My dad never swung a flyrod all his life but his dad (my Papaw) was one of those old guys that waded the muddy creeks of the Salt river basin in the same pants he wore to church. A flyrod and an UMCO aluminum box full of medium sized bugs, mostly poppers and mostly "yellow" was his favorite way to fish, and he was my idol.
I learned to tie flys years before I was ever handed a flyrod, and when I finally got cut loose with one it was for the purpose of catching sunfish for limb-line bait. No instruction or teaching ensued, I guess he figured that I had followed along and watched him long enough that I could figure it out on my own, and eventually I did.
I strayed away from flyfishing after I saw my first issue of Bassmaster magazine but kept going back to it from time to time whenever 'gear fishing' got even the slightest bit boring, or anytime I realized that I could probably catch the same fish on the fly that I was using gear to catch.
The whole experience of flyfishing is just cooler to me, kinda like bowhunting vs. rifle hunting, it just puts my mind in a better place and I can appreciate success alot more....and accept failure better