Fly fishing?

[Team4LongGun]

I started fly fishing for the challenge. It is frustrating and fun at the same time. People tell me the same thing about golf, but I just can't make myself chase a little wight ball around next to a bass pond, lol.
I don't top water fish much mostly streamers and nymphs. The first year in the mountains fly fishing was tough. Second year, it really came together for me. Now, on pack trips, I take conventional and fly rods. If you plan to pay money to go fly fishing, take at least a year to learn to cast accurately you will have a lot more fun. I practiced in the local rivers casting under trees to bass and on the lakes for bass and stripers. I will say this it is harder to catch fish and deal with your line, but it is 10x more fun to catch even a small fish on a fly rod. Then, when you finally catch something decent, wow.

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Spot on-lots of great advice here!

 

[FLATHEAD]

My fly fishing involves a 3wt, foam spiders and popping bugs.
About as sophisticated as it gets for me.

 

[timekiller13]

Fly fishing is just another challenge.

If I’m out to simply catch as many fish as possible, then I’m using spinning gear and live bait (if legal) or artificial spinners.

If I want to have a little more challenge then I’ll take the fly rod and enjoy the nuances of casting, presentation fly selection etc.

It’s kind of like hunting. If I just want to kill something then I take my rifle and sit over a bean field and drop one at 300 yds. If I want to hunt and have a little challenge, I take the my bow and spot and stalk em in the big woods.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

Go watch some Hank Patterson videos and you will learn everything you need to know.

 

[Poser]

I came up baitcasting in Tennessee: Crappie, Bass and Catfish, lots of catfishing: dams, spillways, long casting off the banks of the Mississippi River with 6 oz sinkers and 30 lbs test. Fly fishing always seemed like sorcery to me, sort of akin to playing the oboe -doesn’t make sense. Spending the last few years rambling around the high country all summer exploring, scouting etc, I’ve came across many a alpine lake that rarely gets visited and observed trout in them. Finally started to get into it. I have a snowboard buddy who is a guide so he helped me get setup and gives me some tips. I’ve been enjoying it. I plan to take a setup out with me this summer.

 

[William Sublette]

Alright, so fly fishermen were always those guys who came up from the city in their range rovers wearing tweed hats and the newest waders. Folks we chuckled at as we waded past them in cutoff jeans outfishing them 10:1 dragging spinners. Always struck me as kind of an unproductive, expensive and rather snooty hobby. Maybe I’m wrong and/ or being too harsh?

Anyhow as I get older there are a few trips I’d like to take at some point. Flats fishing for permit, tarpon. Chasing golden dorado. Sea run browns in Tierra del Fuego. And so on. Issue is most all these, seemingly the best of them appear to be fly fishing only? Anyone know if this is generally true and if so, worth it to learn how to use that fairy wand?

Traditional archery elk, and tarpon on a fly rod are the same thing, just different seasons.


Some guys like to jump off cliffs in a squirrel suit to get their adrenaline.


Some like to poke the bear.


Its all good

 

[Broadjumper]

I have met all types flyfishing. Rich ,poor, in between. I have found the same thing in Hunting, which I am relatively new at. Met the odd jerk in both sports as well. My friends and I are mostly tradies, plumbers sparkies etc. We fish and hunt, preferably we can do both on a trip. Flyfishing isn't rocket science, and you certainly don't need to spend a fortune on it to get good results and enjoy yourself. The flyfishing stereotype is really a thing of the past, well in Australia it is. If I had to pick one of the fishing disciplines it would be flyfishing for me. I have caught many marlin, GTs, many species of tuna, here and o/s, but it is flyfishing that draws me. The country, the beauty of a river and where it is, the peace, gets me every time. I have only been hunting for three years now but feel the elements that draw me to flyfishing are almost identical to those of hunting. Flyfishing, spinning, using a float, most do a bit of everything these days.

 

[hunterjmj]

My dad was an avid fly fisherman from way back and we fly fished together as well as bait fishing and casting spinners. It's a generality but I'd agree that fly fishing has its good share of snobs. I've grown to like walleye and pike fishing the most. My buddy and I kept some trout off the Missouri years ago and got cussed out by a couple guide boats floating by. In return we caught a pile and hung them off the bow for all the fly fishermen to see. We got called all the names in the book till we took out and even got shit at the restaurant that evening. Not a big fan.

 

[ProStaffSteve]

Alright, so fly fishermen were always those guys who came up from the city in their range rovers wearing tweed hats and the newest waders. Folks we chuckled at as we waded past them in cutoff jeans outfishing them 10:1 dragging spinners. Always struck me as kind of an unproductive, expensive and rather snooty hobby. Maybe I’m wrong and/ or being too harsh?

Anyhow as I get older there are a few trips I’d like to take at some point. Flats fishing for permit, tarpon. Chasing golden dorado. Sea run browns in Tierra del Fuego. And so on. Issue is most all these, seemingly the best of them appear to be fly fishing only? Anyone know if this is generally true and if so, worth it to learn how to use that fairy wand?

I agree. It’s slow & unproductive. Plan on getting on it when I’m an old, slow, unproductive elderly dude. For now it’s fast spinners! You must be getting old

 

[philos]

So you have NC (I assume for North Carolina) as part of your user name and you don't love fly fishing? You could easily get deported to somewhere harsh and desolate like South Carolina if that info were made public knowledge...
Fly fishing is crazy fun and can be very productive in certain circumstances but it is not usually the most efficient method of catching fish-just as hunting deer is less efficient than a trip to your local grocery store if meat is what you are after.

I am a bit of a fly fishing outcast though as I frequently practice fillet & release on our local trout.

 

[Stalker69]

Op, I would say your spot on. I got "serious" into fly fishing about four years ago. And I could not stand the attitudes at fly fishing shops around town. Every single person is a " pro", and if you ain't buying a $1000.00 sage rod, and a $1300.00 able reel they kinda turn their nose up at yea, and don't really want to help you pick a modest price rod and reel. And the guys you meet fishing, are the exact same as in the shops. I ordered my stuff on line, and kinda thought my self to cast, and catch fish. I don't fish in simms waders, don't have or want a sage rod, and find I don't need an able reel, and catch plenty of fish. And have a great time doing it, and "those guys" hate it when your catching fish and they ain't. I to have the desire to fish bone fish ( primarily have been fishing for carp currently) but if I do it will be unguided do it my self. I just can't hob nob with those elitist type.

 

[diamond10x]

Share the same sentiments as the OP and I ran my own trout guiding business. I specialized in using conventional spinning gear but different techniques than chuckin' spinners. I would get clients fairly often who had fished with other guides who only allowed fly fishing and they had a miserable time due to the guide being an elitist and not catching squat.

I do fly fish from time to time but I am by no means an expert or obsessed with it. Float fishing on spinning gear is a happy medium of both fly fishing and spin fishing.

 

[NCTrees]

I agree. It’s slow & unproductive. Plan on getting on it when I’m an old, slow, unproductive elderly dude. For now it’s fast spinners! You must be getting old

Well, like in that Chris Ledoux song, “It ain’t the years, it’s the miles” …I happen to be getting old and also have a pile of miles under me. So, yes, old. LOL.

 

[NCTrees]

So you have NC (I assume for North Carolina) as part of your user name and you don't love fly fishing? You could easily get deported to somewhere harsh and desolate like South Carolina if that info

No, not North Carolina. If folks here knew what the NC was short for they’d be throwing rotten vegetables at me. Although I am from a part of the US pretty renowned for its fly fishing. Folks fly from all over the place to fly fish here. BBQ just isn’t as good! Also, nothing wrong with fillet and release. Fish are meat after all, and at its roots, fishing is an exercise in procuring meat. Funny how that works though, I get the cold sweats seeing a bass over 2# hit the fillet board but have no issue tossing a 24” trout on the BBQ.

 

[CJohnson]

I go back and forth on the fly fishing. I have a lot of great fishing spots within a close drive, but it isn't much fun to take 3 small boys fly fishing when they have more fun with their zebco 33's and rooster tails. Maybe in time they'll want to pick it up, but I won't hurt my feelings if they don't. FWIW, I bought some white river waders in 2009 from cabela's website and they sprung their first leak about a month ago. Guess it's back to cutoff jeans.

 

[Marble]

I started fly fishing when I was 10. I live in an area where fly fishing is deadly, done properly, in my local river you can catch 20+ wild rainbows in one drift.

There are times bait fisherman out catch me, but rarely. And I don't catch fish every time I go...

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[Greenbelt]

Alright, so fly fishermen were always those guys who came up from the city in their range rovers wearing tweed hats and the newest waders. Folks we chuckled at as we waded past them in cutoff jeans outfishing them 10:1 dragging spinners. Always struck me as kind of an unproductive, expensive and rather snooty hobby. Maybe I’m wrong and/ or being too harsh?

Anyhow as I get older there are a few trips I’d like to take at some point. Flats fishing for permit, tarpon. Chasing golden dorado. Sea run browns in Tierra del Fuego. And so on. Issue is most all these, seemingly the best of them appear to be fly fishing only? Anyone know if this is generally true and if so, worth it to learn how to use that fairy wand?

I was raised in a mountain town of about 1000 ppl max 6000 foot up the mountain. I wasnt allowed to touch a spinning rod as a child, grew up with a fly rod in my hand. Actually spun fish in my 20's for a couple years as a form of young rebellion but went back to my roots quickly. If you look up the history of bank fishing, a type of fly fishing was actually the first form of fishing well into the modern era.

I was a walk/wade guide on the side for many years, when I lived and breathed fishing. I do understand your opinions of trendy fly fisherman though cause I feel them myself. But as with anything worth doing 90% of the people involved are gonna be douches ie hunting, bow hunting, the shooting world, etc. as we all know. I would give fly fishing a try, it's a lot easier than it looks and it definitely allows you to have more control and options in what you are doing. As far as being better; I think you put any type of fishing pole in the hands of someone who can fish and they will get it done.

If you have any questions or need any info at Al you can hit me up anytime I'd love to help out.

 

[Jellymon1]

I wonder how many of the people on here calling fly fishing a snobby rich mans sport are hiking around the woods with a $900 kifaru pack, $2500 swaros, $2000 worth of sitka clothes, a $130 bino harnes, $2000 rifle, $1000 scope, $600 rangefinder, just to shoot a deer.

 

[Rokbar]

I used to fly/nymph fish the creeks in the NC mountains all the time. Probably catch more trout on fly/nymph than with red worms. Just my experience. BUT, I am more of a hook and cook than catch and release. In short, and this may piss the catch and release people off, but if I go flyfishing it is my goal to bring my limit home to cook or freeze for later.

 

[Boarmaster]

I took up saltwater fly fishing for the additional challenge. I took what I learned from flats fishing and applied it to fly fishing. There is something that makes me feel good about catching a fish on a fly I tied myself out of some thread, feathers and hair. I went one step further and now fish out of a yak.

In my world of saltwater fly fishing there arent any tweed jackets or landrovers. Theres not any snooty characters that I ever ran into. Theres mostly folks working on a skill and innovating.

Its like hunting in the respect you can go out and be successful with your used $300 rifle and scope or spring for a setup for $5000 and every price between. Its easy these days to spend $800 to $1000 or more for a quality flyrod. $400-600 for a quality reel. Plenty of choices that work for way less. I’m in the buy once cry once for saltwater gear so I invested in great equipment.

Its easier to kill deer with a rifle and a scope than a recurve bow. Generally speaking you catch more fish on the flats with your spinning gear and a skiff than your fly rod and a yak. Its about the challenge.

I don't worry myself about how other choose to address their hobbies and dont see myself any higher up the food chain than someone getting started or what type of equipment or style they choose to employ
their pursuits or challenge themself.