Fly Rod

[WestCentralFisher]

Somewhere around a week ago, something dangerous happened. After a morning of catching and carefully releasing what felt like more wild rainbow trout than I deserved on spinners, I picked up a fly rod. I always keep the little 3-weight in the car, but of late it has gotten little use. While I've dabbled with it occasionally, it's been years since I've been what I'd call a proficient fly fisherman. First, I drifted away from fishing entirely for a few years, and unthinkable symptom of misplaced priorities. Then, when I got back into it in a serious way a few years ago, I reasoned that my free time was too scant and too precious to waste on relearning fly fishing. Spin-fishing isn't exactly easy, but it doesn't require too much reintroduction to reach basic competence.

And it's been great. I followed the usual progression. The first few trips back, I dunked worms or Powerbait. Even that wasn't always easy at first, but eventually it became too easy. Then came the boxes of spinners, little crankbaits, and jigs. I have had some great times with those, and caught more trout and smallmouth bass and had more associated adventures than I ever expected when I got back into this.

And yet, that little 3-weight beckoned.

So I got it out. I reasoned that I'd already caught a good number of fish, including one about as large as I'm likely to catch here, so what does it matter if this is a struggle? And then there is the planned Alaska trip and the little grayling I'd love to fly fish for. A little practice now would be wise.

But of course more than anything, it just sounded like fun.

I wasn't prepared to fly-fish. I had no leaders, tippet, or strike indicators. I did have a small fly box stowed away with a few #16 Hare's Ear Nymphs, along with some other patterns more suited to bluegill and bass. I used bits of line from the medium action, light action, and ultra-light I had stowed away to build a surprisingly acceptable leader.

A guy who looked like he stepped out of the Orvis catalog was sharing the parking lot with me, and observed me building a fly leader using line from 3 different spinning set ups. He looked at me like I had just lobbed a wicked insult at his puppy. I'll recognize it's non-standard, but I worked with the materials available and found a solution.

And it did work, well enough, anyway. The lack of strike indicators proved more problematic than anything, but I made do. I quickly remembered that if you watch the fly line carefully enough, it can be an indicator of sorts. Though the number of times I lifted the line up for another cast and it came up unexpectedly tight communicated the number of strikes I was likely missing.

In the end, I set the hook on 6 or 7 wild rainbows, and landed two, both parr-marked 7 or 8 inchers. There was one clean break-off that felt like a really nice fish. The rest of the lost fish were the result of rust and trying to remember how all this worked.

But the two I caught were enough. It was clear I'd started back up with something that will now be difficult to stop. Even breaking my rod tip on the way back to the car didn't make a dent, though it did remind me how to properly carry a fly rod through the brush. It's replacement is in the mail already.

[ness]

Nicely written story!

So, rod out front or trailing behind? I just recently had that discussion with a guide. 

[WestCentralFisher]

1 hour ago, ness said:

Nicely written story!

So, rod out front or trailing behind? I just recently had that discussion with a guide. 

Thanks!

I had it pointed forward when it broke...always had been taught to carry it the other way around. Just got careless. 

[Al Agnew]

I may be the only person I've ever heard of that didn't profess to love fly fishing to distraction once I got into it.  I enjoy fly fishing.  I think it's fun and challenging.  I've done a lot of it since I got started seriously in 1996.  I own a bunch of fly rods and plenty of tackle.  But I never got into it to the point where I abandoned my other gear.  I don't use it for smallmouth.  I don't use it in Missouri except on the rare occasions when I go fly fishing with a couple buddies for trout, or when I want a mess of bluegill.  I quickly gave up on trying to do it from a canoe.  I love it out in Montana, but even there, I'm starting to use my favorite light baitcasting tackle trying to catch big trout.  I know it's sacrilege, but that's just the way I roll.

[Flysmallie]

43 minutes ago, Al Agnew said:

I know it's sacrilege, but that's just the way I roll.

I think more people should fish the way they want and quit letting others dictate how they fish. There is no best way. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

40 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

I think more people should fish the way they want and quit letting others dictate how they fish. There is no best way. 

I grew up fly fishing and have slowly gotten away from it.   I started fly fishing in the 60’s running around the house with a car antenna with string and yarn.  I was totally hooked on it.  I don’t know why but I slowly just quit using it about 10 years ago.  

[WestCentralFisher]

I mean, it's not as if I threw my spinning rods in the trash or dropped them off at the goodwill when I got home. Even when I was very into fly fishing and did it a lot, I was never a purist. In certain prescribed situations it just feels right; small stream trout, catching bluegill and little bass with poppers at sundown on a farm pond.

I don't ever remember having it be my primary method of smallmouth bass fishing, though I did use it sometimes, and it occasionally went well. I also never hesitated to ditch the fly rod at record speed if I was on a lake where fish were holding deep, or it was too muddy, or there were big catfish. When I go trolling for silver salmon in Prince William Sound, I have zero intentions of inquiring about a fly rod. All things have their place.

I think the proper way to look at it is that it's all additive. There are days like that one where all I want in the world is little wild rainbows on a dainty fly rod. On another I might wake up and want to chuck a huge crankbait a few miles down the same river for smallmouth bass or maybe to try to find the odd giant rainbow that may or may not be there. It's all good and I figure if one takes away from the other that's an unforced error. 

[fishinwrench]

Comparing conventional fishing to flyfishing is silly, and IMO shouldn't even be done. 

It's like comparing rabbit hunting with a shotgun, to rabbit hunting with a slingshot.  The only thing similar is the rabbit. 

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Comparing conventional fishing to flyfishing is silly, and IMO shouldn't even be done. 

It's like comparing rabbit hunting with a shotgun, to rabbit hunting with a slingshot.  The only thing similar is the rabbit. 

           Yep, do what you like and like what you do. 

[Quillback]

I don't think I have ever seen anyone fly fishing on Beaver or Table Rock.  I'm sure there are some folks out there doing it, but I have yet to see anyone.  I think about it from time to time, I think it would be fun when the bass are up on the banks, pre-spawn or post spawn.  Some type of craw or creature fly, I bet you could tear them up.  Maybe someday I'll do it.