Just What is Fly Fishing?

[cycler68]

Thanks for all the insightful and interesting replies. I think from now on when I'm out fly fishing with my Hera rod I'll worry less if it's really fly fishing and just enjoy another aspect of the sport of fishing.

[nighthawk]

I try not to really ponder it myself. I do what it takes to catch fish. I don't ever look down upon people who use other types of gear for something I might not consider fly fishing though there are those that do. Even some here on this board. To each their own.

One of the most enjoyable things you can do is to set up a kid with light spinnig gear, a bubble (dare I say bobber on this site) float and a dry fly on the end of their line.

Just don't worry. Be happy. If it feels like fly fishing to you then in your mind's eye it is. That's what really counts.

[Marco]

In my most humble opinion , in order to be properly labeled as "fly fishing" one must, among other requisites, absolutely dress for the part.





Much UNLIKE the dude in the pic.

[Steve Molcsan]

But Mark, I got-a say at least the fish looks good!

[luckie88]

Feathers and Fur, Feathers and F u r. (and some synthetics)

[DUB]

Hmmmm, if I picked up a buddy at 4:00AM and if at 4:15 he had asked me what was fly fishing? I would have ignored him. If he had asked a second and third time, I probably would have turned around and taken him back home. If he couldnt make up his own mind he's too weak of a person to run with me. He doesnt have to agree with me, but he better have his own opinion and be ready to defend it. He doesnt have to win an agruement, but he needs to defend his stance. I really dont want anyone to ask me that on the way to the river. I am afraid you might slice your wrists if you dont catch a fish in the top three inches of the rivers surface. Lets have this discussion around the water cooler in the first ten minutes that you find out I fly fish. That way I can never take you with me to the river and worry if I should contact a suicide prevention hotline.

[Marco]

AND, that WAS a nice cutt.
The point I should have stressed is that I am not ANAL about anything ,much less something as" trivial"as fishing . I've been "fly" fishing for almost 50 years and still enjoy doing it MY way . Anyone can call it whatever they wish and I won't care a hoot. All I know is: I LOVE to do "it".

Mark

[DUB]

In my most humble opinion , in order to be properly labeled as "fly fishing" one must, among other requisites, absolutely dress for the part.





Much UNLIKE the dude in the pic.

I too believe in dressing the part.

[bluefish]

IMO, fishin's fishin.

Some people say (I personally know several) that if you aren't fishing a dry fly on top of the water, you aren't fly fishing.

Personally, I've used a bubble on a spinning outfit with a FLY at the end of the line (very underrated tactic BTW) in NY for Steelhead with GREAT success! In fact, especially on the Niagara river, this gave me a very BIG advantage over the "fly fishers" in that I could get out into the river a lot further and still get a good drift (egg patterns most of the time). The fish out there were in far better shape (didn't look beat up and half dead), and actually put up a good fight.

Was I "fly fishing"? Given that I personally tied the egg patterns I was using to catch the fish (see below), I would say so. Who cares what the rod and reel look like?

I've met hundereds of Great Lakes steelheaders that would disagree to a man. Many spinfisherman and center pinners use flies. Your picture is not of a fresh run fish, either. Many people flyfish for steelhead-which means actually casting using the weight of the line, as opposed to chuck and duck, for the challenge and sport. A fly that has thread and one material that imitates a common bait, cast on a
spinning rod is really stretching the meaning. NY state regs. would agree. However, you look to have had a great time and the Niagra isn't a that much of a flyrod friendly river. Spey, switch, and longer one handed rods do a great job of fishing farther drifts. I have no problem how you caught it, but it's not flyfishing.

[waynep]

I agree with the folks that say fly fishing is when the fly line weight is used to propel the fly. Other than that, it get muddy.

Flies must have thread? Gummy Minnow is then not a fly? I would call it a fly, but I don't use them . . . It would rather tie a Deceiver or other more normal streamer. But I won't talk down to people that use them.