What's The Fascination With Fly Fishing?

[Crippled Caddis]

Al wrote:

<I agree that the greatest, and most abundant fishing literature is on flyfishing for trout...in fact, I WISH that there was the same quality and quantity of writing for bass, especially stream smallmouth...I've often thought of trying that kind of writing for smallies myself.>

And many of us on this board hope you will do just that! But get busy! I'm not getting any younger you know.;o) CC

[snagged in outlet 3]

I was born fly fishing and now love all kinds of pursuit. Jig and pig for bass, corn for carp and live shrimp for redfish. I only chase trout with a fly rod and flies I tie. I respectfully doubt spin fishing outfishes fly fishing for trout.

But I think Henry David Thoreau said it best in relation to this very topic. I think this is the exact quote: "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it's not the fish are after"

SIO3

[bowfin47]

TG,

A number of years ago I saw some FTDA marketing data that showed that the average age for people to begin fly fishing is 35 years old. 35 years of age to start a "new sport"! Think about that for a moment... it is somewhat amazing!

Many believe that there is an esoteric component to this sport that (often/usually?) comes with age ... CC and others gave marvelous explanations of this, but in the end how do you explain an esoteric?

Now, while most come to this sport later in life, there are number of individuals that take up the sport as youngsters, and of those individuals who do take up fly fishing as kids, the vast majority are mentored by an older fly fisher who introduced them to the sport.

Most of those mentors followed CC's excellent advice about the popping bugs and bream. That is what happened in my case, and how I introduced fly fishing to my kids.

I think that if you follow CC's advice, you may find that fly fishing to more appeal for you in years to come, than it does today.

Tightlines,

Bowfin47

[WebFreeman]

For me, fishing, any kind of fishing, is really just a metaphor for life. You could point out the Thoreau quote SIO3 mentioned: “Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

With regards to fly-fishing, I look to the first few pages of A River Runs Through It. Even though the movie makes it somewhat of a cliché as a reference, Maclean’s book was an excellent read for nearly 20 years before the movie. In fact, it nearly won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, but was deemed too autobiographical, which is unfortunate.

So we’ve all seen the movie and read the book, but in the early pages, Maclean writes about learning to fish from his father. The four-count rhythm is cute and made for a nice movie scene, but a few paragraphs later, Maclean says:

“As a Scot and a Presbyterian, my father believed that man by nature was a mess and had fallen from an original state of grace…. As for my father, I never knew whether he believed God was a mathematician but he certainly believed God could count and that only by picking up God's rhythms were we able to regain power and beauty….”

That’s part of my love of fly-fishing. It’s like zen. It’s about nothing and everything at the same time. Often, no words are spoken, no thoughts are thought. It’s just you and the water and the rhythm of the casts in which you try and find that groove that is your own and no one else’s. You get lost in the quiet. There are rarely motors, rarely distractions. The beer is for the parking lot. But it’s an opportunity to reconnect with some type of internal, natural rhythm. When I fly-fish, it’s not as much about the catching as it is the fishing. Don’t get me wrong, catching is important, but not always the primary purpose. I don’t think you get that with other kinds of fishing.

Maclean goes on to write:

“If our father had had his say, nobody who did not know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him.”

Maybe this applies more to wild trout than the stockers we fish to, but if you look at the majority of the reports on the forum, fish are caught on flies that look like and act like real things. There is something satisfying about that.

Back to the natural rhythm, coming in tune with nature plays a big part of it. Again, Maclean states:

“Well, until man is redeemed he will always take a fly rod too far back, just as natural man always overswings with an ax or golf club and loses all his power somewhere in the air: only with a rod it's worse, because the fly often comes so far back it gets caught behind in a bush or rock.

Power comes not from power everywhere, but from knowing where to put it on.

My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things—trout as well as eternal salvation—come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy.”

The sentence on power is a poignant one and really words to live by. Imagine if we used that concept in our relationships at home and at work or in our domestic and foreign policies. Again, fly fishing as a metaphor for life.

That is essentially fly-fishing. Zen-like qualities and natural rhythms for me found no where else.

[tippet7]

I have been fishing since I was about 2 yrs old. I started fly fishing because my father said I probably could not cast a fly rod to save my life. I was 15 and told him that fly fishing looked boring and too easy. Well, even at 15 yrs old, you can realize that you are wrong!! But I got hooked on it quickly and even though I got away from it while I was in the Marine Corps, I got back into the sport in 1997 and have not strayed too far since. I worked for the Vail Police Department in Vail Colorado, my apartment was 100 yards from Gore Creek (Blue Ribbon waters), I had easy access to the Eagle River, Colorado River and many many mountain lakes and streams. I used fly fishing as a stress release. When I moved here in 2001 I realized that there is warm water fly fishing to be done as well and quickly got into smallmouth and crappie fly fishing. Since 2001, I have only used my spinning gear MAYBE 3 times. The effort is much more than spin/baitcasting, but the rewards are so much better. The company seems to be a bit more "gentlemanly" (ladies, you know I include you as well) and so much more relaxing, even in a crowded hole like the rebar.

Just my .02

[fly2fish]

I too wondered what the lure to flyfishing (with a fly rod) was all about. I flyfished using an ultralight spinning rod and a casting cork for years. I could throw 40-50 yards out where the flyrodders were only able to throw 50-60 feet. I was using the same flys but was catching 2-3 fish to their 1. I thought why all the work and didn't have to get out in the middle of the stream to be able to cast. Then I was below Beaver (30 years ago) and after landing over 50 trout on the fly and cork, I borrowed my aunt's fly rod and bam I was hooked. I found it was not catching fish on the fly that made it fun it was catching them on a fly rod that made the difference. Since then my first choice has been a fly rod even in the ponds next to me for bass and perch. Even when not throwing flies I have found the small plastic baits can be thrown by using a plain hook and not the leadheads that come with them and small No.6-8 split shot for bass and perch. I even took one of my 7 flyrods that I have now on a cruise and used it in Belize. Once hooked always hooked.

[retroaction man]

Three years ago i started fishing on an almost weekly basis. Then i was just panfishing and fishing for trout with a spinning reel and rod. About a year into my fishing i really really wanted to learn how to fly fish. My father had about three setups ( fly rod and reel ) so I asked if i could use one of them being he never used any of them. Its pretty funny to think about how and what i was doing while fishing. Hell i caught my first fish on a fly rod without fly LINE (yes i was unawear that i was using backing tied to a leader). Since then my knowledge of flyfishing has come along way. A Lot of that has to do with forums such as this one and the advice from people on the river or in fly shops. That being said i know for a fact im not even close to knowing the half of it and thats what excites me. Im going to start tieing flys this winter. And some time in the furture i would really love to learn how to make custom rods. I have started countless hobbies and quit becuase i gotten bored with it. Fly Fishing as far as i look at it doesnt seem like it could ever get boring. Im young and i cant wait to learn more and this time of year its hard to keep my butt outta the water

THANK YOU Ozark anglers

from the streets to the creeks

[JobyKSU]

I'll throw my hat in the ring.

But I've never understood the fascination with fly fishing.

I've tried it. I'm not knocking it by any means. But it just seems like an awful lot of work with very little payoff.

These two comments really outline one of the biggest difference between yourself and many fly fisher-folk. First and foremost, the act of fly fishing is, in-and-of-itself, fascinating. There is a simple beauty in the precise motions and timing of a perfect cast. While frustrating at first, you can mechanically construct a suitable cast (elbow in, wrist extended, thumb up, etc). Once the pieces are in place, the actions become a part of the fisher, and our own creation. Think of it as something akin to a perfect free-throw, or the sense of accomplishment one gets when using a wedge to sit down feet from the cup from 20 yards out.

Generally speaking, when I fish lakes and streams where fly anglers are present, I find that I outfish them by a ratio of no less than 2:1, and all by flicking a spoon or something around.

I firmly believe that there is nothing that a spin caster can pull through the water that a fly rod can not. While a spinner may be able to toss a spoon out 40 yards, as you have said, rarely do you need to. I would, however, like to see a spinner cast a dry fly (with a weight measured in fractions of a grain) that same distance. Give me a two-handed fly rod and a I can drop a streamer 110 feet away fairly easily, but most of my hookups occur within 50 or 60 at the most anyway.

The fly rod also allows me to dead drift a nymph or dry, which is often exactly what the fish are looking for. I spend a bit of time at Beaver below Parker. I can't tell you how many dirty looks I've gotten when I pull good sized fish out of pools that have been "cleaned out" by roostertails (or powerbait). If we weren't fishing a stocked fish on a tailwater, I think this situation would be even more pronounced.

So, for those of you that just quickly glossed over this post, a summary:

1) It's fun

2) It's rewarding

3) It's versatile

4) It's effective

That being said, if a person doesn't enjoy the motions, isn't terribly interested in developing another specialized skill, and doesn't need the flexibility offered by a fly rod, then there's no reason to pick it up. There is plenty of room for all of us on the water.

[flyfshn]

Wow, a lot of good responses. I could probably take a line from each post to describe my love of the sport. Started fishing about 35 years ago with my father and grandfather. My grandfather retired to Table Rock and knew the lake like the back of his hand, after spending many summers with guides. Unfortunately I never learned to fly fish until 4 years ago when a friend of mine asked if I had ever tried fly fishing, took me out in the back yard and showed me how to cast. Then he showed me how to tie some flies. He is in a much better place now, but I am so thankful that he passed on his love of the sport to me.

Fly fishing and fishing with a baitcast or spinning reel is like deer hunting during rifle season and bow hunting. I can take a baitcast rod and put the lure right where I want it and catch many fish...similar to deer hunting with a riffle. Fly fishing is more of an art and takes finesse....similar to bow hunting (no offense to anyone that uses a baitcast or spinning reel...just my opinion).

I recently learned to build my own fly rod and love the way it casts....even though I have not had it out on the water yet. I wait to catch a fish on the rod I built and the fly that I tied!

I also love the fact that I have SO much more to learn and everyone that I have met that is a fly fisherman is so willing to share their knowledge or a fly. They have no problem telling you where they were fishing and what was working. In the past(in my opinion), when talking to those that fished with a baitcast or spinning reel would tell you how many they caught and how big they were, but very rarely shared the location or what they were using.

For me its more quality than quantity and more of a challenge to hunt for a beautiful fish.

[3wt]

"...nobody who did not know how to catch a fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching him."

I could out-fish everybody here with slimjims and a treble hook. Or I could just hang a trout line from a branch. It's not about just catching a fish, but how you catch them.

I'm guessing you haven't caught many fish with a fly rod. Give it a REAL chance. Not just a few times, but learn how to really start catching fish. Most of the time, I outfish the spin-casters I'm with. And there are situations where you just cannot get to the fish with a spincast, usually on streams. Try fishing a 10" deep riffle with a spincast, it's tough. Try drifting a maribou jig or rooster tail under an undercut for long enough to find the fish, also tough. Try catching fish with spinning gear when they are focussing on hatching mayflies, sometimes they're looking nowhere but up.

One more thought, if it were really easy, it would cease to be fun. Just like catching bluegill off of a dock with corn. Really exciting when I was 5, now it doesn't do too much for me.