Levels of fishermen

Maybe there are only two levels. Those that are on the water. And those that are not.
 
Hook_Jaw wrote:

It's better to be lucky then good
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Disagree greatly when it comes to fly fishing and a lot of other things. Chance favors the prepared mind. If I go out with two friends and catch more fish than them 19/20 times that's not luck, that's a difference in ability.
 
The ability to be flexible and make changes puts you in a better position to succeed no matter what level you are as pcray stated. Today I was fishing a deep run in the rain that I had never fished before. There had to be trout in it, though I ran a reliable fly through it repeatedly. Went downstream, and than came back and spent awhile adding length to my tippet and putting on a floating indicator. It was a totally ungainly rig with a strike indicator two shot and a bead head, and my first roll cast shot way up and into an overhanging tree. Just about ready to quit anyway, I doggedly reset the whole thing and side armed it into the run. As my fly went deep I gave a couple subtle twitches and hooked and landed a beautiful rainbow that looked to be a holdover. Didn't make me an expert but did make me happy. One of my favorite parts of fly fishing is making adjustments and then being rewarded with a fish, as though to reinforce the point. A famous musician once said," the only person you should be worried about being better than is the one you were yesterday."
 
An expert is a person who can get their kids into fly fishing. I'm two and zero. The third is looking very very doubtful.

Happy to have got them on the water. Fishing yes. FF no way.
 
I am happy to be an angler . I'm not really a fisherman.
 
There are anglers who carry seines and insect nets and flip rocks to study what is happening with hatches etc. on the particular waters they fish. They are the people you see who will stand on the bank and observe the water and bushes and trees before wading right into a stream. They are often tying their own flies and customizing patterns to their own liking. They are at a different level than the ones who rely on a paid guide or a fly shop or an internet forum to tell them what flies to use and exactly where to place an indicator and weight on their leaders.
 
Ryan I guess you should go with better fisherman come on up to penn's I'll show you around.
 
i just enjoy being out.. i fish primarily now more than any other hobby.. the moment i stop learning is the time i need to stop fishing.. Which will be never
 
Whoever is having the most fun and making the most out of time spent fishing is a complete expert. Its obviously different for everyone.
 
I standing in the middle of a river, up to my armpits in cold water, trying to out smart a creature with the brain the size of a Rice Krispy and I'm losing. God I love this.
 
Im good enough to be able to spend a day on the water and enjoy myself.
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Seems to be a lot of this type of response. It confuses enjoyment with skill.

They are two different things. A beginner can enjoy himself, and an expert can have a lousy time.

That doesn't mean there's no value in attempting to measure skill levels. For me, anyway, part of the enjoyment is based on improving my skill level. Figuring something out. That means, in many cases, you can have more fun as a beginner than you can as an expert. Though in this sport there's always more to learn, it certainly comes quicker as a beginner.

Being a "beginner" is not a negative label, it's not a sign that the person has less fun, etc. It's just a way to put yourself on a spectrum to figure out how much room you have to improve. I think a lot of snarky responses here miss the mark.
 
Hendey, lol you win best comment of the day that was good.
 
post count :-D

 
post count
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Then obviously, I'm like a super expert. lol.

Or, it's an indication that I have young kids and am unable to actually fish very much, but I do think about fishing all the time and the closest I can get is to post on a fishing message board from home while watching Thomas video's and dispensing Cheerios....
 
Helps that I live 2 minutes from Penn's pcray lol
 
Actually, there are five (5) levels of fly fishers. They are as follows:
1) hopes to at least go out and catch a fish
2) focus on catching as many fish as possible each outing
3) focus on catching large fish
4) focus on catching most challenging fish
5) just happy to get out on the water

Based on one comment on a previous page I'm still a beginner because I still ask question.

Based on the above list I'm at level 5.
 
6) hope not to fall in
 
Being "Just happy to get out on the water" makes me laugh.

I most definitely love getting out on the water and it absolutely makes me happy...


BUT I don't care who you are... the goal is to catch fish

If that's not the case then just give up fishing, take up hiking or something else. The end goal is to catch fish, period. The more fish the more it adds to making your experience more enjoyable.

Being out on the water is great, being out on the water and hooking up is even better.

 

Just good getting out is usually the comment after you catch nothing for the day i believe lol
 
Quote:

Hook_Jaw wrote:

It's better to be lucky then good


and Ryan sez "Disagree greatly when it comes to fly fishing and a lot of other things. Chance favors the prepared mind. If I go out with two friends and catch more fish than them 19/20 times that's not luck, that's a difference in ability."


Yo Ryan - who was the famous philosopher that said something like: "Good luck is the residue of design; bad luck is for losers"?

 
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