Fly Fishing Is Simple

[FarmerDave]

Maurice, I'm going to pick on your response.

Maurice wrote:
Jack,

Give a fly rod to a guy with spin gear and tell him to catch fish...on his own.

It worked for me, except nobody gave me the gear. I bought it myself because on many occasions I saw fish feeding on the surface. I had even used flies with my spinning gear up to that point.

Why did it take me a full year to catch only one fish on a fly rod?

My guess is it was either where you were fishing, or it was because you had someone else showing you how to fly fish.

I would argue that any good bait angler can also catch fish with a fly rod if they simply give it a try. When i say a good bait angler, I'm not talking about bottom fishing with a can of corn. To be a consistantly effective bait angler, it is all about presentation. Same thing with fly angling, just different gear. When I started fly fishing, i was about 12, and I didn't know what a clinch not was. I didn't even know what a fly leader was. But i could catch fish. Granted, for a few years it was just bass and bluegills (the way everyone should start out because it keeps you interested until you figure it out), but the first time i used it for trout, I limited out. Of course that is what really got me hooked on it. And i still didn't know what a tapered leader was. I tied a piece of mono on the end of a flat floating 333 line that wasn't even matched to the old cane rod and caught trout. Of course there was a lot of luck involved, but I had already figured during my bait fishing days that the best presentation was a natural presentation.

Relax, they were hatchery fish.

Another example. I was at East Hickory one day, just below the signs (in the open waters). Across the stream was a young kid (about 12 y.o.) who happened to find a nymph (fly, not the real thing) that someone had lost. He tied it on the end of his mono (spinning rod) and flipped it out into a deep riffle and immediately pulled out a rainbow trout that was about 18 inches. another fly angler is born. By the way, he released it, too.

I won't say it is "easy", but I don't think I would do it if it were hard.

P.S. I'll admit that I liked the movie. I just don't like what it did to the sport.

 

[Maurice]

Farmer Dave,

I think you do it...or did it because you saw the challenge. I was a trout fishermen, using spinners at the time, that saw the same thing, fish rising to the surface. I bought a rod...a plastic one...at age 27 and started using it. Struggled learning to cast and catch trout over the first year. Using mostly dry flies because I thought that was what it was all about. It wasn't until I saw old dudes catching fish with nymphs that I realized there was more to it. I didn't know about the bugs life stages. Had to learn that too. Took fly tying classes the first winter, learnt that and about the bugs and got better at presenting them and the rest was history.

Putting a fly on spin gear is not fly fishing...Presentation through casting a fly with fly gear is fly fishing. I suppose using a cross bow is bow hunting in your eyes too.

The point is it is a technique that takes on numerous aspects of a concept, differnet that spin fishing. Most of which you must be at least competant at to be effective. It takes lots of practice and even more research to be satisfying. Even for your learning curve, fishing over blue gills demonstrates that.

I guess I made it more complicated than it really is. I shudda just put my flies on my spinning gear.

 

[FarmerDave]

Maurice wrote:
Farmer Dave,

I think you do it...or did it because you saw the challenge. I was a trout fishermen, using spinners at the time, that saw the same thing, fish rising to the surface. I bought a rod...a plastic one...at age 27 and started using it. Struggled learning to cast and catch trout over the first year. Using mostly dry flies because I thought that was what it was all about. It wasn't until I saw old dudes catching fish with nymphs that I realized there was more to it. I didn't know about the bugs life stages. Had to learn that too. Took fly tying classes the first winter, learnt that and about the bugs and got better at presenting them and the rest was history.

I am still amazed at how some of the oldtimers can catch fish on wets and nymphs so easily. I also learned more about details of fly fishing from this site than any other source. Sure, i was ribbing you a little, but I think you know that part was all in fun. No harm intended. However, I was sorta serious about it not being hard.

Putting a fly on spin gear is not fly fishing...Presentation through casting a fly with fly gear is fly fishing. I suppose using a cross bow is bow hunting in your eyes too.

I would agree that putting a fly on my spin gear is not fly fishing especially if I use a bobber, errr I mean strike indicator, but everyone has their own line. What if I am using an old bamboo spin/fly rod. Reverse the handle, put on a different reel, and presto chango, I'm fly fishing. In small streams, I may be only casting the leader, so what’s the difference???? Changing the reel would just be a waste of time in that case. Is it fly fishing??? I don’t care. It’s fishing. I fish for the fun, not to make a statement. My point was that getting proper fly gear would probably be that kids next step once he got bit. That is what I meant by another fly angler is born. Your bow hunting comment is the same thing. That would be like me saying you aren't really fly fishing because you are using a plastic rod and line. I prefer split bamboo, but both are still fly fishing. But since you asked, I feel that hunting with a cross bow is not all that different from using some of the modern bow hunting equipment available. Ever hear of a draw-lock? Is that bow hunting? To someone with an injury or a handicap, it sure is. Same with a crossbow. What about some of these modern bows that drop off to almost nothing? Add a trigger release and you might as well use a crossbow. I can stand there for several minutes holding the draw. What's the point of that? Everyone has there own opinion where to draw the line. I do hunt with a cross bow for a few reasons. 1. It is legal in Ohio. 2. hunting with a recurve takes a whole lot of practice if you want to get good at it, and I don't have the time which brings me to 3. I am less likely to have one get away injured because I am a much better shot with a crossbow. to me, nothing in hunting is more upsetting then to have a deer get away injured, or to find one in the woods dead from a poorly placed shot. I am also not as good at tracking as i would like to be. I am also afraid the deer might make it off of my property onto posted land if I don't place the shot perfectly. 4. The type of bow does not change the flavor of the meet. But my true opinion is I’m not bow hunting, I’m hunting with a crossbow. If I am not using a recurve or a longbow, I am not really “bow hunting”. That is where I draw the line for myself. Others have their own line and I have absolutely no problem with that. You will be happy to know that I refuse to use a scope on my crossbow. :-D

The point is it is a technique that takes on numerous aspects of a concept, differnet that spin fishing. Most of which you must be at least competant at to be effective. It takes lots of practice and even more research to be satisfying. Even for your learning curve, fishing over blue gills demonstrates that.

Here is where we start to disagree. It is about putting the fly where you want it. Also, what is satisfying to one person might not be to another. I have to do research for work, I don't have to or want to to fish.

I guess I made it more complicated than it really is. I shudda just put my flies on my spinning gear.

Well, you are making it more complicated than it is (IMHO), but it is so much easier to cast a fly with a fly rod, so you made the right move. :-D

 

[steve98]

What movie you talking anout??????????????????

Steve98

 

[Maurice]

steve98 wrote:
What movie you talking anout??????????????????

Steve98

A River Runs Through It. To some it was the death of thier beloved flyfishing.

People saw the movie, thought it was cool watching them catch fish on a fly rod and everybody bought fly rods and Orvis gear. Some people who started before the movie resent the movie for overwhelming the sport, (I prefer to call it a recreational activity and not a sport because you are not competing against another angler)

Whatever, Thats the MOVIE.

 

[littlejuniata]

Festus you know your stuff, first you need to learn how to read water (streams)! I remember fishing bait (worms) with a fly rod used 2lb tapered leaders fished upstream, with a natural drift, was deadly even in the clearest of water, but you learned were the trout were, back then there were only books to show you how to fish, I had Ray Bergmans "Trout" then I learned on the stream. Ray was a heck of a great guy, As a kid, I wrote and asked him a question about wet flys, he sent me two he had tied along with a nice letter as to how to fish them.