Is it just me?

[dudemanspecial]

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.

Nothing to be sad about at all, my point wasn't to shame it, it was just saying the learning curve is easier and everything is more accessible. You hit the nail on the head talking about soaking up information all day. Its just the world we live in.

 

[Andrwhite610]

Nothing to be sad about at all, my point wasn't to shame it, it was just saying the learning curve is easier and everything is more accessible. You hit the nail on the head talking about soaking up information all day. It’s just the world we live in.

Those little brown trout are safe from my newly acquired lip snagging skills for now anyway. Just had a second kid and have a 2 year old. Haven’t touched a rod in six weeks. Help.

 

[dudemanspecial]

Those little brown trout are safe from my newly acquired lip snagging skills for now anyway. Just had a second kid and have a 2 year old. Haven’t touched a rod in six weeks. Help.

Im still kind of in that boat. Ive had 3, youngest is 10 now. Nothing beats taking them fishing when they are old enough.

 

[Andrwhite610]

Im still kind of in that boat. Ive had 3, youngest is 10 now. Nothing beats taking them fishing when they are old enough.

I think the real problem here is less people are having kids and spending all week on the river lol.

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

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

Looks like the Little Lehigh after a trout jailbreak.

 

[FollowTheBlueLines]

As someone who just rediscovered fishing in the form fly fishing last spring after spin fishing at a lake or pond all of my youth, I wish I would have started years ago.

My previous passionate hobby was skateboarding and now that I’m in my 30s my body just doesn’t bounce back like it used to. However, I find a lot of similarities between skating and fly fishing. You suck in the beginning, like really bad. But part of getting back up and learning from failure is something that gives me a sense of accomplishment. Where I’m at now reminds me of when I landed my first kickflip. I’m still not very good at fly fishing, but I know if I keep going back out there, fully willing to eat some $#!+, I’m going to improve eventually and learn some new tricks. I might not land them every time, but the times I do feel so damn good and keep me coming back.

As for the whole euro nymphing/mono rig thing, I listen to and enjoy the guys on Troutbitten podcast quite a bit, but I can’t bring myself to dive into that tactic at the moment. Maybe it’s because I caught my first dozen on dries, but casting a fly line is so relaxing and satisfying that I can’t see myself making the switch any time soon.

The main draw getting me into fly fishing was the sense of adventure in going to places that most won’t, so apologies in advance if you see boot prints at your favorite remote haunts. Just know that I don’t live close enough to these spots and am not skilled enough to make a dent in the fishing for you. For now 😉. And if I see you out there, I’d love to have a brief chat with a like minded individual before we go our separate ways.

 

[wildtrout2]

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.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. It really isn't that simple.

 

[wildtrout2]

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

This is for those folks who like the social aspect of fishing. 😉

 

[TimMurphy]

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

Dear Bamboozle,

Looks like Ridley Creek to me!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[Forestfishin]

It does seem like a lot more people are flyfishing now compared to when I started in 2000. My money would be on the internet/social media being the biggest factor. I was almost 28 when I first picked up a fly rod and remember thinking of it as an old man’s game. Definitely isn’t marketed that way now. For better or worse everything we absorb online influences us.

I kinda discovered “blue-lining” by accident back in the late 90s, and other than a few streams that were part of the Brook Trout Enhancement special regs in the 2000s, pretty much never saw a soul on any of the brookie streams I fished until about 10 years ago. Almost all were with fly rods.

Guess the positive side is the perceived higher number of flyfishers aren’t guthooking natives and it’s forced me to find new streams and explore even deeper into the woods 👍

 

[5footfenwick]

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

If I’m not mistaken there are videos of this place online on YouTube. At 8 am on opening day, they turn on a siren that sounds like the the old air raid or nuclear bomb warnings. As soon as the siren goes off they all start casting and it’s pure mayhem.
Whenever I get crowded out on a stream, I like to come home and watch this video. Makes me realize we weren’t too close to each other, it could have been worse. I had it good, look at these guys I think to myself. It always improves my mood. 😉

~5footfenwick

 

[tjsingle]

Yes and no. I find that there often times are more guys on good weather days, take this weekend for example. But if you go out on a rainy or cold day, even the popular streams tend to be quiet. During the pandemic I thought there were more guys out, it seems to have gotten less crowded.

With my work schedule I get to take every other Friday off, so I'll get a day where I can be pretty certain I won't see others. Even this past Sunday, I went out to a popular stream and I was the only fisherman around.

I used to get frustrated with running into other fisherman, but these days it doesn't bother me as much.

This past fall I was on a stream and saw a guy in the spot I wanted to fish. I just went downstream and worked my way back up later to see if I could catch anything. The only fish I caught from that hole was a 20" wild brown, and as I was fighting it, the same guy walked right by. Didn't say a word 🤣. Sometimes patience pays off!

 

[hooker-of-men]

My previous passionate hobby was skateboarding and now that I’m in my 30s my body just doesn’t bounce back like it used to. However, I find a lot of similarities between skating and fly fishing. You suck in the beginning, like really bad. But part of getting back up and learning from failure is something that gives me a sense of accomplishment. Where I’m at now reminds me of when I landed my first kickflip. I’m still not very good at fly fishing, but I know if I keep going back out there, fully willing to eat some $#!+, I’m going to improve eventually and learn some new tricks. I might not land them every time, but the times I do feel so damn good and keep me coming back.

Driving around looking for spots, though...😎

The more the game changes, the more it stays the same.

 

[Forestfishin]

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

I’m 52 so have experienced learning and discovering both the nitty gritty way and the modern way. No need to feel bad. Much preferred the nitty gritty way. The tough journey is where the best memories and satisfaction came from.

 

[Ladove]

Not to start an argument or anything like that, but as a younger fly angler (26 years old) who got introduced to this amazing sport at 7 by my father. I think it’s not a terrible thing that fly fishing has gotten more popular in recent years, also I think some of it is temporary. People will drop hobbies once life happens and it’s no longer important to them. That being said, I don’t enjoy running into a pile of other anglers as mush as anyone on here, there’s ways around it. Start earlier, stay later, walk farther (if possible), or fish waters that aren’t as common. Say one out of 10 new anglers sticks with it, that’s one more angler that might cares deeply about keeping our wild fish wild, our streams preserved, and who knows maybe one of those new anglers becomes someone influential to our sport whether it be locally or nationally. Sorry if this has been said before, I’m posting this while at work late.

 

[HopBack]

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.

It would be better if you knew how to mend with a bobber as you would have better drifts however it doesn’t change the presentation of the flies. With bobber fishing you are at the mercy of the hydraulics in the water. Nothing you do in the surface is going to change that. The only thing you have to look for is that bobber going down. Sloppy casts and slack in the line don’t matter. Better technique would result in a higher hook up rate but you can still catch fish with bad technique. The style of fishing is very forgiving.

 

[Bamboozle]

It could be worse...

 

[Forestfishin]

Not to start an argument or anything like that, but as a younger fly angler (26 years old) who got introduced to this amazing sport at 7 by my father. I think it’s not a terrible thing that fly fishing has gotten more popular in recent years, also I think some of it is temporary. People will drop hobbies once life happens and it’s no longer important to them. That being said, I don’t enjoy running into a pile of other anglers as mush as anyone on here, there’s ways around it. Start earlier, stay later, walk farther (if possible), or fish waters that aren’t as common. Say one out of 10 new anglers sticks with it, that’s one more angler that might cares deeply about keeping our wild fish wild, our streams preserved, and who knows maybe one of those new anglers becomes someone influential to our sport whether it be locally or nationally. Sorry if this has been said before, I’m posting this while at work late.

Wouldn’t call that argumentative, just the other side of the coin and there certainly can be benefits to increased participation. Also think that it will taper off as time goes on but just adjust as needed. I usually have 3 or 4 streams in mind when I head out now in case someone beats me to it.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

This thread:

 

[hockeyref]

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

I should laugh, but that is my memory of the first day of trout in SW Pa when I was a kid in the 70’s….. put me off of fishing for trout (at least opening day) for two decades.