# Why fly fishing??



## Mr Tibbs (Apr 24, 2012)

I am wondering why you guys/gals like to fly fish vs spinner fish? 

I have been fishing in Utah since I was a little kid. I have always spinner fished. I was taught that bait fishing was pretty much cheating so I have never really done that either. But fly fishing has always intrigued me. So why do you guys/gals fly fish vs spinner fish? Do you feel that you catch bigger fish? Is it just the challenge? Is it the solitude of the river?

I can see the solitude aspect, but you can stand in a river and spinner fish just as well as fly fish (in my experience). I have a set of hip waders and I love standing in the river, but I'm wondering if I am missing out by not fly fishing.

Ironically I have an older fly rod and reel that I have rarely used. If you guys/gals tell me that you feel that you get more/bigger fish by fly fishing than I might have to break it out and see if its still usable!

So, any compelling arguments that will sway me towards the fly? :?:


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

I grew up spinner fishing much the same as you have described. We took it seriously. We made our own spinners. We tried new things. We learned to fish on foot and from a raft. It was our thing. And we got very good at it. In college, I took up fly fishing. Growing up, my Dad and I had toyed with flies, mostly learning to tie our own rooster tail style spinners. All that was well and good.

To me though, fly fishing became much more than just fishing. It was new things to learn. New aspects seemed intriguing. I had to learn the entomology. How to read the water better. How to identify what the fish were keying on. How to duplicate it. Then casting was another thing to learn. How to roll cast, steeple cast, flips, flings, and the typical casting. 

There have been many days when I KNOW I would have caught more fish spin fishing. And there have been days when I KNOW I would catch more fly fishing. I don't know if either method is more effective than another. I think it more just depends on the water and conditions. I can get just as much solitude, in touch with nature, and feed my soul by fishing. I think setting determines that more than method. 

I tie my own flies now. I can't remember the last time I bought one. And that is one thing I really enjoy. It is pretty darn cool when you can create something with a few feathers, elk hair, and thread, that looks enough like a caddis fly to fool a trout. I know you can make spinners, as I mentioned I do, but it isn't the same thing. It isn't the same rush. 

But for me, it was a way to learn new things, new methods, and all that stuff, that makes it so interesting to me. I still spin fish. Heck, I still bait fish. When I go fishing, unless I am after a VERY specific experience (like catching native trout on dry flies fished with a bamboo rod on a free-flowing river), I take spin and fly tackle. But it is learning new things always, that keeps me fly fishing.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I started fly fishing back in about 1974.
After I got fairly good at it, I quit using a spinning rod altogether for about 20 years.
Stream/river fishing was all I did back then. Now I use what ever set up I feel will give me the best advantage.
I still love fly fishing but with age comes less ability to wade water.
I now have a boat and on occasion, I fly fish from it. I do most of my fly fishing on still water these days.
I also tie my flies.

Do I think that I can catch more fish when using a fly rod?
Not always but usually I can.
This is because I'm a better fly fisher than I am a spinner fisher.
Both methods are worth learning and using but I prefer to fly fish most of the time.


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## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

Sight fishing with dry's is so much more fun and rewarding than any other style of fishing for me. I am by no means a purest though.

You see your target, present him the fly and see him smash it. It is just so cool.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

It was just a evolution thing for me. I kind of jumped from bait to flyfishing so I find myself picking up the spinning combo as well as I don't feel as confident with it as I do with my flyrods.


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## twinkielk15 (Jan 17, 2011)

I grew up fishing with bait and the first time I caught a fish on a spinner I felt like I had discovered a whole new world of fishing. I had that feeling again one hundred times over when I caught one on a fly and then again when it was on a fly that I tied myself. It's very cliche but I just haven't found a connection with nature that compares to the one formed while your on the water with a fly rod (except maybe calling in a nice bull elk).


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

I wanted to be a yuppie.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2012)

_Si, a flyrod combined with foolin a fish with a fly. Addiction at it's finest
Small stream addict myself_


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

I never really fished any other way. I did try basic Tenkara when I was little. Even used a rubber band instead of a worm.
I fish with those that spin fish and pretty much, anything they can do, so can I, but I can do top action better.
No stinky bait under my nails either...LOL
People shy away from fly fishing when the surroundings are intimidating. Like trees or a mountain behind you. That is where practice and learning the different casts come in. I can fish pretty enclosed areas.
I wouldn't say fly fishing is better, it is just a choice, but like anything else, if you want to get full enjoyment out of it, you got to do the time.
I am a professional fly tier, an furled leader maker. I build rods...it is what I do, never thought of anything else.


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## HopperLover (Jul 7, 2008)

When you land an 18 inch or bigger fish on a fly that is 1/4 inch or smaller in size, you will know why we fly fish.


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

Now, Now, size really doesn't matter...LOL Now a 24" on a #30.......;-)


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## Mr Tibbs (Apr 24, 2012)

So, the challenge mixed with the thrill of catching something big on something that you made (for the fly tying guys). I guess I can kinda understand that. Maybe I should get the old fly rod out of the basement and see if it still works! I have caught fish on it before, but nothing of much size.

So, next question: Where did you learn to fly fish? Nobody close to me has ever been into fly fishing and I really don't feel like hiring a guide. Are there classes somewhere or is it something that you can pick up on your own?


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

I am sure you can catch fish with a fly rod by lobbing it out there, or trolling it, many do that.
I think lessons are the right way to go. Learn the 10/2 thing, that it is not like the face of a clock (arched), but rather a straight line like running your hand on the underside of a shelf. Longer casts, stretch that line. Don't break wrist. Try casting with your pointing finger on the top of the cork, hard to break wrist that way. Learn also, you need not wave that fly multi times in the air. False cast are for feeding more line, drying a fly, or targeting you placement. Learn a roll cast and you can fish anywhere. Specially parks where there are other people or if there is a cliff behind you. Joan Wulff teaches this in a video.
Like I said, anyone can catch a fish or two with a fly outfit and fly, but to be able to do it anytime, anywhere, anyhow, takes some learning.


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## Mallardhead12 (Oct 17, 2011)

GaryFish said:


> I grew up spinner fishing much the same as you have described. We took it seriously. We made our own spinners. We tried new things. We learned to fish on foot and from a raft. It was our thing. And we got very good at it. In college, I took up fly fishing. Growing up, my Dad and I had toyed with flies, mostly learning to tie our own rooster tail style spinners. All that was well and good.
> 
> To me though, fly fishing became much more than just fishing. It was new things to learn. New aspects seemed intriguing. I had to learn the entomology. How to read the water better. How to identify what the fish were keying on. How to duplicate it. Then casting was another thing to learn. How to roll cast, steeple cast, flips, flings, and the typical casting.
> 
> ...


How do you make spinners?


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Mallardhead12 said:


> How do you make spinners?


We would order the components from places like Cabelas or TackleCraft or LureCraft. Google search it and you'll find a variety of places. Basically you take the components and assemble them. You can get different body types sizes, colors, blades in different shapes, colors, sizes, etc..... We'd experiment a lot - starting with our own Mepps imitations and branching out from there. We'd paint the bodies and blades, different weights and combinations, all that kind of stuff. But it all really came down to putting a hook, some kind of body, and a blade on a wire and then bending the top into a loop. The real challenge came in figuring out the BEST components,in what combination, for catching the fish on the streams we frequented.


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## gunplay (Apr 28, 2008)

I like the puzzle of figuring out what a fish is feeding on and trying to match wits with an animal that has a brain the size of a pea. To me the sport is much more cerebral than other methods of fishing and that allows me to get out of my stressful life and more connected with nature. I did nothing else in the fishing world for 20 years but have now discovered that bass fishing can give me a similar experience and will use conventional tackle for them as well as a fly rod.
Fly fishing has taken me to many parts of the world and allowed me to match wits with fish of many species and in all types of water. When it comes to trout, I think a good fly fisherman actually has an advantage in many instances. I also like the entire package that goes with it from tying flys to building rods and leaders etc. All these parts of it gives me an artistic outlet that makes you a better fisherman in the long run. It also turns it into an on going obsession which may be why I have two ex wives.
Plus, I just feel cool when I have a fly rod in my hand!


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

I like the matching the hatch aspect. I almost exclusively fish dry. I think it is more visual. I like that it is easier to get a single hook out of a fish instead of the hooks on most spinners. I like the feel of casting a fly line and the way it looks going through the air. I like the idea of the line delivering the fly (large or small). It seems more simplistic to me. It's not all that complicated. If I want I can carry a tippet container an handful of flies and a fly rod and reel and catch trout just about anywhere. I fish mostly small to medium sized creeks and rivers. I fish for trout that most people will laugh at, but I find beauty in them. I feel like an artist. I sometimes feel like a bohemian. I sometimes feel like I am the only person on the planet. I sometimes find serenity that the "real" world doesn't offer. I sometimes talk to myself, to God, to the quakies. I most times hide from other fishermen--even fly fishermen. It seems delicate to me. I use a very simplified approach. I'm not the typical gear guy. Simplicity. Yes, that's the word I want.


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

HighNDry you Tenkara?


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

> _"I look into ... my fly box, and think about all the elements I should consider in choosing the perfect fly: water temperature, what stage of development the bugs are in, what the fish are eating right now. Then I remember what a guide told me: 'Ninety percent of what a trout eats is brown and fuzzy and about five-eighths of an inch long.'"?~by Allison Moir_


There are many different reasons why I enjoy fly-fishing. Some have been mentioned. Fly fishing is challenging and makes a person strive towards constant improvement, always trying to attain perfection which is almost impossible to achieve. There lies the challenge of fly-fishing for me; to improve, and to attain a level of grace if that makes sense. Having said that, I enjoy *all types* of fishing and always have the spinning rod handy.

I like this quote. :mrgreen: 


> _"There is no greater fan of fly-fishing than the worm."?~by Patrick F. McManus_


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2012)

> Now, Now, size really doesn't matter


_A man statement = Believable
A woman quote = Extremely questionable_


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## Mr Tibbs (Apr 24, 2012)

Thanks for all of the great responses!! Maybe next week I will try to fly fish exclusively to break me from the spinner fishing. Its always good to try new things, right?!


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## RnF (Sep 25, 2007)

Everyone has their reasons. The only way you will find out is to give it a go. I used to spinner fish almost exclusively when I was younger. But fly fishing always tugged at me. Once I started catching fish with a fly rod, the spin rod started to collect dust. Can't say why, it's just more enjoyable for me.

Be patient with it, it takes time.


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

One of my favorite things about fly fishing is that it is among the most effective ways of fishing moving water. I like riparian zones the best when it comes to fishing. Lakes and ponds are fun, but you typically have to do more research to be effective in catching a few fish. With a few fly boxes and what I know about hatches, trout lies, seams, pools, riffles, etc. I can show up at most any trout stream or river and feel like I have a decent chance at fooling a fish. The other day I watched a brown taking PMD duns for several minutes in a tricky spot. I fooled him with my 3rd drift and brought him to hand on a fly I tied (CDC comparadun). I do plenty of other kinds of fishing but for me it doesn't get any better than that.


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## Yahtahay (Jul 3, 2008)

What is best is when you make your own concoction (not somebody else's pattern) of a fly to match a specific insect and mimic it's actions in the water. Entomology and learning all of the different insects and how they act in the water is crazily amazing. Take for instance you have may flies that are clingers, swimmers, burrowers and crawlers and each behaves differently in the water. Your job as a fly fisherman is to mimic what is hatching and/or what the fish are keying on and present it to them the way the fish see's it. Bottom line, there is nothing (other than a rutting bull) that matches the feeling when you know whats hatching and your slaying them while others around you are clueless and you get to tell them "San Juan Worm"! 

Tight lines!


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Yahtahay said:


> What is best is when you make your own concoction (not somebody else's pattern) of a fly to match a specific insect and mimic it's actions in the water.


One time several years ago, I was fishing the Henry's Fork with a buddy. Nice July day, great PMD hatch coming off. But the fish had seen every fly from the local shops and weren't taking. Everything I had brought with me was useless. So after beating the water to a froth, I finally laid my fly rod down, went to the car and got my tying kit and walked back and sat on the bank, with my feet in the water. I reached out, grabbed a bug off the water and tied up something to look as close to it as I could. I handed the new fly to my buddy, and then tied another one for me. First cast each of us - and fish on. I left the kit on the bank and we fished out the hatch and each caught a couple dozen fish.

I guess for me, one thing that changed with fly fishing was my mind set. With bait and hardware, if you aren't catching fish, I always figured "They aren't feeding now" or "I guess I don't have what is working." With fly fishing, I assume they are always feeding, and I have to figure it out. And if I don't have what they want, how can I make it? And that is really cool.


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

One time (at band camp) for me on the Fork, there was a thick Caddis hatch. The fish were visibly hitting all these caddis. I caught one or two by being able to present the fly delicate enough and in the righ spot, but there were TONS of fish I could see and missing them.
I tied on a #12 California Leech on my Type II line and cast it out straight and let it drift down stream. OMG, that was awesome! Sometimes you have to look another direction.
Although Fly Fishing is a never ending lesson, it is nice when you actually learn something....LOL


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

madonafly said:


> Fly Fishing is a never ending lesson,


THAT is exactly what hooks most of us.


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## jpolson (Jun 12, 2011)

Maybe I'm a simpleton, but I just think it's more fun. If I'm not catching anything at least casting can be enjoyable.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Just another tool in the tackle box. I love fishing with anything and there is defiantly a time and place for fly fishing. I say go for it


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## grousehunter (Sep 11, 2007)

I just started fly fishing and I have to tell you the first time I sight fished a big cutt and watched it slup my fly I was hooked. Can't do that on a spinner!


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## madonafly (Dec 27, 2007)

grousehunter said:


> I just started fly fishing and I have to tell you the first time I sight fished a big cutt and watched it slup my fly I was hooked. Can't do that on a spinner!


For me, the only thing you can do spinning that you can't do Fly Fishing is go over 90' deep 8) I bet the smile on your face was priceless.


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## Buckley222 (Sep 16, 2012)

HighNDry said:


> I like the matching the hatch aspect. I almost exclusively fish dry. I think it is more visual. I like that it is easier to get a single hook out of a fish instead of the hooks on most spinners. I like the feel of casting a fly line and the way it looks going through the air. I like the idea of the line delivering the fly (large or small). It seems more simplistic to me. It's not all that complicated. If I want I can carry a tippet container an handful of flies and a fly rod and reel and catch trout just about anywhere. I fish mostly small to medium sized creeks and rivers. I fish for trout that most people will laugh at, but I find beauty in them. I feel like an artist. I sometimes feel like a bohemian. I sometimes feel like I am the only person on the planet. I sometimes find serenity that the "real" world doesn't offer. I sometimes talk to myself, to God, to the quakies. I most times hide from other fishermen--even fly fishermen. It seems delicate to me. I use a very simplified approach. I'm not the typical gear guy. Simplicity. Yes, that's the word I want.


Ok this is just weird lol


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Buckley222 said:


> HighNDry said:
> 
> 
> > I like the matching the hatch aspect. I almost exclusively fish dry. I think it is more visual. I like that it is easier to get a single hook out of a fish instead of the hooks on most spinners. I like the feel of casting a fly line and the way it looks going through the air. I like the idea of the line delivering the fly (large or small). It seems more simplistic to me. It's not all that complicated. If I want I can carry a tippet container an handful of flies and a fly rod and reel and catch trout just about anywhere. I fish mostly small to medium sized creeks and rivers. I fish for trout that most people will laugh at, but I find beauty in them. I feel like an artist. I sometimes feel like a bohemian. I sometimes feel like I am the only person on the planet. I sometimes find serenity that the "real" world doesn't offer. I sometimes talk to myself, to God, to the quakies. I most times hide from other fishermen--even fly fishermen. It seems delicate to me. I use a very simplified approach. I'm not the typical gear guy. Simplicity. Yes, that's the word I want.
> ...


What's weird about it?
:roll:


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## smoothie (Nov 21, 2011)

HighNDry said:


> I like the matching the hatch aspect. I almost exclusively fish dry. I think it is more visual. I like that it is easier to get a single hook out of a fish instead of the hooks on most spinners. I like the feel of casting a fly line and the way it looks going through the air. I like the idea of the line delivering the fly (large or small). It seems more simplistic to me. It's not all that complicated. If I want I can carry a tippet container an handful of flies and a fly rod and reel and catch trout just about anywhere. I fish mostly small to medium sized creeks and rivers. I fish for trout that most people will laugh at, but I find beauty in them. I feel like an artist. I sometimes feel like a bohemian. I sometimes feel like I am the only person on the planet. I sometimes find serenity that the "real" world doesn't offer. I sometimes talk to myself, to God, to the quakies. I most times hide from other fishermen--even fly fishermen. It seems delicate to me. I use a very simplified approach. I'm not the typical gear guy. Simplicity. Yes, that's the word I want.


Very well said, HighNDry. It's so heard to put into words why I love fly fishing. There's just something about the whole experience that fills some sort of inner need within me.

I guess I can put myself into someone else's shoes that reads your quote above and gets confused, or thinks it's "weird". That person simply hasn't experienced what fly fishing is all about...and, that's ok. But, I've spent enough time on countless rivers across the Western Hemisphere, that when I read your words I know exactly what you mean.


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