What is fly fishing to you?

[Charlie Gonzales]

I have been watching a local youtuber that strictly euro nymphs. He has about a 9 foot leader out his rod tip and straight mono all the way to his reel; the fly line never comes off the real. This technique could easily be accomplished on a spinning outfit.

To me, fly fishing is utilizing a fly line to create energy in a rod to present a fly or flies.

What is your definition?

Not hating on anyone or bashing, just curious.....

[Mark Kranhold]

I feel the same Charlie! It’s so enjoyable to cast, feel the load and watch a nice loop come off the rod tip and get that fly in the right zone, right behind that rock, or on the edge of that seam, being on a dry or a swung fly. I believe most hardcore euro nymphers don’t even use fly line, I’ve seen just mono spooled up on their fly reels.

Flyfishing has slowly morphed in with conventional over the years, that being said, the plastic bobbers to tying materials. Rubber this , plastic that, it’s not just furs and feathers anymore. I guess it’s a numbers game to a lot of people, that’s where the indo rigs and euro nymphing come into play and like you said could be done with a spinning outfit.

Bobbers are way to much work stack mending and stack mending until your arm falls off or get tennis elbow, not to enjoyable and relaxing. To me being on the water making a great cast, listening to the water, birds, dissecting a run, getting away from people is what I enjoy about flyfishing, it feeds the soul...oh and an occasional fish would be nice too!

[tcorfey]

I am with you Charlie and Mark. To me fly fishing means using the weight of the fly line to deliver/present your fly.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is my perfect opportunity to piss off thousands.....yahoo.

I will use senility as my excuse.

Well, as soon as you are not casting and forming a loop you are no long fly fishing.

I think we need other categories? new names for these non-fly fishing techniques.

I sold fly fishing equipment for over 50 years so I saw everything that came and went all those years.

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Here is what made me very sad.......

I would get this person in who wants to catch half-pounders down on the American.

I tell them they need a light rod, floating line, 9' leader to 3x and a #12 nymph of your choice.

Then comes the sad question, "Where do I put my indicator?"

I say, "Leave it in your pocket."

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You can blame all this on the "fly fishing" guides.......

Without an indicator they could never get enough action to have repeat customers or get a big tip.

Sorry, this is the sad facts..............not up for discussion.

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I have customers who only fish from a drift boat with a top guides with indicators on the Trinity, Sacramento and Yuba rivers.

Hundreds of these guys have never fished an hour anywhere without a guide and indicator?

You take a top Trinity river indicator Steelhead guide and two of his well trained best customers and they can catch more fish in a day

than a classic fly fisher will catch in a year. I guess it is all about numbers? And these guys think they are "bad ass"?

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While most are promoting the indicator method as the "go to deal" I am still trying to promote classic fly fishing.....

For the past decades for all species all over the world I only fish a floating line, leader and hand tied fly.

This is Peacock Bass, Dorado, Roosterfish, Tarpon, Snook, trout, Steelhead. bass, panfish, etc ......everything.

If I can not cast I don't want to do it.........



Rather than get mad a me why don't you rethink your own idea of fly fishing?

.

[Darian]

This subject comes up periodically and tho it never seems to be resolved, its always interesting. To me, fly fishing is using a fly to catch fish or frogs, etc. Fly casting involves using a fly line to cast a fly. In my coastal ventures during winter I've used a fly rod/reel and running line with a pencil sinker, swivel, leader and hook to strip cast egg clusters during periods of off-color water. That didn't even seem like casting a fly. Personally, since I no longer fish for Salmon/Steelhead, I don't worry much about what kind of outfit anyone wants to use (even tho I choose to fish with a fly).

[Jcolin]

For me all fishing is done with a fly reel and rod. Personally wouldn't like just having mono on my reel, but definitely not because of purist reasons.

For bass fishing I love poppers on floating lines, but also fish subsurface with sinking lines when they won't hit topwater. I know the float n fly is a great for folks, but I've also had great luck fishing soft plastics on my fly rod with sinking lines, compared to Clousers etc, at least for largemouth.

Is it fly fishing? Probably not, and I really don't care. Not sure why it matters? When it comes to ethics and harming fish, of course I care, but other than that, really don't care what people think. I fish with a fly rod and reel as its what my dad taught me and don't even know how to fish with a spinning rod if I wanted to. I mean no disrespect, but really could not care less whether I'm a “real” fly fisherman or not when I'm bobber nymphing or swinging flies with sinking tips rather than floating lines etc. I believe when folks began nymphing early on some dry fly purists claimed it wasn't “real fly fishing”?

The irony is that the earliest patterns from what I understand were wet flies that were fished subsurface, probably on the swing!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Actually, Spey casting has brought back many to swinging flies for Steelhead.

I am not against indicator fishing, I just don't like that it has taken over as the norm?

[tcorfey]

I agree Bill, I have nothing against euro-nymphing or using bobbers, it is an effective way to catch fish if that is all you are doing it for.

I know this won't sit well with some people but, in my opinion if you are using so much split shot or a split shot and bobber rig so that what you are casting weighs more than your fly line then you have defeated the reason to use a fly rod. In reality using a fly rod is just not the most efficient way to fish those rigs.

If you used a long ultra-light spinning rod like the Okumo Celilo rod in 9'6" with 4 or 6 lb test and an ultralight spinning reel it would give you the ability to cast with minimum room, it would be more accurate, it gives you a better drift (you can hold light mono off the water easily), you have a good drag mechanism and you have no extra line to step on or get tangled in, etc... I have setup spin fisherman with nymph and bobber rigs before and it works great for that technique. Others should try it, I mean if you fish that way to increase your fish count then who cares which rod you use, you may as well use the more efficient/effective tool. For around $150.00. you can get a good rod, reel and line setup then use your existing flys etc... If you use a fly rod for those techniques just because you think it's cool or you just prefer it than that's fine too, whatever floats your boat but, I think there is a better way to do it.

Disclaimer: I hope my short rant helps someone and it doesn't just make people angry it's just the way I see it. Your opinion may differ.

[Larry S]

Ok folks; how about Tenkara? Is this fly fishing?
Asking for a friend.......
Best to all,

Larry S
Sun Diego

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Up in Dunsmuir old Bob Patterson used a fly rod, fly reel, floating line, short leader and a small egg hook to fish the pocket water with salmon eggs. I think this is a common practice.......

In British Columbia around Victoria they use a fly rod, fly reel, floating line and bucktail streamers to troll behind outboard skiffs for Silver salmon or Cochos.

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In Florida I don't have any sinking lines....I just fly fish with floating line for everything.

In 30 years of flats fishing I never used anything but a floating line.