Trees that reach out and eat flies.

[Hare's Ear]

I took a couple of friends on a float fishing trip yesterday. Wonderful day for fishing, especially since I haven't been out for awhile. We hooked and landed some great trout. I am used to casting to the bank and hooking trees, grass, muskrats, moss, rocks, cement pilings and everything but fish. I have learnd to generally break off and keep on a going. Broken rods are a great learning factor. The friend on the front of my boat snagged the russian olives trees a couple of times. I spend a lot of energy trying to row up stream so we could unhook a $1.50 fly from the tree, we ended up in the trees with the boat, scratched my drift boat, ended up with pieces of trees in the boat, and trying too row with one oar His fly rod actually came apart once, we then had to fish the end of his rod out of the river, lost the fly anyway. I have ended up in some real messing trying to retrieve a fly or something interesting thing hanging from a tree. My question is why can't most people including myself just snap the fly and tie another fly on on the leader? I am wondering what effort has other fly fisher's gone to to retrieve a darn $1.50 fly.

[DShock]

Hare's Ear,
It's the principle of the thing. The tree has my fly and I want it BACK!
I think flyfishing gives us principles. When I used to get snagged with my spinning rod, I didn't hesitate to break the line.
Doug

[ohiotuber]

Can we say "chain saw"??
Mike

[Diane]

Well, if we DO say "chain saw" then by all means save me some of that olive tree. It's the best wood for making bowls I've ever used. Makes the whole workshop smell like a deli, too.

[Dot Man]

Next time you snag a tree or a log in the water try this approach to get unsnagged.

Pull your line back thru the guides and push your rod towards the fly until you reach the fly and then gently push the fly free with the rod tip. This little trick works great.

Jerry

[Bamboozle]

If there are fish in the vicinity of the snag I'll break it off and get it later if I can.

If it's the last fly of a particular pattern that is working well I go to the car for the Agent Orange.

[Normand]

If the fishing is hot, then I'm breaking off and tying on a new fly. I tie my own so they're not $1.50 or whatever the shops are getting these days.

[Photojoe4]

We've got those fly-eating trees here too. Actually, they're an invasive species that seem to be multiplying in numbers. I don't think there's anything you can really to to deter them from eating your fly, so I'd just let them feed and tie on another fly (and starting tying your own flies so you aren't paying $1.50!!!!!! a fly). We've also got fly-eating rocks here, but I can usually get those to spit up my fly.

Regards,
Joe Martin
Salem, OR

[DShock]

Good point about tying YOUR flies.
Doug

[Hare's Ear]

Speaking of chain saws. We had a few more obstacles to row around. It appeared some one with one of those nice river front houses and cut down a tree in various pieces and just dumped them in the river. So we had these piles of trees limbs and moss to get around. The farmers that irrigate out of the river will be mad when the tree limbs show up. However, they might be fish habitat till they flush the river again.