Your flyfishing skill level

[Maurice]

Your flyfishing skill level

How would you rank your skill level as a FF for trout?


Beginner – Just started FF. Learning basic casts and presentations.

Beginner/Journeyman – Can execute basic casts and presentations. Can identify some insects and have a basic knowledge of fly types and patterns. Have fished several types of streams with several types/species of trout.

Journeyman – Can execute all the basic and some advanced casts. Can fish using most types of flies, presentations, and equipment. Can identify hatches of common species and have a knowledge of many fly types and patterns. Have experience in varied types of streams with varied types/species of trout

Skilled Journeyman – Can execute all the basic and most of the advanced casts. Can fish using all types of flies, presentations, and equipment. Can identify most hatches on the water and have a good knowledge of the flies used to imitate them. Have fished nearly all types of water for nearly all types/species of trout.

Expert – Can execute advanced casts. Can fish well using all types of flies, presentations, and equipment. Have a vast knowledge of entomology, hatches, and the flies used to imitate them. Have extensive experience fishing all types of water for all types/species of trout.

 

[JackM]

I had to go with Journeyman, but was very tempted to go with the final category.

 

[tomgamber]

Interesting there is no reference whatsoever to tying ones own flies in these designations...

 

[Maurice]

I went with the advanced J-man...although I have not fished very much outside PA. Don't know a whole lot of advanced casts except ones I have come along to find useful (I don't have the interest in reading books about casting as some do) I just understand how a fly line and rod work and think about how to get the fly where it needs to be.

I don't like to consider myself an expert because if you break it down...and Ex=has been and a spurt= a drip under pressure :lol:

ps...FFJ, I cannot add the poll to your post or merge the two. What trouble did you have installing the poll?

 

[tomgamber]

I'm being bold and picking Skilled Journeyman only for the reason that the main difference between that and the former is the many types of water part. In Idaho there were places you could fish every conceivable type of water in a single weekend. You could actually do it in a day but fishing for 10 minutes and moving on would be pointless.

 

[albatross]

I picked journeyman. I dabbled a little with flyfishing in my youth and then got away from it when I had a family and responsibilities. When I finished school a few years ago (finally at age 40), I figured I could afford myself the luxury of a hobby. So I've been doing quite a bit of flyfishing now form maybe 2 years. I hope to be an expert when I'm PaulG's age...

 

[tomgamber]

Hey Maurice...the guys with the law degree and the PHD are surprised that they didn't fly fish more when they were younger.
Now the fact that it took me over 5 years to finish my B.S. (how appropriate is that) degree had no affect on my ability to find time to to fish.

 

[Padraic]

albatross wrote:
I hope to be an expert when I'm PaulG's age...

Paul G is 37.

 

[pete41]

Leaving out ponds and lakes to my way of thinking an expert fly fisher[person] for trout is someone that has developed the instinct to just know where the trout are and aren't and can get a take from the better fish in the area.
Knowing the names of bugs and having a degree in casting from a fly fishing school is secondary.
To be blunt about it ,the good trout fishers catch the fish they're after.Experts pontificate and demonstrate.
So I would say I am a very good trout fisherman[was] but no expert.
So I will settle for humbled .

 

[Padraic]

I chose Begginner/Journeyman because I am actually pretty lazy as a fisherman. I tend to fish the way I want to, rather than adjust my tactics to get the fish. I tend to fish the same waters a lot because I really like those streams.

I do like to cast and I'm pretty good at that. However, I've often thought that I would be a better fisherman if I didn't like to cast so much. Sometimes when the fishing was slow, I'd just practice shooting casts under branches, throwing slack line casts across current seams, and just generally screw around.

 

[afishinado]

I started the poll since I was interested of skills levels of the many board members. I would probably border on just reaching the skilled journeyman level. I have fished a lot of different waters using nearly every type of presentation and fly type. I am a decent caster, like Maurice, I graduated with honors from the School of Hard Knocks and Many Scars. When I do read about advanced casts I began to realize that “fling it up and roll it across” has a name – a Spey Cast, and “swing it around and punch it out” is called a Belgian Cast. I could use more work on entomology. I hope to someday, when I retire and can fish every other day, be considered and expert fly fisherman. IMO, learning new things is a big part of the fun, and I suppose even experts learn new thing or two every time they fish, or they wouldn’t become experts.

 

[Chaz]

I may never get to the expert stage being somewhat older then most when I really got started. But I can go just about anywhere and catch trout, and have done it. Wy. Mt. Me. Or. Mo. Ny. Nj. Ma. Nh. Pa. Ca. Co. WVA Va. NC. Ga. Ct.

 

[tabasco_joe]

I'm in the lower end of beginner/journeyman. I think that is the toughest part of the learning curve because there are so many variables to consider. It's easy to loose confidence trying to sort your way through it. I sort of catagorize the skills into four catagories;

1. Presentation: Includes casting and rigging.
2. Trout behavior: This includes seasonal movements, spawning, temperature, light, etc which impacts location and feeding.
3. Fly selection: Deciding which fly and how. Surface or subsurface. Includes the "bug knowledge".
4. Reading water: Understanding currents and matching with trout behavior helps you put the fly in front of trout.


When the beginner goes out on the stream and the first combination doesn't work he has a wide range of variables to consider. I think the hardest thing is to analyze what change to make when things don't work.

 

Interesting thread, to say the least!?!
"Expert", as stated, is a has been and a spurt. I can, "DO", all the things listed under the "Expert" heading, and have fished for species from Crappie to Sharks, Trout to Bones.
Entomology, I find "interesting", but I'm not obsessed with it and I REFUSE to refer to insects, in Latin, when talking hatches. I'm more likely to answer, "Uhh, BUGS!", when asked the question "What's coming off the water, right now?"
I would gather, that this post is actually asking, "What level of "TROUT" fisherman are you?", since only that species of fish is mentioned!? Because fishing "The Flats" and "Fishing A Lake/Stream", are two, totally, different skill levels in themselves.
I've seen virtual "artists" with a 4/5 weight, unable to throw 30' of line, with a 12 weight.
I fish with Henry Hoffman, several times a month and have fished, often, with Dave Hughes, Skip Morris and other "experts". Everyone one of them, when asked, about "being a fly fishing expert" usually laugh until the bathroom's needed.
I, HATE, anything even hinting of competition when it comes to fly fishing, from casting contests to numbers of fish taken.
Being a "certified and license carrying Curmudgeon", I also believe that these new "FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructors", should ONLY earn their "stripes", when and IF they can perform and pass the required testing, while casting EVERY weight of rod, using everything from DT & WF lines to various shooting heads,on salt and fresh water, during sunny weather, plus in near typhoon like winds, using every type fly, from #22 Tricos to 1 ounce Tarpon Streamers!
"Am ((I)), an "Expert"? Hardly! I really don't WANT to be an "expert" at any part of fly fishing. I've been fly fishing and tying for over 30 years and I LOVE "being a newbie", every time I pull on my waders, just waiting to learn something "new' about this wonderful sport!

 

[afishinado]

Pete41 wrote: “Leaving out ponds and lakes to my way of thinking an expert fly fisher[person] for trout is someone that has developed the instinct to just know where the trout are and aren't and can get a take from the better fish in the area.
Knowing the names of bugs and having a degree in casting from a fly fishing school is secondary.
To be blunt about it ,the good trout fishers catch the fish they're after.Experts pontificate and demonstrate.
So I would say I am a very good trout fisherman[was] but no expert.
So I will settle for humbled.”


Some of the best and most successful fly fisherman I know have never taken a casting lesson, and couldn’t give you one scientific name for any bug on the stream. IMO, FF is learned by being on the stream. Books and videos help, but first hand experience is the best teacher. Also, IMO it would be impossible to become an “expert” without thousands of hours fishing in many different areas and conditions for all types of fish. No need to ever be humbled on this board……………look at the poll – no experts on here.

 

[pete41]

Never fear-that was TIC-tongue in cheek.
I knew I was as good at catching big fish and plenty of fish as any trout fisherman going in the Blue ribbon streams of southwest Montana.
Over 400 four pounds and up.Thats a lot in inland water.
But I am only saying that because I want to say this to the younger fisherman.
Don't let it become an obsession.I missed out on a lot of things in my one go around at life.You prove absolutely nothing striving to be an ``expert'' at a hobby.
Fortunately I got into other things in my 50s that I enjoyed equally as much.Mountain climbing,biking,hiking,poker machines[lol].So I have been more balanced and having more FUN.Thats what counts.Being happy,not driven.
If I had a rerun I would rather be ``Jack of all trades'' at many interests than become obsessed with anyone.
Sorry if this sounds like preaching and I never listened anyway.lol

 

[jayL]

I picked journeyman. I feel that I'll be a skilled journeyman within a year of graduating school, once I can get some more time on the water. I live in Philly now, and it's just too much of a pain to get out there to fish.

I know a good bit about the bugs, I can cast in most situations (with both hands), I can do all of the terminal rigging, and I can usually catch fish.

I could use some work on my small stream fishing, and I suck at wading big water. Once I get better at those, as well as adding some casting skills, and some more faith in midges, I'll be a skilled journeyman.

 

[thedude1534]

I'm probably going to open myself up to lots of insults and backlash now, but I don't think that you necessarily have to know advanced casting techniques or a lot about mayfly life cycles to be considered an expert. In my opinion the best fisherman is the one who either consistently catches the most fish, if the goal is quantity, or consistently catches the biggest fish, if the goal is size. They don't need to know anything about casting or mayfly's to do that, but it certainly does help.

For my preference I would adjust the rankings to......

Beginner - lucky to catch a fish without guidance

Beginner/journeyman - can catch fish without guidance in specific locations

journeyman - can consistently catch fish without guidance in majority of water types

skilled journeyman - can consistently catch fish without guidance in all water types

expert - can consistently catch the most, or the biggest fish when compared to other anglers in all water types.

I voted myself journeyman...

 

[JackM]

Dude has just sent me back to beginner with his new definitions.

 

[tomgamber]

C'mon Jack I'd rather be lucky than good any day....