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Are you getting ready for the spring run off? Do you tie??
Are you getting ready for the spring run off? Do you tie??
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Any Fly Fishers Here?
- Thread starter Dan-o$
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And while you're at it, what makes fly fishing special? I've done a little fishing, but always bait casting gear, very plain. Fly fishing gear is usually considerably more expensive and seems to have a panache for its practitioners that makes other forms of fishing seem a little below the salt. What's the special allure?
I thought long and hard about taking up flyfishing. I am a jeweler, so tying flies appeals to me. But, after pricing the gear and tackle... too rich for my blood. I am just getting ready for the crappie runs here, but I'll take them with a rod and reel, and let you millionaires have at the flyfishing.
I tend to fly fish with a rod and reel...
With a weight, or maybe better a float, back of the fly, the flyfishing lure could be used with bait casting gear, I suppose. You'd need just enough weight to cast.
When I was getting interested, I gave NPOD a call, as I knew from his posts that he was an avid flyfisherman that had written a few books on it. When he started suggesting the over $1000 poles, I started to taste bile. And, I visited a fly fisherman store here, and was floored by how outrageous everything costs. Tag Fly Fishing on the label, and the same product that sells for $5 at the tackleshop sells for $50.
It was just too much to start something that I wasn't even certain I was going to enjoy.
I'd love to get into fly fishing, as my favorite form of "regular" fishing is working a creek/stream/river for trout. I don't think it needs to be super expensive, but between the equipment and specialized knowledge, I'll just have to wait until I can find a buddy who will initiate me. Unfortunately, here in the Bay Area, I've gotta drive for several hours to find a nice trout stream.
Growing up, my grandparents had a creek that ran through their property. Very small, maybe ranging from 5-10 feet wide. I got pretty decent at pulling Brook Trout from the creek and I always thought it was probably closer to fly fishing than most other forms of fishing I did. Because the creek was so narrow,I'd just set the drag real loose, pull line off the reel manually and gently toss a cast into whatever holes I was fishing. When I got a bite, I'd have to gently lift the fish out and over to the bank. It was fun! Used to catch worms and grasshoppers from the yard and use those, and sometimes I'd use Rooster Tails and Panther Martin spinning lures in the wider and deeper spots.
Growing up, my grandparents had a creek that ran through their property. Very small, maybe ranging from 5-10 feet wide. I got pretty decent at pulling Brook Trout from the creek and I always thought it was probably closer to fly fishing than most other forms of fishing I did. Because the creek was so narrow,I'd just set the drag real loose, pull line off the reel manually and gently toss a cast into whatever holes I was fishing. When I got a bite, I'd have to gently lift the fish out and over to the bank. It was fun! Used to catch worms and grasshoppers from the yard and use those, and sometimes I'd use Rooster Tails and Panther Martin spinning lures in the wider and deeper spots.
Totally. But I can find you a plethora of bass, catfish, deep sea, inshore, etc. gear at the same price points. It’s like everything else out there.
Sure, you might not get the exact same fit and finish in a $50 setup as you would with a $1,000+ setup; however, you’ll still be out fishing and seeing if you like it.
I think you’re in Alabama, if I remember correctly from the storm thread. Some of the best fun you can have is catching bass and bream on fly gear. If you get a really light setup and throw dry flies for bluegills, you’ll have an absolute blast and can usually hook them up when some of the more popular presentations have slowed down...
I think a lot of people imagine some pristine river running through the wilderness and the iconic fly fishing scene. That’s great, too, but I’ve caught a pile of fish with a fly rod on a golf course pond that smelled like cow shit. At the end of the day, I just look at it as another presentation to have in the arsenal.
Admittedly, I’ve gotten away from it in years past, but I’m planning to bust out the Renzetti this year and start tying up some flies and make it a point to do a little more flyfishing during 2021.
I do a lot of ultralight fishing. 3lb test line and such. Having a 10 pounder hit an ultralight setup is a rush, for sure. I wouldn't mind joining someone who has extra gear for a day at the river, but I think before I buy any more stock in a new technique, I'd like to try it first, so that i know what needs to have to be the best gear and what I can skimp by on.
Totally. I used to do the same thing in NC. Rig up an ultralight setup with heavy enough line to handle a 1/2oz buzzbait and then specifically target spawning largemouth for the sunrise topwater bite.
I’m not sure you can have more fun when fishing. Rocking a lightweight fly rig for bream and smaller bass is a similar adventure. Except the geometry of a fly rod, in my opinion, makes it a little more exciting.
I love crappie fishing, because of their flavor, delicious fish, IMO. But, I wonder if flyfishing them would make them more fun. The Cajuns call the Sac de Lait (sack of milk) because as soon as you set the hook, they give up the fight and spread their legs for you, ha ha.
Just free spool and let it float down a river. It works, but the hoity toity bug checkers will definitely have some dirty looks.
Depending on the setup, the weight can be counter productive to the presentation. It’s also worth noting that using the terms “float” and “bobber” will have you labeled a heretic. From high atop their catch and release thrones, and in order to maintain absolutely no connection with the average fishermen, the hoitiest of the toities have named their bobbers and floats “strike indicators.”
We had some fly-fishing puritans that’d be out and about in the various rivers when I lived in Montana. If you wanted to really get under their skin, show up at a river with a spinning reel, throw worms, and keep what you catch. You could cut the tension with a knife.
I will never understand the catch and release thing. Guys spending tens of thousands on boats and gear to just throw them back. I have a designated deep freeze full of milk jugs that I have cut the tops off of and frozen the fish inside of to eat throughout the year. If I was going to throw them back, why not just play golf? Golf would be a tad cheaper, but the clothes look better.
I mean, I will throw back bream and other trash fish that I don't like to eat, but not bass, crappie, or catfish. Never!
Personally I don’t think catching crappies on fly tackle would be any more fun. But that’s only because nearly all of my experience with crappie has been finding them on submerged structure and throwing jigs and/or jigs & minnows at them. For me, fly fishing is prime when you’re getting fish to hit on top. I can’t remember a time where I had a fantastic topwater crappie bite, so I can’t imagine it being a marked improvement over typical methods.
That said - I advocate all forms of fishing and enjoy them all. Saying that I don’t think catching crappies on fly tackle would be any more fun than on a spinning/casting, or even cane pole, setup, is not to say I don’t think it’d be fun. It’s definitely something I’d try. It’s just that I don’t think it’d provide a measurable improvement over the tried and true methods.
Simplicity at the same time tedious. Zen like thang!
I will never understand the catch and release thing. Guys spending tens of thousands on boats and gear to just throw them back. I have a designated deep freeze full of milk jugs that I have cut the tops off of and frozen the fish inside of to eat throughout the year. If I was going to throw them back, why not just play golf? Golf would be a tad cheaper, but the clothes look better.
I mean, I will throw back bream and other trash fish that I don't like to eat, but not bass, crappie, or catfish. Never!
I support both catch and release as well as consumptive use.
There are pros and cons to each. I never kept bass growing up, but that’s because I was a tournament fisherman and always thought if I let them go, they may help me find a payout on another day.
I also have over 100lbs of filets in the freezer right now. But, I have different rules for different species based on the most recent population management strategies.
I grew up fly fishing in creeks and streams. Certain areas were regulated to fly fishing only. I was average, but became an expert on detangling... from the overhead tree canopy, rocks, driftwood, etc. I enjoy bait fishing much more. It’s less stressful ?
yes top fishing really my thing. agree! Try streamers with some flash?
I took the liberty of changing what you’ve written to illustrate an interesting parallel that may likely help you fully-understand fly fishing without mentioning a single example.
Now I can spell hoity toty. Good adj. lolI will never understand the catch and release thing. Guys spending tens of thousands on boats and gear to just throw them back. I have a designated deep freeze full of milk jugs that I have cut the tops off of and frozen the fish inside of to eat throughout the year. If I was going to throw them back, why not just play golf? Golf would be a tad cheaper, but the clothes look better.
I mean, I will throw back bream and other trash fish that I don't like to eat, but not bass, crappie, or catfish. Never!
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