why

[Guest]

heres a thought provoking question

 

why do you flyfish?

 

for me, i dont really know. i enjoy the hell out of throwing a fly to anything that swims, but i really suck at it. i havent really caught any trout (less than a dozen) on a fly, and have only hooked one steelhead with my flyrod. alot of it has to do with the people i am fishing with. i have been lucky the past few years to spend countless hours on the water with shoe, and he has taught me to much to even think about. and he is the one that has gotten me into flyfishing the most.

 

sure i get frustrated (right ralf??) most of the time and will put the flyrod away and pick up the spinning rod, but i still go back to flyfishing sooner or later. i guess it is the thrill of the chase and the hunt that brings me back to it. and the rush i feel when i hook a fish on something of my own creation. anymore, i will fly for panfish and that other warm water species, but not as much for trout. i am hoping to get more flyfishing in for trout this year, but only time will tell for sure. but that is a goal of mine, fly fish more for trout and hook some too while i am at it.

 

call it a passion, or call it a fad, either way i am hooked and just love to do it (when i do do it that is)

[Guest]

Why not....

 

I think my signature sums it up.

 

After decades of fishing trout, steelhead and salmon on baitrods, learning fish behavior and reading water it was time to take it to another level. Sure catching fish on bait is cool, but the challenge of doing the same on flies is the ultimate. Then kick it up another notch and tie the flies.

I got back into tying because most store-bought flies weren't heavy enough for my taste, not to mention the cost. It was nothing to drop 50 bucks on bugs that didn't act quite right.

The satisfaction of catching a 14"er on a handtied fly is like netting an 18+ on a plug or worm. Then there's the challenge of presenting a fly, calculating the drift and proper fly selection by duplicating a food source that adds to the experience.

I got bit hard, spent a ton of money, but it sure is a full-filling hobby that allows creativity, experimention and challenges the mind, but also add a certain tranquility that we all need with our hectic lives.

 

Nice topic

 

 

[Guest]

'Cuz it's about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on! LOL

 

I think it's very rewarding to catch a fish on something I tied. I also find it to be a great creative outlet.

 

Mike

 

 

[Bear Coat 0]

To me, it is much more than catching fish. Yes it does help, but being out there with a fly that you created is so awesome.

 

I remember the first Trout that I caught on one of my own flies. It was only a 4" Rainbow but it may have just have been a 20", I was that excited.

 

Fly Fishing is like many things that you do, the more time you spend doing it, the better you get.

 

But most of all, I just like to be out there and enjoy my surroundings. I think that it is why the call it "The Quiet Sport".

[Guest]

Other than the places it takes me. I enjoy seeing the critters and outsmarting them in their environment. Fly fishing is the he pinnacle. Getting to understanding their habits and figuring out a pattern in their behavior. Matching the hatch when they are selective to the days when they take any thing you offer them. I love them all ! I have no preference on what I catch. I'll take any fish at the end of a line big or small. (preferably big)

 

I find my self at a stage were I enjoy taking my nephew and teaching him. I was lucky to have a father and uncle who both enjoyed fishing and my fondest memories are with them fishing. I cant imagine a kid not having that. I hope I can pass along my passion for fishing.

 

I enjoy talking and reading about fishing just about as much as I like to do it.

It requires me to think, it allows me to be creative. I couldn't ask for a better addiction.

I consider fishing a life style not recreation.

[Esox 0]

Why?

The challenge of getting a fish to smack a bit of tinsel and fur.

The way a fish fights on a fly rod compared to spinning and casting rigs.

The joy of leading a cruising fish, placing the cast just right, strip, strip you see a flash, the line tightens. What could be better?

Often times it is the most productive way to fish.

[Guest]

I'm with Shoe I think my quote from Mr. Wet Fly Ray Bergman says it all!! Just my 2 cents.

 

Fatman

 

Just Fishing! All life is that to some extent. If we are not fishing for one thing it is another. But angling! That's just a bit different. In it we find peace and contentment and much with which to occupy our minds. May the balance of our fishing days be blessed with congenial comrades and "tight lines." Ray Bergman

[mitch 0]

I like it when people stop and stare at me as I false cast.

I like looking down at meat-slingers and worm-dunkers from my perch high atop the cliffs of Mt. Pious.

 

Actually, I like being in control. Where the line goes, which fish to cast to, the ability to lay out another cast vice reeling in all of the line in order to make another presentation.

Mainly, I like stalking fish, presenting a fly that I made and watch it catch the fish's attention and either take it or not.

I still have a spinning outfit, a surf caster, and a heavy off-shore stand-up rig so I'm no purist by any stretch.

 

Things I don't like: the price of our gear. The trendy fashion of our clothes (that displace material and rod space in ff stores) and the stigma that I fish where a river runs through it or on the tidal flats of Epiphany. I'm just as messed-up after the water as I was before I got on the water. Why: Because I still have water on the brain. I need to make these types of flies for next week's trip; maybe I need to bring the #10 instead; should I buy a kayak?; I need to wrap the eyes with chenille; I knew I shouldn't have switched to a sinking line; and the list goes on...

And last, I like to keep learning a never-ending subject.

Take care all,

Mitch

[Steeldrifter 0]

I do it because i am really kinda a old fashioned kinda guy i like the way things "use" to be,so fly fishing just seems like its more of a traditional way to catch fish and it makes me feel like i'm more "a part" of the river instead of just slinging bait or a lure "into" it.

 

SD

[Guest]

to use up all these damn flies I keep tying.

 

john

[Steeldrifter 0]

[jfink 0]

I fly fish because it's a challenge and it keeps me busy. For me the setting is nice, flowing water, peaceful and the tradition around fly fishing. It's so detailed and I think if your into fly fishing, tying etc. your a technical person it's hard not to be. I do it because I love it

[Guest]

QUOTE (ridderbos3 @ Feb 19 2004, 06:50 PM)

to use up all these damn flies I keep tying. john

Perfect!

 

I love it, John

[Guest]

Why do I fly fish? Two words..."Chick Magnet"

[SALMONATOR 0]

QUOTE

Sure catching fish on bait is cool, but the challenge of doing the same on flies is the ultimate. Then kick it up another notch and tie the flies.

 

I guess that's the reason I set aside the spinning rod altogether several years ago. The challange of fly-fishing is what really makes it what it is for me.

 

At the surface, it's still all about the fish. Bigger fish, more fish, etc. But the challenge to improve is what keeps me coming back and forces me to set the bar a bit higher with each passing season. Beneath that, I think, is where my real passion lies. "Hydro-therapy" I call it. From the moment I set foot into a river, it consumes me. The focus I have on what I've set out to do I guess. Everything else in my life just dissapears. Worries about work, homelife, etc. just aren't there anymore. It's just me, my rod, and some fish, weather I catch them or not. It's more of just a place to loose myself in for awhile.

 

I've found that a couple hours on a river fishing can make my whole day. A really good day, and the feeling can follow far beyond the river bank and can cary on for even weeks. I couldn't imagine my life without fly-fishing.

 

Al