Please excuse me if my thoughts seem a bit extreme... after all, I was not with you on your recent fishing trip... and, of course, I didn't see the waters where you were fishing.

You obviously have some solid good fishing experiences during your life. Is it possible that the time that has passed has allowed the fishing conditions to change from what you remember in these fishing spots? Maybe, you want to concentrate on what the fishing conditions are now, as compared to what you remember... just saying. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Somewhat of an interesting question here. :)

When I was somewhat younger, I always put my fish on a stringer and tied the stringer to a rock or tree limb and let the fish "swim" in the water... and pretty much took 'em home and cleaned them, and my mom pretty much cooked them with a corn meal coating. Of course, being young as I was back then, I was always glad to eat them... as I had used my "Daniel Boone experiences" to provide food for my family.

Now-a-days... I cut the fish at the bottom of their gill plates, and then grab the head with one hand, the body behind the head with my other hand... and bend the head backwards until the spine breaks. That's pretty much instant death for the fish. You can tell the fish is dead because the eyes of the fish show they are dead.

Then, I cut from the anus along to the front of the fish, and deposit the guts into the water where I'm fishing... and using the lake (river) water to rinse the stomach cavity fairly well clean...

Once all that is done, I put said fish into the ice filled container, making sure to put ice into the gut area. This cools the fish down as rapidly as possible - keeping it as fresh as possible. Once I get home, I finish removing the head, and either scale it or filet it all out.

Many suggestions already given here in these opinions also seem to look like they work well... it all comes down to how you end up doing this kind of process for yourself. I would agree that keeping it in an ice chest with no water or ice may not be the "Best Way"... however all those fish I took home on a stringer at the end of a long day proved to me that there may not be a "Best Way" for keeping your catches eatable. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

You write -- "I am doing my best to learn as much as I can about the sport and trout but after seven trips it's still zilch."

Within my opinion (whatever that's worth), is that if you're judging your success by the number of trout you hook up with, well... that's like starting off at one of the most difficult levels to be successful at in our fishing world. That is unless you have a way to fish the Yellowstone National Park area with a guide on the Madison River. Trout seemingly have the ability to see you, hear you, and even smell you coming into their area. Before my brothers and I fished in that area, we were surprised to read of 7 to 10 thousand fish per mile (!!!) in some of those rivers and lakes.

I'd suggest that instead of paying $25 to fish at a stocked area can be a bit much, maybe you could find a
small lake or pond, at a city park or a residential area and fish for handfuls of perch, bluegills, or other kinds of fish that seemingly bite on leaves of grass, bread chunks, or even a simple shiny unbaited hook. This can prove that you can at least regularly catch something... which can increase your confidence by leaps and bounds. :)

All of the suggestions in this thread are marvelous, and make a great deal of sense. I have found on the many times I've gone fishing and gotten skunked, being outside on the water is usually so peaceful and relaxing, that I don't even care on the trip home, that I've not even had a single catch or bite. That's why it is called "fishing" and not called "catching". :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Greetings Dav!

I'm with you on that thought... a piece of fish hook metal that disintegrates in a single day? I'd guess in today's futuristic world it could be possible, however - I doubt it.

Unless of course, you're catching the well-known Supreme Acid Fish, of which has super powers second only to kryptonite. :)

If you have hooks that are barbed, you can simply grab some needle nose pliers and squish the barbed part of the hook down onto the hook shaft itself... problem solved, right?

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Greetings PerrywiseOH :)

Your choice of your first fly rod is perfect. My own first fly rod came from Orvis... it is a 9 ft 5 wt. My brothers and I fished the Madison River in and around Yellowstone, and the many wild trout we caught were all a couple pounds or more with the fly rods we had at the time. So, the panfish you're targeting should be no problem for your chosen rod and reel.

You are so correct when you practice your casts in your yard... I chose to go to a small park - however there is nothing better than practicing before you try to actually catch fish for the first time. That way, with practice, you have a better chance of looking like you know what you're doing... and we all know that looking good in public is something a lot of us enjoy. ;)

The reason I chose a little park to practice at, was the thing I found very useful was to put a plastic cup on the grass and walked in a circle around it, trying to hit the cup... this allowed me to get used to how the wind affected my casts. And, believe me... the wind will definitely mess with your personal fly casting technique.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Greetings awfulawkward!

One thing you may want to remember is that when you're casting your fly rod, you are depending on the weight of the fly line to carry the bait - which is unlike spinning rod casts that depend on the weight of the bait itself to carry the line to your chosen target. For me, I went to a local park and tied on a leader and a paper clip to the fly line and practiced getting used to the difference.

The other thing that a lot of new fly fishers get confused over... is that 90 percent of your successful fly casts will take only 10 or 15 yards to get to where the fish are located. Those casts in videos and movies that look like they are a half a football field away, are the stuff that looks good, however in reality, managing that "half a football field" length of line on a fly rod is way harder than it looks.

I found that the best way to get a handle on the situation is like this: When you get to your chosen practice location, take a plastic drink cup and put it in the middle of your area, step back some 10-15 yards and try to put the paper clip on your line as near as you can to the plastic cup. Anything that lands within a couple feet is what you're looking for. Once you get that accomplished fairly regularly, then walk in a circle around the plastic cup, staying 10-15 yards away in a circle shape, and keep on trying to put your paper clip into the cup. What this does is help you get used to how the wind can affect your aim, and the results you achieve.

Please do this kind of practice on grass and NOT on (say) a parking lot. You can most definitely scuff up your fly line and find yourself having to replace your fly line because of the scuffs... which is usually not as inexpensively done when compared to the cost of monofilament or braided bait casting lines.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Howdy flyguy... nice to virtually meet you!

I don't believe it makes a difference to the fishes. I got it that fluorocarbon style tippets/leaders/lines, etc. are advertised to have some kind of different refraction than tippets/leaders/lines, etc. made from a simple monofilament style of line. However, it comes to my thoughts that beings as most fishing folks don't truly know what a fish actually sees when a bait is tied to a line with one or the other kind of leader.

Fluorocarbon style fishing line can be significantly more expensive than monofilament... Please note these two examples:

https://www.orvis.com/p/mirage-trout-leaders-2pk/2a04

https://www.orvis.com/p/superstrong-leader-tippet-combo-pack/2hbm

If you will note that the first link takes you to fluorocarbon tippet (at around $US 24.00), and the second link takes you to a more traditional monofilament tippet (at around $US 12.00). I'm fairly certain that both styles of leader material will catch fish equally well on any given day... it is to remember that a lot of marketing effort goes into advertising something that makes the fishing person feel good, without regards to any real difference it makes when a person is out on the lake or in the river actually doing some fishing.

Whenever it comes to having your chosen variety of fly "turn over" during a particular flavor of cast, I would believe that given two identical casts, one with fluorocarbon and one with monofilament, there again I don't think there is a significant difference between the two flavors of tippet involved.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

I don't see why not. I've caught crappies with dead minnows. Like you said, the live ones seem to work a little better because of the natural action live bait has, however, I'm not certain that it makes all that much difference. After all, if you're using plastic baits of some kind, you'll still catch 'em - and plastic is hardly considered to be alive. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

I also agree that unless you have a boat and travel to various waters unknown to you, you might be better off in the long term if you avoid the expense. I've owned a fish finder, and found that the only thing I found useful about it was to tell me how deep the water was under my little fishing boat. Although I see things like drop offs, and other bottom structures (which is sometimes very good to know), mine basically doesn't tell me where the fish are actually located and are willing to chomp down on whatever baits I tend to use.

Of course, there are people who post videos of what they see on their fish finders and explain how they see all kinds of fishes, to me those happenings are somewhat rare and inconsistent. Remember, a chosen fish finder will indicate non-existent fish because they identify "fish" that are nothing more than suspended leaves, trash, and other not living things suspended in the water column.

Your experiences may turn out to be different than mine... and if you choose to spend the money and it works well for you, then that's wonderful! :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Myself and my two brothers were there this last June, Don...

Beings as you've obviously been there at some point in your life (regardless of how long ago), then my descriptions are hardly something you don't know. YNP is a treasure worth experiencing. :)

We fished the Madison River and Hebgen Lake area below the dam (June 2017), and explored the area around the area. We caught many trout in that stretch of the Madison River during the days we fished there. All our fish were from 14 to 22 inches in length, and it turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... with all thanks going to Matt from Arrick's Fly Shop in West Yellowstone. (sorry for the obvious advertisement)

Good Fishing Luck to you and yours...

Fred

When going to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) for fishing, be sure that you obtain an 'official map' of the area(s) you want to fish in. YNP has it's own set of fishing regulations... some areas are restricted to "fly fishing only" areas. Other areas are complete "no fishing at all" kinds of places.

I would highly suggest that you check out hiring a guide for at least one of your first fishing trips in YNP, although a bit expensive, most all of the guides in the park are highly qualified, and family friendly folks. Having a guide removes a lot of the unknowns when fishing in YNP, and gives you some knowledge to build upon for other fishing you might want to do inside YNP.

YNP provides many, many fishing opportunities, along with a bunch of other things to do. It is a remarkable place and will give you a lifetime of memories.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

I'm thinking you'll likely have no problems. Like others here, with a name brand like Shakespeare it's not likely to break under normal use. (With "normal" use including not using it to pull your car or truck out of a ditch) :)

I'd be likely to bet that the first time you get hooked up with a rock or a tree limb, you're going to see that your panfish rod is going to surprise you with how much it can be stressed without showing any unusual wear and tear from trying to get your line unstuck.

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Excellent point, Brokenbail... the same thought occurred to me. Every new fishing rod and reel usually comes with an extra quart of 'fishing luck' included. :) If you're not experiencing that, it comes down to being skittish when casting - after all, a person usually doesn't press their luck (so to speak) when casting into weeds, tree tops and such things with a new rod and reel because they're not used to it, and they're being a little scared or inexperienced using the new equipment.

I know such has been true for me whenever I get some new fishing gear... just ask me how many times I hit myself in the back of the head with a handful of line and flies, when I first got my first fly rod after many years of spin casting with my trusty, rusty old faithful Shakespeare rod and reel. (Not to mention how many times I ended up with my fly casts ending up in a pile just in front of my feet)

Best Regards and

TruthSpeakerzz, Greetings!

I noticed you mention "chicken and prawns" as your bait... That's kind of interesting, in that I've never seen a bream eat a chicken or a shrimp while in their natural setting. Although it is also to say that I've seen bream (think bluegill here) eat most anything, like pieces of bread and so forth, I've always found that the "traditional" baits like minnows, crickets, and/or worms work best for these little guys. After all, minnows, crickets, and/or worms are in the same water as the fish you're seeking.

That would be unless you have swimming chickens and very, very large bluegills in the lakes you typically fish at. :)

Best Regards,
WC