why learn to fly fish???

[dockboy]

I started off with my dad and a jar of salmon eggs at age 5. My mom went to Montana 3 years later to visit a friend and brought me back an Eagle Claw switch spin/fly rod and A River Runs Through It. I was hooked.
Some people think trout are whatever. I love all fish. I fish the salt with all types of bait and irons/plastics, and regularly fish for bass in freshwater. I have many, many bass rods, and my arsenal still grows. Yet I love my roots. There are few memories more fond than my early years as a fisherman fly rod in hand, learning the trade and fishing northwest Montana and the East side of the Sierras.
You see, the long rod is a different spectrum of angling. Fishing the salt with conventional tackle, the bait is there and the fish are often violently aggressive. Its amazing to watch a tuna demolish a well presented iron or feeling your 6x explode when a yellow blindsides it in 250' of water. Bass fishing can be incredibly technical, which is why I love it, but reality is a bass will often times eat whatever fits in its mouth (tell me what creature in the aquatic world looks like a bright green crankbait!).
But flyfishing is an art. Its a cross section of the world your quarry lives in. You have to get down on your knees and become part of the world you are fishing in, often quite literally. Its detective work to start with. You find the hatch, and then if you want to really catch fish, you need to know how to read the water. Many times, your presentation has to be flawless. When you get it down, you are one with that hook and feather on the end of your line. It becomes second nature. And a fly rod is the closest thing to fighting a fish one on one besides a hand line. Even a 6" trout is a worthy adeversary on the right setup, and even the thought of the reel screaming as a big fish has its way with you can leave yours hands shaking. You feel every head shake, every beat of the tails. A lot of times you find fight wise, the match is much more even then conventional tackle.
Sure, there's lots of small creeks and high country lakes where an standard attractor dry fly will be very effective. But then you have Hot Creek, and Fall River, and the Henry's Fork, and the Missouri...the list just goes on and on. Places where you often have to have an exact imitation of the current hatch and present it without a single fault. And once you get into lakes, the fish get bigger and the game changes almost entirely. I haven't even tried fishing the salt with a fly rod. I dont have the money right now to purchase another rig, and make the commitment. You can bet I will in the future though.
Many guys saw a River Runs Through It, got the rigs and flies, and realized they hated it. It was too much effort. Lots of those same guys sold their stuff too. But when you are a flyfisherman, its in your blood. All it takes is one fish, even one missed set on a large fish, and you can't stop but come back for more.

[jetboat69]

Once you start catching em on a fly it's no looking back.
Trout,Salmon, Steelhead, Tarpon, Bone Fish even Tuna and Halibut.
It's a disease!

[flyfishthesurf]

Like Frank, I teach fly casting and I am also a guide for surf fly fishing and fly fishing for carp. I started fly fishing over 30 years ago, started with trout but when I found out I could do it in the surf, I never went back to trout. Growing up at the beach, we started with drop lines and went from there all the way up to the long a** surf polls that just put a crook in your neck.

I always like to challenge myself and fly fishing in the surf has done that each and every time out. Now I go off shore here to the Channel Islands and spend up to 4 weeks a year in Baja fly fishing. I believe it is the hardest way to fish, thus the reward is that much greater.

There are a lot of parallels to golf and other sports but I compare it to video games. If you don't reach the last level the first time out, you never go back. Fly fishing is like that in that some people never pick up a fly rod again if they can't cast great right off the bat. And I don't know anyone who has ever tossed a 90 foot double haul the first time out so you need to practice................just like golf.

As already stated, it doesn't get much better then catching any kind of fish on a fly you have tied!

Give it a shot but give it a fair shot.

[MartinTRJ]

I spent around 8 years fly fishing for bass, bluegill, carp and such until I moved to CA almost a year ago. Saltwater as great as it is challenging. I enjoy both.

[plj46]

"Jessie" is one of the best dogs we have EVER owned, that says alot because in my 44 years walking the earth i have had a dog all of them.

EB Terriers ROCK!!!!

we immortalized her in a weave on one of our rods, thats the pic in the avatar

beautiful bully,i have one that is a very special pain in the ass, but i love him as much as i love my kids

[The Notorious S.U.A.]

same reason you learn to snap one off with your left hand, its always fun to try something new.

[flyfishthesurf]

Well, did you ever go to the dark side and try fly fishing?

[CrimsonRider]

If you get into fly fishing, I suggest that you keep it simple. People seem to make fly fishing a lot more complicated than it should be. It does take more skill to fly fish, but it's not as hard as some people make it out to be. Focus on forming good loops and hitting targets. Everything else will fall in place, once you become a decent caster.
Tight Lines,
CR

[hamachi51]

Because it is fun as hell to tie your own fly and actually catch something on it!

[stickboy]

TWR aka Jason Fritz: Thanks for all of the Mammoth Lakes reports and tips.