview process if you will in making my case for yes they should. Beginners need a great first experience and many of the experience types need help in finding trout waters locally. Below pretty much expresses what I try to achieve a memorable day.

My mission is a fairly simple one. First, early on I get on the same experience level as my fishermen.  I think it’s wise for anyone thinking of hiring a guide to pick up the phone and actually talk to the guide they are considering to see if the fit is right. It benefits both parties, and I know from my end pretty quick if I can provide what the customer is ultimately seeking.

Everyone has to be honest on fishing skill levels so things work the best from the beginning. An experienced guide has had lots of dealings with both novice and experienced types and will know to customize a fishing trip to optimize the outing enjoyment level.  Nobody likes to be talked down to, especially beginners who put themselves in my hands and  who always want to have a memorable and educational first experience. I only have customers for four or eight hours, so I do have to intensify the process in a fun, learning way. Being too casual and non-responsive on a trout stream can be a bad thing, so, I try to instill in them early good fishing habits from equipment set up to final release of the trout.

Part of my mission is to teach beginners the skills to land a few Rainbows before the day is over. That’s no small task. Learning to cast a fly rod is the first big hill to climb for most, and I work hard to make this easy for them to grasp. Trout don't have table manners, so there are just a lot of things to work out in learning to find and catch them after you learn to cast. I have over 60 years of trout fishing experience in our local waters and can adapt to any skill level and be respectful in the process. Yeah, most of my experienced types (of anglers) want to at least be put over trout pretty quickly. That is a challenge of my job that I look forward to every time.

I tell all my anglers, whether novice or experienced, that if they want to leave the stream or fishing spot at day's end, I have done something wrong. When you walk away from one of my trips, I'm hoping you may have learned a few things in a few hours that just might stay with you for a lifetime. I invite my all fishermen who go with me to follow up with me for advice if they need help taking their game to the next step when they start out on their own. Heck, I mi

 I always enjoy the great cross section of  different fishermen types that I get each year. For the life of me I can't figure out why more women aren't taking up flyfishing,  the ones I  do get are much more patient  than men  and generally straighten out the learning curve a tad quicker. Getting leaders and tippet fouled up during the course of the fishing day is part of flyfishing and the ladies tend to tackle these trying times with a controlled and methodical  approach rather than the angry frustrated route taken  by the guys which usually ends up with some cussing. I know, I do it myself sometimes lack the restraint to keep from getting flustered and in the process losing valuable fishing time. 

A fishing trip with a sibling can make for a great way to bond in beautiful settings. These 2 sisters were keen and veteran fishermen who caught lots of nice trout with me  but still would take a little time to just kick back and enjoy the gurgling stream along with other wildlife sounds.  Both have high pressure jobs and the trout experience  provided great therapy.  The great sound of running water coupled with other bird and wildlife sounds can  be huge relaxants  as you enjoy the peaceful ,undemanding environment. Catching trout is the number one mission but enjoying  the other  stimulants  out there is pretty good stiff too. They inspire the soul.

As a trout guide it's always fun to look back this time of year  and think about all the many people I have  had the privilege to introduce flyfishing to.  You just never know what might happen or what might end up staying with you or your fishermen for life. Not bragging here just want to show  you that learning works both ways. This past year was one of my best ever, the weather cooperated even through the summer and I had very few cancellations all year. My Intro half day trips last 4 1/2 to 5 hours and I'm always amazed how quickly the time passes by. I pack a lot into these and there has to be a balance here, yeah it can be intense but you have to  keep the fun element always close by. One young man  on my Intro- Stream experience trip  made me very aware of this. I had brought him along with  instruction  on casting and setting the hook on a trout and the other important  parts of sport  at our mountain trout pond and we decided it was time to hit the stream. He caught some small  trout early  and I gave him a small #16  dry Black hard body pattern to work a deep ledge pool under an overhanging tree. Low and behold a big old 21 '' brightly colored Rainbow  sipped the fly 3rd cast and went air born 3 or 4 times and the fight was on.. We had fairly light tippet on  and the trout proved quite a handful in the faster water as my young  fisherman battled him. I have to admit I yelled a couple of times at him to make a point but the second time he started laughing. My goal is to see the trout in the net and things can get intense most times as I instruct my fishermen what to to do and not to do in a fish fight.. No one had ever laughed the way this fisherman  did during one of the most critical times of  of a fish fight.Well I started laughing after my  second yell and after several more minutes the old hook jawed trout was in the net. We caught several more trout in the 14''- 17'' range and yeah I started laughing after every second yell with  my outstanding young angler We both had one fun time, I had forgotten the fun thing that I told you a lines ago.

After 58 plus years of visiting  Virginia  mountain trout streams and rivers I , like most experienced fishermen, have a pretty large memory bank of my favorite trout places to visit.  Don't get me wrong I cherish every time and place I go myself  or take folks but some of the same spots have produced the most memories. If I think about it this favorites list I have  to take into consideration the natural beauty of most  of these as well what makes a particular pool special. Maybe it produced an unusual experience of same kind such as a particularly aggressive trout's take of the fly, maybe we caught a trophy trout in an unusual spot we didn't think he was supposed to be. Maybe it is the sheer numbers of times we have been successful at a fishing spot when other spots failed, a ''honey'' hole most would call it but some on the favorite list may have only had a 1 time memorable event.  Fifty years ago I was flyfishing on Pedlar and miscast a dry caddis to a pool. The fly wrapped around an over a low overhanging limb and was bouncing 2'' above the water when all of a sudden an 8'' Brook trout came up and nailed it. it's not always what but how, I can still see the little Brook jumping 2'' to get my fly.   It might fool you but size of fish is not always  enter into the criteria like the one above.  Of course what makes many of these spots memorable in the first place is that most  meet the trout's life needs and have continued to do so for decades, centuries, etc. Maybe your father  or a friend passed one these prized pools down to you.  One on my lists is on a very small  6' wide National Forest stream where about 25 years ago I was fishing for native brookies and was rudely awakened when I presented a small stonefly nymph to a  trouty looking spot under a huge hemlock. An eye popping 21'' 4 pound hooked jaw Brown took the fly in an almost violent fashion, I snapped his picture and he went back under  ''his''  rock. Good things have happened to me fishing around  more public bridge abutments, of course the place I caught my  first trout is on my Hall of Fame list of trout places. Years ago I caught a huge trophy Rainbow tucked way  under a ledge in a Bullpasture River trib after I know a 100 people had fished it 2 days before, yeah it's on the list.  Sometimes you have to share a favorite with more people. This past fishing season produced the biggest trout on the days weather sent most anglers packing,  so it is a contributor to making the list. Right time right place of course is big.    

 I hit the water for a couple hours yesterday in 32 degree air temps and came to one of the public  spots on my list. I caught 4 trout  nymphing in just a few casts which was pretty good on a cold winter day.   I changed to  a minnow imitation. First cast produced a beautiful 21 '' Rainbow, still full of color and fight as I released it. Hopefully another angler can have the same experience I did at this pool, maybe it will  make his  or hers  ''favorite' list. This same pool produced a 5 pound hook-jawed Brown several years ago, I remember it because as I was getting ready to snap a picture of the trout  I dropped my brand new Sony $800 camera in the drink and ruined it for good.  Every time you go fishing  you're running the risk of making a lifetime memory whether good, funny or bad. What a pleasant thought.  I better get off here, I'll be telling fishin' stories from now on. Time to get started on your own ''favorites'' list.  John