Wiring

[johnsquires]

In my opinion, fly fishers are wired a bit differently than other fishers. Although we often outfish bait and spin fishers, we will trade catch rates for the challenge, for a fish "fair caught."

It's not an absolute, but in general I feel fly fishers are more concerned about environmental issues, more likely to get involved, on many different levels. We are sometimes called elitists, and I suppose that can be true, but there are reasons for feeling that way. We would rather catch one or two "real" fish than 20 man-made fish. Walk a fly-fishing-only stream and compare the litter situation to a stream open to any kind of fishing.

Most of us started out fishing in some other manner than with flies. I started out with a dropline and cork bobber, went to bait, lures, trolling, and then exclusively to fly fishing. It's the rare person, in my experience, who learns to fly fish and then gives it up for some other method, and there is good reason for that. We're all wired differently, so there's no right or wrong, just preferences.

Unfortunately for me, my wiring is I don't care to fish in crowded situations. When I was young, that wasn't much of an issue, but it certainly is these days, and I feel sorry for our children that they will miss what we had (or didn't have) on certain waters.

We've all seen those opening-day pictures on famous rivers across the country, pictures of the "kamakazi fishing" on the Russian River in Alaska. I try to understand how others can do that and what I come up with is it's different wiring.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I always tell my clients that go on my AK trips that you're going to trade that once-in-a-lifetime rainbow for very good fishing and no lodges and few, if any, other people on the river because that's the way I'm wired and that's why I pick the rivers I float.

I read a very good post on FB a couple of days back about someone fishing one of CA's more famous rivers and talking about how crowded it can be at times but it's worth it just the same. I responded that he had me until he used the C word.

[James W]

I will ALWAYS accept a trade of slower fishing for solitude . . . but that's just me.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We use to go to a ranch in the foothills for bass some years ago.

The owner said he only allowed fly fishers because they did not want to eat all
his fish and they did not litter.

He was profiling.....

[hwchubb]

I guess I'll play a little devils advocate. I think it's more how seriously someone takes the sport, no matter the gear. Watch a really good bass fisherman, a serious steelheader with drift or centerpin gear, or surf bum. They have the same respect for their environments as anyone, and I'll take them over the cigar chomping knucklehead stomping all over the redds at Upper Sunrise and "swinging" two lead headed leeches any day.

I get concerned when we keep seperating each other too much. I spend most of my time and money on chasing steel, and the whole swing vs. nymph, fly vs. drift, etc plays perfectly into the plans of Westlands, the BuRec, the Fox News crowd, and all the other opponents our fisheries. Divide and conquer. We all have far more common interest in furthering the protection of our fisheries and their accessibility to keep trying to one up one another over how we do it.

Again, I think it comes down to how much you want to invest and involve yourself. That percentage may be a bit higher among us fly flingers, but we don't own the franchise.

[cdevine]

I guess I'll play a little devils advocate. I think it's more how seriously someone takes the sport, no matter the gear. Watch a really good bass fisherman, a serious steelheader with drift or centerpin gear, or surf bum. They have the same respect for their environments as anyone, and I'll take them over the cigar chomping knucklehead stomping all over the redds at Upper Sunrise and "swinging" two lead headed leeches any day.

I get concerned when we keep seperating each other too much. I spend most of my time and money on chasing steel, and the whole swing vs. nymph, fly vs. drift, etc plays perfectly into the plans of Westlands, the BuRec, the Fox News crowd, and all the other opponents our fisheries. Divide and conquer. We all have far more common interest in furthering the protection of our fisheries and their accessibility to keep trying to one up one another over how we do it.

Again, I think it comes down to how much you want to invest and involve yourself. That percentage may be a bit higher among us fly flingers, but we don't own the franchise.

For me I love the solitude which means I tend to hike longer distances or traverse canyons few would go. Its amazing what a little walking does. Fortunately I'm in good shape and it helps me keep pushing forward. You can still find spots if you invest a little time. I fished yesterday on the all mighty Truckee and didn't see a soul. (except for some UP Rail guys). But I agree that its tough to truly "Get Away" these days.

But I don't consider myself any different from other people. I started off bass fishing like most kids and evolved into a fly fisherman. Not once did I ever think about keeping and eating a bass. Yuck!

To each his own but go out and have fun and enjoy the short time we have.

[John Sv]

This!!! What he said!!!
I tend not to dress the part and I carry my fly gear in a shoulder bag. I once had a purist fly fisherman dressed to the nines ask to see my license and ask what if I was keeping fish on the LT. I've never kept a fish on the LT (i think it is legal though), but I think the sport could benefit from a little less cliquishness

BTW I'm not "above" throwing on a small super duper or Dick Nite on my streamer rod (if legal). Or gear fishing on Donner Lake...

I guess I'll play a little devils advocate. I think it's more how seriously someone takes the sport, no matter the gear. Watch a really good bass fisherman, a serious steelheader with drift or centerpin gear, or surf bum. They have the same respect for their environments as anyone, and I'll take them over the cigar chomping knucklehead stomping all over the redds at Upper Sunrise and "swinging" two lead headed leeches any day.

I get concerned when we keep seperating each other too much. I spend most of my time and money on chasing steel, and the whole swing vs. nymph, fly vs. drift, etc plays perfectly into the plans of Westlands, the BuRec, the Fox News crowd, and all the other opponents our fisheries. Divide and conquer. We all have far more common interest in furthering the protection of our fisheries and their accessibility to keep trying to one up one another over how we do it.

Again, I think it comes down to how much you want to invest and involve yourself. That percentage may be a bit higher among us fly flingers, but we don't own the franchise.

[johnsquires]

There are exceptions to everything. I'm just stating some of my observations and speaking in general. It happens to be my experience that fly fishing only streams are usually litter free and the opposite is true for most other streams. You may have different experiences.
I have had my line constantly cast over by a spin fisherman on shad waters and I've never seen the reverse situation. Once again, just my experience.
And the last thing I'm trying to do is be divisive. I truly wouldn't want to persuade every fisherman and woman to be a fly fisher. My best friend is a tournament bass fisherman (spin gear). He has been on several of my Alaska trips. He brings along his spin gear, but, for some strange reason, it mostly lives in its case as he fly fishes 99 percent of the trip.
It is absolutely true there are those bait fishermen, spin fishermen who care deeply about the environment - I mean it's in their best interests, too.
But someone decided years ago that it's better to go the hatchery route and have more fish to kill than it is to worry so much about pure strain. I could be wrong, but I suspect it wasn't the fly fishermen who made that decision.

[Mr.Matt]

There are quite a few elitists on this board, I am not one. I am a fisherman, fly, conventional, bait, whatever for the appropriate species.
Every type has their place in the sport of fishing. Too few from all types are true outdoorsmen that respect nature and the balance, and there lies the problem.

I've noticed the posts on these boards this last year of folks really trying be "above" the others. Whatever floats your bobber I guess. I fish the way my dad and Papa taught me, don't kill what you aren't going to eat, and leave the water cleaner than when you got there. My "uniform" is what's dry and weather appropriate from the day before.

And lastly, a man's worth on the water isn't measured by what he has in the bank.

Matt

[Larry S]

Just go wet a line, folks. It'll all work out.

[johnsquires]

And lastly, a man's worth on the water isn't measured by what he has in the bank.
Matt

Thank you for that.

Now if you can do one about worth on the water not being measured by how pretty the cast is you'll have made my weekend.