Is it just me?

[Paul6.5]

I swear, there are more people fly fishing than ever before. I don't have any quantitative data to back that up. But my waders-on-the-ground observations tell me that fly fishing is getting a lot more popular.

The "big name" streams? Packed—no matter the season. Winter, spring, summer, fall—doesn’t matter. I’ve grown used to sharing those waters. But now, I’m even spotting people on streams where I used to have the entire stream to myself. Last week, I hit a Class A I’ve been fishing for over 20 years, a spot where I’ve never seen another soul. And yet, there they were—another person, standing where I wanted to be.

Is this just my bad luck, or has fly fishing really taken off? Maybe it’s social media, maybe it’s the growing appeal of the great outdoors, or maybe people just realized that standing in a river waving a stick is the best way to spend a day.

What do you think? Is there more people flyfishing?

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I don't disagree with you at all. I would say numbers are actually declining since the peak around the pandemic, and license sales probably support that. However, there is still plenty of elbow room if you work on it. I fished a destination creek yesterday and saw one guy arrive at 10 AM and prospect for risers for an hour before leaving. I was fishing since dawn. Had I been there in May, I would not have enjoyed such solitude.

For many years, I never fished the weekends because my job allowed me some weekday time on the water. Man, I miss Tuesdays! And sometimes I even miss places like Valley or Spring. When I took a new job and had to fish weekends, it became a puzzle for me to figure out how to avoid all you jamokes 😉 I am still able to put together some great days while avoiding the crowds and learning new creeks and new stretches of creeks.

I fish within and outside the shoulder seasons, fish natural reproduction creeks after the spinning guys quit to chase bass, fish urban gems, fish early morning, and make destination trips a social event not a solo, serious endeavor like I used to once do, knock on doors, network with local sharpies, and so on. There's always other species too, even though I love the trouts.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Yes. The proliferation of fly fishing educational and entertainment resources online is to blame in my opinion.

It used to be if you wanted to share your knowledge to a broad audience, you had to put the work into writing a book. If you had some big money backing you, then a video would be possible. Now it's too easy to copy peoples hard work and just paste it onto your blog and youtube channel.

The same thing goes for the learning angler as well. You used to have to put the effort into reading a book to learn. Now anyone can watch a troutbitten video, order 2k worth of gear from TCO on the old credit card, and be on the stream vacuuming fish out of the creek like nobody's business.

This is why I have been so off and on with modern techniques like mono rigging and using tungsten beaded thread bodied flies. Yes, its an effective way to catch fish, but it's like a cheat code as well, and it puts people on the streams who 20 years ago would be bass fishing because learning to fish with actual fly line and real flies is hard and takes patience.

Within the last 3 years I really got away from modern fishing techniques and focused on fishing with 8.5 and 9ft rods, fly line and unweighted flies with split shot, sometimes an indicator. Why? I just enjoy it more. I found that I am still pretty effective at catching fish when they are feeding, but when they aren't I can't catch them anywhere nearly as effective as using euro gear and flies.

 

[HopBack]

Yes. The proliferation of fly fishing educational and entertainment resources online is to blame in my opinion.

It used to be if you wanted to share your knowledge to a broad audience, you had to put the work into writing a book. If you had some big money backing you, then a video would be possible. Now it's too easy to copy peoples hard work and just paste it onto your blog and youtube channel.

The same thing goes for the learning angler as well. You used to have to put the effort into reading a book to learn. Now anyone can watch a troutbitten video, order 2k worth of gear from TCO on the old credit card, and be on the stream vacuuming fish out of the creek like nobody's business.

This is why I have been so off and on with modern techniques like mono rigging and using tungsten beaded thread bodied flies. Yes, its an effective way to catch fish, but it's like a cheat code as well, and it puts people on the streams who 20 years ago would be bass fishing because learning to fish with actual fly line and real flies is hard and takes patience.

Within the last 3 years I really got away from modern fishing techniques and focused on fishing with 8.5 and 9ft rods, fly line and unweighted flies with split shot, sometimes an indicator. Why? I just enjoy it more. I found that I am still pretty effective at catching fish when they are feeding, but when they aren't I can't catch them anywhere nearly as effective as using euro gear and flies.

I highly disagree that you could watch a few trout bitten videos and buy 2k worth of gear and start catching fish like crazy. There is line control, (even if it is mono), drift/presentation, and weight of flies or fly selection. You also need to know how to read the water and choose your slots.

The easiest way I know to catch trout as a beginner is to suspend a couple of nymphs under a bobber. Someone who is new to fly fishing isn’t going to catch a thing tight line nymphing while someone who uses an indie has a decent shot.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I highly disagree that you could watch a few trout bitten videos and buy 2k worth of gear and start catching fish like crazy. There is line control, (even if it is mono), drift/presentation, and weight of flies or fly selection. You also need to know how to read the water and choose your slots.

The easiest way I know to catch trout as a beginner is to suspend a couple of nymphs under a bobber. Someone who is new to fly fishing isn’t going to catch a thing tight line nymphing while someone who uses an indie has a decent shot.

Why would you not need line control and knowledge of how to read water to fish with an indicator?

And while I admit that I was using hyperbole there, I stand by my statement that it's easier to learn how to fish and have access to great fishing equipment and techniques than it has ever been, and that is why there are so many boots on the ground.

 

[Jay_H]

Within the last 3 years I really got away from modern fishing techniques and focused on fishing with 8.5 and 9ft rods, fly line and unweighted flies with split shot, sometimes an indicator. Why? I just enjoy it more. I found that I am still pretty effective at catching fish when they are feeding, but when they aren't I can't catch them anywhere nearly as effective as using euro gear and flies.

I’ve thought of this a lot lately. I’d love to focus more on swinging wet flies and dry fly fishing. I will say that the tight line method is incredibly effective and yields a lot more fish to net, just depends on if that’s what you’re looking for.

Back to the OP - yes I think there are more people on the stream, but everything will come and go as time passes (or at least I hope so for less people on the stream).

 

[flyguyfishing]

COVID certainly gots many outdoors. Seems to be less now, but seems busier than pre.

I think maybe less seasonal that past years. Its always been busy during spring, but seems to be more sustained throughout the year.

Check out these pics in this article...
https://www.springcreekwatershedatl...-s-paradise-an-historic-reach-of-spring-creek

 

[GoldenRfly]

I swear, there are more people fly fishing than ever before. I don't have any quantitative data to back that up. But my waders-on-the-ground observations tell me that fly fishing is getting a lot more popular.

The "big name" streams? Packed—no matter the season. Winter, spring, summer, fall—doesn’t matter. I’ve grown used to sharing those waters. But now, I’m even spotting people on streams where I used to have the entire stream to myself. Last week, I hit a Class A I’ve been fishing for over 20 years, a spot where I’ve never seen another soul. And yet, there they were—another person, standing where I wanted to be.

Is this just my bad luck, or has fly fishing really taken off? Maybe it’s social media, maybe it’s the growing appeal of the great outdoors, or maybe people just realized that standing in a river waving a stick is the best way to spend a day.

What do you think? Is there more people flyfishing?

I guess I’m one of those people (sorry), but this is a “return” to the stream … not a brand new interest.

Fishing was one of favorite youth activities. We biked and drove great distances to our fishing locations. I ineffectively fly fished and tied flies, but still enjoyed trying with occasional luck. Raising a family and work pressures took precedence in the succeeding decades with periodic but brief fishing outings.

In 2019 I decided to bring my fly rod to a creek side family reunion. Upon casting in a run, a fish “looked” at my fly. I experienced the THRILL of fly fishing with that fish’s acknowledgement: that was my “River Runs Through It” moment. A minute later, my wife took a picture of me fishing and I proclaimed that “when I die, that picture documents one of my ten happiest moments in life.”

The next few years I engaged fishing with regularity with exclusive fly fishing since 2022. It was an organic return to the stream and lakes…no social media or internet buzz. I didn’t even find this website until last year (thanks EVERYONE for expanding my knowledge, skills and helping me catch fish).

I do agree with your sentiment that “standing in a river waving a stick is the best way to spend a day.” Glad I found it again (and … I’m sure I have $2K of gear, etc too!!!😂).

 

[dudemanspecial]

I guess I’m one of those people (sorry), but this is a “return” to the stream … not a brand new interest.

Fishing was one of favorite youth activities. We biked and drove great distances to our fishing locations. I ineffectively fly fished and tied flies, but still enjoyed trying with occasional luck. Raising a family and work pressures took precedence in the succeeding decades with periodic but brief fishing outings.

In 2019 I decided to bring my fly rod to a creek side family reunion. Upon casting in a run, a fish “looked” at my fly. I experienced the THRILL of fly fishing with that fish’s acknowledgement: that was my “River Runs Through It” moment. A minute later, my wife took a picture of me fishing and I proclaimed that “when I die, that picture documents one of my ten happiest moments in life.”

The next few years I engaged fishing with regularity with exclusive fly fishing since 2022. It was an organic return to the stream and lakes…no social media or internet buzz. I didn’t even find this website until last year (thanks EVERYONE for expanding my knowledge, skills and helping me catch fish).

I do agree with your sentiment that “standing in a river waving a stick is the best way to spend a day.” Glad I found it again (and … I’m sure I have $2K of gear, etc too!!!😂).

Im glad you found it again too. While I do have my opinions about the whole situation, I would never gatekeep someone from doing it.

Hard to complain about the crowd you are standing in.

 

[GoldenRfly]

Im glad you found it again too. While I do have my opinions about the whole situation, I would never gatekeep someone from doing it.

Hard to complain about the crowd

All of my favorite youth fishing locations are “off limits” today due to development and fenced off no trespassing areas. May be there are less places to fish today and a contributing factor to crowding???

 

[riverwhy]

Penns had more people Thursday than either Friday or Saturday. It does seem like more people are hitting streams up on the weekdays. Kids knock off school more and adults have more flexible work schedules. I wonder if it is just each fisherman fishing more days and hours rather than more
People fishing. I bet way less have fished this past winter due to much colder weather than we have experienced in recent years. In the last couple weeks I have seen numerous people on the Swatara. We are all itching to get out.

 

[riverwhy]

All of my favorite youth fishing locations are “off limits” today due to development and fenced off no trespassing areas. May be there are less places to fish today and a contributing factor to crowding???

I agree with this. I think some of it is development. Some of it is landowners who suddenly saw throngs of people appear during Covid. I also see instances of newer people with money buying big properties that they turn into “compounds” that they heavily patrol and even close off traditional access roads.

 

[TimMurphy]

All of my favorite youth fishing locations are “off limits” today due to development and fenced off no trespassing areas. May be there are less places to fish today and a contributing factor to crowding???

Dear GoldenRfly,

In certain places that is probably a contributing factor. In NCPA, or other more rural areas it's probably not, but locally with development and ownership changes in more suburban areas access is bound to be lost. I'd be willing to bet that there are places I fished pre-Covid that are more difficult and maybe impossible to access now.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[Bamboozle]

This was the scene at a local Delayed Harvest this afternoon.

It was a bit busier that usual, but the fly fishermen tight lining while watching videos on their phones were particularly annoying:

 

[Andrwhite610]

I would sadly (or not) say that I definitely watched a few trout bitten videos bought some gear and started nailing fish on a mono rig. Now alot of determination and other things led up to it but it really kind of was just that. I just think if you’re really committed to learning something you can fast track that skill with the power of internet, podcasts, YouTube, socials and chat gpt. Hell I can listen to podcasts at work so I’m taking in hours of knowledge on many topics everyday…it didn’t take long for me to tie all those things together to learn how to search for better streams. I kinda feel bad for the people that did it the nitty gritty way but what am I supposed to do??

 

[Andrwhite610]

This was the scene at a local Delayed Harvest this afternoon.

It was a bit busier that usual, but the fly fishermen tight lining while watching videos on their phones were particularly annoying:

View attachment 1641241020

Man I can’t tell what’s a real image anymore

 

[dudemanspecial]

I kinda feel bad for the people that did it the nitty gritty way but what am I supposed to do??

High hole them and rip some lips, thats what you are supposed to do.🤣

 

[dudemanspecial]

Man I can’t tell what’s a real image anymore

That is a real image, I believe its a trout park in Missouri.

 

[tomgamber]

If you're gonna spend all day writing about how much better human beings fly fisherman are than everyone else, you can't be surprised when they all want to be wonderful human beings too. 🤣

 

[Paul6.5]

I was so surprised when I saw someone on my favorite class A last week. It’s hard to get to and even harder to find. I’ve never even seen a foot print there. I just hope the new folks are getting a lot out of their new sport.