The pair of bass were 10 feet from shore, in the open - and so was I.
I know fish can detect your presence when you're out in the open, so I stepped into the shadow of a cottonwood tree at the edge of the pond.

We were at our friend's place. Greg and Lisa own beautiful acreage north of Denver, near Erie,that has a couple of nice big ponds, and each year they generously host a fishing day for friends and coworkers.

I did a small back cast over my left shoulder and softly threw a red-and-silver streamer fly to my right, about ten feet out.

They spotted it.

As the duo moved in, I gently moved the fly in a rhythm just below the surface.

The bass on the right moved up first and grabbed it. I flicked my wrist up and set the hook in his lip. He took off to the right; I gave him line, but kept some tension on it. He jumped out of the water briefly and then swam left in a series of small lunges, then did the same to the right. After a couple of minutes, he tired and I called for Lee to come take a look before I landed and released him. She's always impressed I've actually caught something.

He was about 8 or 9 inches long, maybe three-quarters of a pound - definitely catch and release material. I wet my hand (that's a good tip for handling any fish) and easily removed the hook from his mouth, then gently set him right side up in the water. He swam quickly away.

Later, a second bass, a little bigger, also swam up with a partner, took a look and hit the fly. This time, I was not as patient, and in pulling too hard against his escape attempt, what must have been my faulty knot gave way. Away went the fish, with my fly visible in his lip.

Damn, I liked that fly, and should have had that fish.

Later, a veteran fly fisher told me he's observed that when fish approach a fly or other lure together, it's like kids with a toy - one wants to be the first to try it, so some of the wariness apparently goes away.

Fishing can be an educational, and at times, a humbling experience.
Especially if you engage in more than just still fishing; the worm-on-a-hook, bobber-in-the-water, sitting down all afternoon type.

Fly fishing requires a lot of you - it's a learned skill that requires practice and an attitude that you must keep on learning.
Learning how to throw a proper fly, in the right manner, to the right place in a stream or lake, and how to play and land the fish, is a challenge; to say nothing of learning how best to use your equipment, what the fish are eating, where they are and how to read a body of water and navigate it in a cumbersome pair of waders - just some of the reasons why good fly fishing is tough.

I still consider myself a journeyman fly fisherman; I know enough to be catching fish, but not enough to be really good. I'm humble enough to know in talking with real veterans of the sport they have much deeper knowledge, better technique and a lot more success catching their quarry than I do. And I can still catch bushes with my back cast sometimes - but I know the veterans do as well.

I just enjoy the heck out of it.

I'm not in so deep that I tie my own flies, or know what the insect hatch is in a particular area at any time, or which flies work best with which fish. Mostly I ask the locals or fly shop experts and keep changing flies until I find something that works, or I get skunked.

I consider getting fish the first time out a good omen for the rest of the season, providing I actually get out there often enough.

After knee surgery a couple of years ago, I found I had been out less than a half-dozen times until this year - hardly worth the cost of the license ($36 this year, with a second rod stamp and the habitat stamp).

Part of the reason we go out, of course, is not really about catching fish - it's about the fishing. The being out there, on the shore or in the stream, rod in hand, a smile on your face and a nice feeling in your chest.

Share some of your own fishing stories this season here on YourHub.com. A lot
of us will enjoy reading them - don't forget the pictures to substantiate your claims about the fish. Otherwise, people might think you're lying or something.