Is anyone aggravated with fly fishing for trout?

[FarmerDave]

The amount of "moving on", I just don't see a parallel with fly vs. spin. You can grow roots and cast or move constantly with either technique. The type of tackle just isn't connected with how long you stay in one spot.

Or at least it shouldn't be.

 

[silverfox]

Just throwing a different angle out here. I work with a lot of people who have never held a fly rod before. I've heard several times now that what intrigues a lot of these folks to try fly fishing is the depth of the sport (rod/line weights, line types, leader setups, tippet, the flies, the bugs they represent, the different fish, the times of year, the different types of casts, etc. etc. etc.). To a lot of these folks, they need something they can dive into that has depth so they have something to focus on.

Fly fishing is challenging, and some people need and like challenges. It doesn't always have to be about the most efficient way to get a fish in your hand. For some, its a whole world with seemingly endless details that takes a lifetime to master, and that is not only intriguing but beneficial for a lot of people.

 

[Fishnmusicn]

The amount of "moving on", I just don't see a parallel with fly vs. spin. You can grow roots and cast or move constantly with either technique. The type of tackle just isn't connected with how long you stay in one spot.

Well for me it is. I know you could keep moving with either, but I find fly fishing more of a figuring out, especially if there isn't a hatch happening. It takes time to adjust, maybe switch flies or tippets - with what I've got tied on with spinning, I'll switch occasionally to bigger or smaller or a different color but what I've got on stays on for a period of time. It's more one dimensional but since trout like to chase, eventually one will commit. It is easier to spook the fish for me with a jerkbait once they know what's up, and I move on. I guess I mean also that it's constant casting as well, covering a pool quicker and then it's time to go. Effective though, I did get out today and got about 12, most were small but I got a few decent ones and hooked a few bigger ones that jumped off.

 

[Fishnmusicn]

Just throwing a different angle out here. I work with a lot of people who have never held a fly rod before. I've heard several times now that what intrigues a lot of these folks to try fly fishing is the depth of the sport (rod/line weights, line types, leader setups, tippet, the flies, the bugs they represent, the different fish, the times of year, the different types of casts, etc. etc. etc.). To a lot of these folks, they need something they can dive into that has depth so they have something to focus on.

Fly fishing is challenging, and some people need and like challenges. It doesn't always have to be about the most efficient way to get a fish in your hand. For some, its a whole world with seemingly endless details that takes a lifetime to master, and that is not only intriguing but beneficial for a lot of people.

I agree with you completely.

 

[Fishingyogi]

I do agree fly fishing can be hard. I fly fished almost 3 hours last night and caught 1 fish and 1 fish only! With risers all around.

Generally my fishing style is based on time and conditions. In april I will likely be fishing stocked streams with trout magnets. In early May if I can get on a stream at first light before crowds I will put the miles in with a spinner. If I'm late in the day on pressured stream I will run a dry fly with a zebra nymph under it. Finally in late may and June I will fish spinners and jerkbaits in the morning then switch to fly gear in the afternoon. Summertime I switch to smallies and love fishing poppers and streamers as well as spin gear. I enjoy fishing and I enjoy mixing it up. Tight lines.

 

[krayfish2]

I will be in the next 2 to 3 days so I'll chime in then

 

[JackM]

I'm surprised by the number of people who have discovered fly fishing, yet still enjoy fishing with other techniques. That's like if you learned to knit or crochet, you still enjoy sewing once in a while.
Of course, that makes sense if your goal is to create a garment or other textile. But if the draw to fly fishing is the technique or process of casting and reading the water, you cannot substitute one for the other.

As Paul, Akristickid, says: "I fly fish because I like it."

 

[tomgamber]

Only time I grab a spinning rod is at the beach and I've been trying to pare that down in lieu of the flyrod.

 

[Fishingyogi]

I'm surprised by the number of people who have discovered fly fishing, yet still enjoy fishing with other techniques. That's like if you learned to knit or crochet, you still enjoy sewing once in a while.
Of course, that makes sense if your goal is to create a garment or other textile. But if the draw to fly fishing is the technique or process of casting and reading the water, you cannot substitute one for the other.

As Paul, Akristickid, says: "I fly fish because I like it."

The draw to fly fishing for me is the most trout I will catch during a full on hatch is on top - and the funnest way to catch any fish is on top.

 

[FarmerDave]

I'm surprised by the number of people who have discovered fly fishing, yet still enjoy fishing with other techniques. That's like if you learned to knit or crochet, you still enjoy sewing once in a while.
Of course, that makes sense if your goal is to create a garment or other textile. But if the draw to fly fishing is the technique or process of casting and reading the water, you cannot substitute one for the other.

That reminded me of the time some idiot in college tried to tell me there was something wrong with me eating french fries and onion rings with my hamburger(s). I laughed at him, too. He didn't like that.

 

[Fishnmusicn]

I'm surprised by the number of people who have discovered fly fishing, yet still enjoy fishing with other techniques. That's like if you learned to knit or crochet, you still enjoy sewing once in a while.
Of course, that makes sense if your goal is to create a garment or other textile. But if the draw to fly fishing is the technique or process of casting and reading the water, you cannot substitute one for the other.

As Paul, Akristickid, says: "I fly fish because I like it."

Not sure exactly what you're saying. I grew up with spinning (unless you had a spincast reel because baitcasters were not as popular then ). We could all go through our initial evolution with fishing in general. I started out young before I was a teenager capturing a small sunfish and putting it in a jar, looking at the beautiful iridescent colors in the sun. I guess that's what got me hooked, the beauty of the fish and wanting to connect with that somehow.

When I was a young teenager, I used to ride my bike with another kid to a local lake. I had an old Mitchell 300 reel that lasted many years, and a flimsy fiberglass fishing rod. We dug up lots of red worms on the side of the road under some leaves and either fished a gob of them under a bobber with or without split shot, or bank fished with a bell sinker and a snelled hook with a leader.

I won't go into all the phases of my fishing as I got older only to say that bank fishing was great with worms or corn at night for carp, catfish, bass or sunnies. I used to catch bullhead catfish like crazy from a good bank spot.

I graduated from bait fishing to getting more bass information, and power fishing spinnerbaits and buzz baits with my fishing buddies out on the river. These days when I fish for bass, it's all finesse and it works just fine. We were in our prime and we had some good catches though.

I'll admit when I discovered fly fishing, neither of my fishing buddies had much to say. I'd be the one to break the mold and innovate. It definitely was a wonderful world of learning, observing rising fish, getting over casting frustrations - of course this was after getting started with bluegills. I got obsessed with tying flies and got pretty good at it and that was the only kind of fishing I wanted to do then, for trout. I kept a journal of location on the stream, the type of water, observation of insect activity, and how big the fish were and what they took, what worked.

It was a great time of discovery and learning, and I tried to get out on the creek I was learning on as much as possible.

Now I'm out on the same stream 30 plus year later, and even though I guess I'm using more primitive methods, I'm still doing well. Going back to roots? No, just adapting to changes in age, ease of use, and what works. I'll admit it's a heck of a lot more rigorous to fish this way and good for exercise, but not so good for subtlety, science or artistic satisfaction. I'm an artist in many ways, so it's also an admittance of age and taking the "easy" way. But that implies a judgement and maybe I made that on an inner level based on I don't know what.

I just know at this point it will take longer to get back into than it did to get started, and if it doesn't happen it's ok. Even if I just fly fish for bluegills that's ok. But I'm looking forward to getting on that terrestrial top water period soon. It was more like the run and gun fishing that I do just to catch fish, but a lot more relaxing.

I will always do all kinds of fishing as I've always done. Maybe I'll evolve, maybe I won't. But it won't matter and there is no comparing. I've caught so many species so many different ways, it's all good. I can't leave behind my foundation and diversity will up the odds. I wish I still had that patience for trout fly fishing.

I mentioned the old gents fly fishing with their canes and pipes. I have a feeling they are just glad to be where they are even if they stand in the same place and I walk by an hour later. Maybe I'll be there someday too, but I doubt it. I'm always moving. But I envy that they stuck with the fly fishing and it still works for them.

 

[FarmerDave]

Not sure exactly what you're saying.

Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes I think Jack isn't sure what he is saying.

I started fishing similar to you, only it was mostly in farm ponds. I can still remember frying eggs and bullheads for breakfast while camping in the back yard.

I noticed early on that the bluegill and bass liked to eat bugs on the surface, so I'd buy cheap flies and fling them with the spinning gear. I couldn't cast very far, but then, I really didn't need to. All I needed was to get past the lily pads on uncle Ted's pond. When I was about 12, I bought an old antique bamboo rod 5 bucks with my paper route money. I knew nothing about fly fishing. I didn't even know anyone who fly fished. Dad didn't fish very often, but when he did, it was with bait. But I eventually figured it out and I was catching fish with flies and poppers. I didn't actually start using the fly rod for trout until I was about 20 or so. To me, it's way more fun than any other method for trout. That being said, I will still use spinning gear on occasion for early season stocked trout. Once they figured out that they are trout, then I'd switch back to the fly gear.

 

[Fishnmusicn]

Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes I think Jack isn't sure what he is saying.

I started fishing similar to you, only it was mostly in farm ponds. I can still remember frying eggs and bullheads for breakfast while camping in the back yard.

I noticed early on that the bluegill and bass liked to eat bugs on the surface, so I'd buy cheap flies and fling them with the spinning gear. I couldn't cast very far, but then, I really didn't need to. All I needed was to get past the lily pads on uncle Ted's pond. When I was about 12, I bought an old antique bamboo rod 5 bucks with my paper route money. I knew nothing about fly fishing. I didn't even know anyone who fly fished. Dad didn't fish very often, but when he did, it was with bait. But I eventually figured it out and I was catching fish with flies and poppers. I didn't actually start using the fly rod for trout until I was about 20 or so. To me, it's way more fun than any other method for trout. That being said, I will still use spinning gear on occasion for early season stocked trout. Once they figured out that they are trout, then I'd switch back to the fly gear.

I'll most likely be going to a good sized lake I fish on Monday, and looking for the spawning bluegills, it's that time of the year. It's just as easy to put a fly that sinks a little bit under a trout magnet bobber with 4 lb test on an ultralight. Still catches them good, but I'll be fly fishing as well. As for the trout I'm probably done for a while, but as mentioned I'll fish some terrestrial patterns when I get out again with the fly rod. I've seen lots of ants out and about with everything blooming and coming along, that worked well for me last year and with a foam ant it doesn't need to be dried out. Those poppers are a lot of fun to fish.