06-29-2011, 11:48 AM
[cool][#0000ff]We are definitely on the same page. Whatever kind of fishing you choose...for your own reasons...is your own personal thing. And it is nobody else's concern. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was a fly fisherman long before I ever owned any other kind of tackle. Family heritage to a kid from Idaho. I have been tying flies and fishing with a flyrod for most of my many years on this earth. I actually got fairly good at waving the fairy wand. However, unlike many dedicated fly flingers, I also enjoy fishing with other tackle. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are waters, conditions and species situations in which fly tackle and delicate presentations are the best way to get action. But, there are also plenty of places where the fly rod is more of a novelty tool than an efficient fish catcher. As you point out, there is a lot more "ceremony" and time consuming casting routine involved in making each cast and presentation with fly fishing gear. You can make more casts and work a lot more water with spinning or bait casting. Sometimes that is necessary to find and catch the fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For most fly flingers the thrill is not always in the total numbers of fish caught in a day but the enjoys of making good casts and then finessing each strike, properly setting the hook and then playing the fish masterfully to the net. A lot more esoterics involved. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But....and a big BUTT it is...that does not make fly fishing a BETTER way of fishing. Nor does it make the fly flinger a better person than someone who chucks bait or casts lures. To many non fly fishermen that is their big complaint about "fly guys" (or gals). Those who wave the long rods seem to revel in gloating about the obscene amounts of money they spend on their foo foo gear and about all the silly things they do just to look good on the water...whether they catch fish or not. More than a few "non-purists" have personal stories of being shunned or being driven off the water by "attitude" when they inadvertantly walk into a nest of fly flingers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bottom line...fly fishing is definitely a developed skill and those who do it well can be justifiably proud of their accomplishments. And, a proficient fly-rodder who also learns all of the fishyology to go along with the mechanics of fly casting can usually count on some measure of success on most waters and most species. More than most other forms of fishing it truly does combine aspects of both art and science. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But...waving a longer rod around in the air does not insure that magical powers will flow down through that rod and transform a geek or a doofus into a charismatic superhero. In fact, the exact opposite is more common...and all those long rods attract is lightning. And that ain't all bad. Thins the herd.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was a fly fisherman long before I ever owned any other kind of tackle. Family heritage to a kid from Idaho. I have been tying flies and fishing with a flyrod for most of my many years on this earth. I actually got fairly good at waving the fairy wand. However, unlike many dedicated fly flingers, I also enjoy fishing with other tackle. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are waters, conditions and species situations in which fly tackle and delicate presentations are the best way to get action. But, there are also plenty of places where the fly rod is more of a novelty tool than an efficient fish catcher. As you point out, there is a lot more "ceremony" and time consuming casting routine involved in making each cast and presentation with fly fishing gear. You can make more casts and work a lot more water with spinning or bait casting. Sometimes that is necessary to find and catch the fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For most fly flingers the thrill is not always in the total numbers of fish caught in a day but the enjoys of making good casts and then finessing each strike, properly setting the hook and then playing the fish masterfully to the net. A lot more esoterics involved. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But....and a big BUTT it is...that does not make fly fishing a BETTER way of fishing. Nor does it make the fly flinger a better person than someone who chucks bait or casts lures. To many non fly fishermen that is their big complaint about "fly guys" (or gals). Those who wave the long rods seem to revel in gloating about the obscene amounts of money they spend on their foo foo gear and about all the silly things they do just to look good on the water...whether they catch fish or not. More than a few "non-purists" have personal stories of being shunned or being driven off the water by "attitude" when they inadvertantly walk into a nest of fly flingers.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Bottom line...fly fishing is definitely a developed skill and those who do it well can be justifiably proud of their accomplishments. And, a proficient fly-rodder who also learns all of the fishyology to go along with the mechanics of fly casting can usually count on some measure of success on most waters and most species. More than most other forms of fishing it truly does combine aspects of both art and science. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But...waving a longer rod around in the air does not insure that magical powers will flow down through that rod and transform a geek or a doofus into a charismatic superhero. In fact, the exact opposite is more common...and all those long rods attract is lightning. And that ain't all bad. Thins the herd.[/#0000ff]
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