What is it that you get out of fly fishing?

mike_richardson

mike_richardson

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Just curious as to what trips your trigger when it comes to fly fishing. Is it just catching fish, is it tying flies, is it being connected to nature? Also do you feel that there is an evolution that comes from fly fishing? Maybe first its all about numbers and catching fish, then goes on to learning to tie, etc.

Just want to know what brings you the most enjoyment from the sport?
 
Not listening to the nagging lady for a spell :) Just joking!

For me it's the hook up and fight on a fly.

It used to be the number of catch and release. And once I reached triple digits several years in a row, it became more of just getting a fix. Now I go out for a few hours and I'm ok with it.

I went through several hours of producing flies that wouldn't even attract rust, before I got to developing a nymph that got the job done for me.

So now its working on streamers and dry flies.
 
Being able to participate in the same forum as JackM is the only reason I fly fish
 
2-3 cigars :-D
 
Chicks, man, chicks. They dig beards now thanks to the hipsters, and flannel is back in style.
 
Tasty gemmies and the occasional sasquatch or mountain lion sighting are what brings me back time and time again.
 
For me it's all about getting new guys set up on the right path. Hearing and seeing a guy have success on something I helped them with or one of my flies is more addicting than fishing to me.

For trout anyway it's about being connected to the stream. I'm flipping rocks, watching the water and totally taking a look at it from the macro level.

When I fish I don't just cast out with something and hope for a hit. I'm studying all aspects of the stream. I'm looking at bugs and trying to mimic them in my own way. When I do that I get the most out of it. Feeling that connection to nature is a feeling you can't explain you just have to live it.

My main personal addiction is winter time trout fishing. The stock truck is burried under snow and has been for a few months now. Every fish you catch is full of color. You have to be in tune with the stream to have success. Reading the water is critical. You don't hear anything but the stream, your breathing, and sometimes even your own heart beat. There are little crowds and I can reach a zen like meditative state..

Tying flies really has taken off for me this year. Trying new patterns is also a blast.

My new obsession though is musky and their flies
 
I do it for the *Likes*.


Seriously though, I LOVE being outside. Hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, whatever. Just get me the hell away from concrete, traffic, and people.

For me, fly fishing is 1 part hiking and 1 part fishing with some camping sprinkled in. It keeps me sane.
 
It would be called peace and quite. I have 4 daughters and going thru problems with them and a wife its nice to get out and have some peace. I used to worry about how many fishI caught but now its just being out and enjoying nature and the stream. I usually fish in the Poconos and have seen bear fox turkeys and deer. I cant say that I have seen too many snakes but I probably just jinxed myself.
 
Love being outside and focusing on one thing to the point where my stress melts away. The sound of running water has a very calming effect on me. I also really enjoy tying flies and helping my less experienced friends catch fish. Used to worry about how many I caught but once past that I ended up catching more anyway. Also really enjoy learning new lessons, similar to my other passion music. Often a lesson learned during a tough day ends up reaping larger benefits later on.
 
Everything.

And that's just fishing in general. I've found myself spin fishing a little bit more lately, just because it's helping me better learn certain species of fish and the waters they inhabit. I enjoy the drive of scouting and fishing new waters, and the stresses involved with planning different "missions," and timing specific conditions, hatches, fish movements, bite windows, etc. It drives me. Then there's the laid back aspect of it, and just being out in nature, with cool people, etc. I'm currently studying geology in college and that adds a whole new view to fishing and our watersheds. Ultimately just being outside is what does it for me, but I love it all.

Been lacking in the fly tying department lately, but fortunately some fish will still eat a rusty super glued woolly bugger.....
 
The wild places it takes me.
 
just_jon wrote:
The wild places it takes me.
Click to expand...

For sure! The freedom that comes with being at those places is what drives me. Don't know what my life would be without that.
 
Frustration!

Actually fly and other fishing relaxes me. Paticularly when I can fish with my brother and/or friends.

Fly tying is interesting when tying something new or working to improve my ties.
 
feeling that I was an expert at something with out having to prove it because I fished alone...Probably never got above average because I relocated to where the fishing was easy.Never developed anything,never caught that ten pounder ,only fell in twice in forty years so probably didn't reach far enough,never was above average caster but ALWAYS caught as many as anyone with me except for the few times someone was.TIC but pedestrian Pete had one thing to make everything else worth dealing with.It was my escape.
 
well-just made my own point-goofball,double post.
 
The engineer geek in me likes the puzzle of nature. Understanding hatches, feeding and holding lies, timing, water temperature affects, how different streams react to rain events, etc. From a fishing standpoint it's being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. But it's really a way to fully immerse yourself in an ecosystem and learn all you can in a way that a hiker could never accomplish. You aren't just looking at it, you're immersing yourself in how it works.
Fishing success is satisfying as it confirms my understanding. Technical fishing is what I seek out.

Numbers, size, whatever. It's about meeting expectations. Sometimes, if I expect poor fishing, I'm disappointed with good fishing! I t means I was wrong and don't have it figured out! (Yet the places you don't have figured out are more interesting)

Another part of me likes getting outdoors to wild and beautiful places, catching beautiful creatures. Mountain brookie fishing scratches this itch. I love the deep woods and mountains.

It's rare that a place effectively scratches both itches. Penn's Creek in the canyon is an example of such a place.
 
Rising trout!

IMO, that's what really makes FF different from other types.
Stripping streamers always reminded me of working lures.
And nymph fishing seems a lot like working bait.

But trying to match whatever it is that the fish are taking off the surface, still gets my heart pumping - 35 years after I started this sport
 
The beauty and delicacy of the technique. Placing a well matched self tied dry to a rising fish and placing it on the surface without a ripple is priceless. Emulation of nature at its finest!
 
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