Bait Fisherman a dirty word..

[kingfisher2 0]

Clergyman....you made my afternoon! LMAO

[Guest]

I sling Rapalas, Fatheads and Clouser Deep Minnows, all with amazing, deadly accuracy: right into the nearest tree.

 

Seriously though, the way that I improve at any given activity is to approach it with the thought in my mind that if I don't succeed, my life depends on it. When I fish, I think, "If I don't catch anything, I don't eat tonight." While I'm not the best fisherman intheworld, I don't often go hungry. Sometimes I take this survival view with only one type of fishing. Many times I've been fly-fishing and went into "survival mode". Other times, I just have to catch something. So then, I do whatever it takes.

 

I feel like a more complete angler having the ability to fish in any manner. (Except trotlines; I don't see the fun in it. Noodling either.) I like tossing a Texas-Rigged Purple Power Worm on 30/8 Power Pro dead into the thickest slop I can find, I like skating a size 14 Elk Hair Caddis across the very start of the head of a pool below a riffle, and I like, no...LOVE watching a Thill float (no offense to Mick, but I haven't ordered any of his new line yet) wiggle...wiggle...waggle...then slip underneath the surface as a Crappie takes the minnow and swims away. Why should I lose out on any of these thrills for anybody?

 

Just another facet that makes FlyTyingForum the best fly site there is! Wanna drive away those elitists? (At least those that have condescended to fish on water that isn't "Fly only") Do what I do: in your vest, carry a pack of Power Wigglers. They'll be so disgusted they won't want to speak to you anymore!

 

By the way, have you noticed that the only guff we usually get from bait fishers is "you're not gonna catch any fish on that thing around here!"

 

Then you do.

 

[dabalone 0]

A pleasure to be a part of this group who understand their way is not the only way people can enjoy the greatest recreational activity on the planet!

In my state, CA, most revenue for managing fisheries comes from license sales, flyfisherman make up a small percentage of the total fishing population here and I suspect in most other states, so our state gets the big bucks for managing our resource from the people taking some worms, spinners, salmon eggs, powerbait etc. out for the weekend with the majority of them only going a few times a year after paying full price for licenses. Without them there is no resource for any of us.

[artimus 0]

Hello, my name is Art and I'm a bait slinger. It starts in the fall when the leaves start to turn and the boots or steelies won't take my fly. It starts with the first roe bag....just one, looking for that one hit to let me know that there really are fish in the water. Then I can't stop, 1, 2, 3....the next thing I know all I'm doing is chucking bags.....is there a cure??

In all seriousness I love my center pin and float rod. I get into this real zen trance; cast, mend, eyes on float, repeat, repeat..SET!!!! For me that was my reintroduction to fishing and will always be tops on my list.

 

Art

[mcfly 0]

QUOTE

zen trance

 

I think we have all been there.

 

 

 

 

It is amazing how focusing on a tiny little speck can make the entire world drift away.

[Guest]

...and cause serious headaches!

[dadsgnat 0]

I approach a body of water. There is fish in it. I will fish.

Given my druthers, I'm going to sling flies at the opportunities.

Buddy backs a pontoon boat into the water ... wanna troll for walleye?

Yup.

Bobbers for bluegill with redworms?

You Betcha.

Minnows for crappie?

Gimme a second to bait up.

It isn't how you fish, as long as you abide by the restrictions and allowances of state regs ... it's why you fish.

I'd rather cast a fly I tied.

My dad wants to soak worms or lip hook minnows.

I'll leave my four piece travel rod in it's case and set my spinning rig in a rod holder on our pontoon boat's rails to watch while we continue our fifteen year old domono game.

Yeah, I have those times when I'm taking the flies I tied and stalk into a creek or cove to cast myself against the scripts of the River Gods.

Those are my choices.

That is the beauty and the joy of fishing.

It's what you want it to be for you.

Where the injustice enters is when I demand you follow my parameters of the sport.

I have overstepped my bounds and I should be held to mockery and laughed, loudly, at my every action.

Go fishing, whatever that means to you, provided it violates no laws of man or nature; you will only grow from the experience.