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Why fly fishing?

2K views 25 replies 20 participants last post by  Stew 
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#1 ·
What is it about this angling method that attracts you?
For me there is a mystery about fly fishing that I just can't explain. The solitude I find where I am able to "escape" for the moment and my only worries are whether I'll have any wind knots to deal with.
The satisfaction of laying your line out perfectly and the anticipation of a fish rising to a dry fly. The screaming of your fly reel when a steelhead takes line off of it and the graceful beauty of a well executed roll cast.
The famous fly fishermen from the past couldn't explain it either.
Why is one drawn to this method when there are so many other more productive methods out there for taking fish?
We fly fishers often maligned by others as being "elitests" that's too funny because any of you that know me know that couldn't be further from the truth. Maybe it's the satisfied look on our faces after a day on the river that some cannot understand.
In a world of conspicuous consumption I am happy to be able to just hike up the Deschutes canyon for a few hours and maybe see three or four others along the way.
The rewards are many for me in fly fishing but most do not revolve around taking a bunch of fish.
Maybe that's the mystery :smile:
Those of you that know what I am talking about can relate....you've been there.
 
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#3 ·
Big fish on a single action reel, the sight of a steelhead boiling on your fly while it swings and the anticipation that it is eventually going to smash it.
I also like to choke on Toonboaters' cigar smoke as he puffs away in my nice clean truck.... :dance:
 
#6 ·
On one hand it is about simplicity and purity.

On the other it is the most active and challenging method.

I love the riddle of bug life, breaking down a river, the challenge of a good drift, and the history.

There are so many aspects to master. Entomology, fly tying, casting, etc. I love the intellectual and physical challenges.

I am sick, all I think about is fly fishing! You have so many options as far as flies, much more then worms or spinners.

The beauty of a well tied fly; the perfect cast; the fight of a solid fish.

Too many good things about it to list.
 
#7 ·
That fine quality cigar smoke provides a better aroma than those stink trees you buy at Drug Rite to cover up the smell of your dirty socks. :laugh:

And speaking of cigars, there's nothing better than to wile away the time with a fine smoke while you watch for fish heads poking thru the foam.
 
#9 ·
Tough question!

Ya know, it is hard to explain. It is the simplicity, but yet it is not a simple thing. I don't like the sound of a junk of steel as it splashes on the water, but the light falling of a caddis fly as it lays on the surface. The agression, and yet the delacy a trout can take a fly. It is raising the bar on fishing. Kinda like bow hunting compared to shooting a deer @ 220 yards with a long rifle.

I like not carring all that lead, and dead worms when wading my favorite stream.

Its just better!

Eric

The best way to say it is. Any one can eat with a fork and spoon, but to eat with chop sticks is like flyfishing compared to throwing a chunk of steel.

[ 01-06-2003, 09:38 PM: Message edited by: Eric W. ]
 
#10 ·
Kinda like drbfish said...

I've always been interested in the 'ogy stuff: biology, ecology, entomology, fly-tying-ogy.

Flyfishing encourages you to meld these all these into one activity.

In terms of elitism, who knows, and I don't care to argue.

But I will say that this particular variation of angling can lead often lead you into a much deeper understanding of the fishes world, and all its complexities as opposed to anchoring-up and dropping a bait-wrapped K15 overboard.

It's also much more dangerous, in that it can seduce you to leave family and friends behind and spend your life pursuing those species that can readily be caught on a fly. I've known many flyfishing bums; I don't think I've ever met a hot-shotting bum.
 
#11 ·
Having fished for just about everything there is to fish for and with just about every method known to man, I'd have to say that it's the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are now taking this aspect of fishing personally and on a more spiritual level.
With fly fishing, and all of the activities that it includes (i.e. fly tying, river conservation, entomology, etc.), you get to know the fish as both kindred spirit and respected quarry.

Before I was a fly fisherman (in my youth) I didn't have the respect for nature that I do now. I now feel a degree of sadness when I find myself bonking a fish to take home as food for my family. What has this fish seen? Where has it been? What struggles did it contend with to get as far as it did? and most importantly: Do I really need to take a fish home today or can I let it go to fulfill its destiny? Ask yourself that the next time you are out on the river...

Do you think that people who fish with other methods ask themselves this?

Good fishing and keep posting those pics!

True
 
#12 ·
True - Well said.

Yourself and a river, that's it. Nothing else matters. The road 1/2 mile away might as well be a thousand miles away. Solitude, scenery, simplicity. Learning what it takes to catch what the river holds, based on many factors. Nothing like looking up and taking a minute to appreciate your surroundings after releasing a native trout.
 
#13 ·
Flyfishing feels like a better fit. It has to go with the flow, and can't just power through it.

I like knowing (or thinking I know) something about the bugs and the river, then matching to something in my fly box, preferably something I have tied.

I like playing fish on a single action reel with the exposed rim for palming. It seems pure and simple.

Most places I fly fish are also pretty places.

And I love the rhythm of fly casting (except with the T-300 sink tip).

Plus, there is no smelly bait to deal with.
 
#15 ·
Second on that T-300, I hate it even though it sure gets down there.

The biggest thing I noticed when taking up a flyrod was how I seemed to become a part of the surroundings instead of just being an intruder. After learning the ways of the dry fly I could hear a fish splash and turn in time to still catch a glimpse of it. I began to notice the little critters that scooted around under rocks that I never noticed before, from Sculpins to mayfly larvae.
I sat on the banks of the Sandy one Summer evening after flogging a nice drift and noticed the little inch long fish around my feet. They were in their own little world, set up in tiny feeding lanes in spots with barely any discernable current. Every speck that came by would be grabbed and either swallowed or rejected which made me think about their bigger bretheren and envisioned a steelhead doing the same thing. How many times has a steelhead softly picked up my offering and spat it out without me even having a clue??? I don't think I really want to know because my fragile fisherman ego might not be able to handle it!!! :rolleyes:
Ever notice how FF'ing time goes by a lot faster??? I truly think your attention span and depth increase many times over while partaking in this activity.
There are those who would read this thread and think our thoughts are just a bunch of existential hooey only because they have not been there.
Years ago I laughed at fly fishermen, thought it was all a showy thing for bored Yuppies with too much expendable cash and of course, nobody catches fish with those goofy set-ups. How wrong I was.
A friend of mine bought me a cheap plastic Shapespeare reel with a four piece FG rod while I was going through a divorce so I could have something more constructive to do than feel sorry for myself. I almost started bawling when it took me over an hour to nail knot the leader to the flyline. But I made it out and caught a nice sea-run cutt on the Wilson the next day, did not have any clue what I was doing but sure was digging it. The rest is history, now women hate me and fish tremble when they hear my truck........ :rolleyes:
 
#17 ·
>>toonboater is on the money bigtime with the cigars...
<<

Flyfishing naturally slows one's pace....so a cigar is a perfect compliment. It takes time to study a piece of flywater...and patience is a must. Because a fish is visably feeding it doesn't warrant an immediate cast. What is it feeding on? What is it's feeding pattern? What is the best approach? How will the current affect the line and the action of your fly? Slow down. Patience will be rewarded. :smile:
 
#18 ·
I would like to second all that has been said. I like flyfishing because of all the activity involved. Tying flies. Reading water. Watching fish. Casting. Mending. Line control. You fish more with all your senses. How many times have we just heard the fish before casting to it. But my experience has been that these attributes easily extend to all types of fishing. I have taking a liking to plunking - which is the antithesis to flyfishing at a glance. By the two techniques are very much alike. Fishing is about presentation. This is critical in fly fishing. But plunking a spin 'n glo is all about presentation and knowing fish behaviour. It is a lot like fly fishing in thought - though the mechanics are completely different. Similarly, casting a drift rod with level wind is just as much a challenge as throwing a fly line. It is not easy and those that are good at it are fun to watch - the precision, skill and smoothness. Just like watching a good fly caster. So, as I learn new non-fly fishing techniques I have been happy to learn that the things I ascribe and value with fly fishing - appreciation of my surroundings, knowledge of my quarry, comradarie of my fellow fisherman apply equally to non-fly techniques.

[ 01-09-2003, 10:15 PM: Message edited by: Navigator ]
 
#19 ·
Why Fly Fishing?
It is always good for a laugh or two.
Catching fish randomly flopping around and with a wobbly rod is good for gut busting fun. Then take some feathers or other craft stuff and put it on a hook. If it catches a fish, that is hilarious.
So why flyfishing? My dad taught me and I will have fun teaching my son & daughter their grandkids and whoever else asks.

[ 01-22-2003, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: will_e_fish ]
 
#21 ·
The most amazing thing I've ever seen was watching my son (Snap-T) skate a fly across a quiet stream tailout and see a steelhead come up with his shoulders out of the water and explode on the fly.....the little" V "going across the smooth surface suddenly disappears in an explosion!! :dance: :dance: Fishrite
 
#23 ·
The nature of the sport is just inherently different. It is more personal. Have you noticed that there is far less cries for "proof" (pictures) on this board?? Why do you think that is? I love fly fishing photography, but that is art. My point is that I don't need to see Mad Mikey's "proof". I know that he had a good time and that's what it is all about. Over on the other board if I posted that I caught a springer everyone would be screaming for proof of the meat. On this board I would get entirely different responses. I like both. But, it is the differnces that make me forever a fly fisher.

Mark :cheers:
 
#24 ·
I like all forms of highly technical fishing.
To me a big part of it is using knowledge and skills to solve puzzles.
For instance sitting in a float tube trolling around a wolley bugger doesn't appeal to me much but getting out on the shoreline of that same lake and stalking shoreline cruisers is awsome fun.. It's the same reason I like flipping and pitching for bass in heavy cover it requires all the consentration skill and knowledge you can summon.
I live going to the Henry's Fork In august when there are no hatches and no crowds you may only see 6 fish in a day.. may get an actualy cast at 3 of them and all the rest is up to you putting your abilities to the test.. Awsome!
Making precision casts on the Madison with a #2 wolley bugger Cast. sink sink mend strip strip... YANK!!! Or working up a good section of pocket water on the first day of a salmonfly hatch and watching big brown after big brown come up with a slow confident rise... Great stuff..
I guess anothier thing I like about fly fishing is the variety of what is available.. and the variety of the locations to which we go to pursue the "sport"
 
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#26 ·
I used to frequent the Washougal river many years ago when there was still a decent summer run. While I was there I struck up an aquaintance with Bill McMillan. This guy was totally immersed in his fishing like no one I have known since. It wasn't so much that he hooked a lot of fish...which he did, but it was his loving care for the wild steelhead of the Washougal that made him stand out to me.
It had a definate effect on me.
It must have broke his heart to see his beloved Washougal wild steelhead dwindle to the point where they are today and some have speculated that's why he moved away.
What some may have taken as aloofness by Bill was just a deep committment for what he believed in.
 
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