Flyrodding vs. spin/baitcasters

Hi all;

Since converting to flyrod only, I’ve experienced no appreciable difference in my catch rate versus other casting methods. If anything my catch rate has gone up. I’m going to qualify this statement by the fact that I fish shallow warmwater ponds, mostly at dusk during the summer. In many instances I’m catching more fish than the spin/baitcasters that are fishing at the same time.

I’ve always heard that the spin/baitcasters have a distinct advantage in catch rate but I think that is based on deeper water fishing.

I feel in shallow water summer conditions fro warmwater fish, flyfishing is equal or better than spin/bait fishing.

What have others experienced??

Wayneb

I often fish with a hardware slinging friend in small weedy ponds
We each fish out of our own canoes, so there’s really no competition for who gets to cast where
In nearly 20 years of fishing together we’ve found that I usually catch more bass on the fly rod while he often catches the largest.
It doesn’t always work out that way, but it does often enough to notice

Wayne, I wholeheartly agree. Spring time and summertime warmwater pond fishing the long rod gets the nod. This past late spring/early summer I was pulling one Crappie and 'gill after another with the fly rod out of a spot right across from some guys who were not fly fishing. However, I have recently gotten to the point in certain situations where I know I can catch fish on the fly rod, but it’s a heck of alot easier to fish with a spinning rod. To me easier to fish means I can fish more effectively which equals catching fish. I’m talking fast, moderately deep to deep water with fish holding close to the bottom. As much as I love to fish, especially fly fishing, (I can be happy getting skunked, it’s always a learning experience) I do enjoy it more when I catch fish. So I’ve come to the realization that I have to use the right tool for the job at hand. I have been having a ball using my UL or light St. Croix spinning rods and an older fiberglass Browning Silaflex medium action spinning rod this fall. This might not be true for everyone, but it’s what’s working for me right now.
Tom.

When I’m fishing with dries, I usually catch fewer fish than when I use nymphs or other wets. I often use a dry/dropper rig, and usually it’s the dropper that gets the action. I also often see the baitfishers, particularly the worm and nightcrawler boys catching more fish than I am. Also, I’ve noticed that they are usually catching recently planted fish, or at least they are the size to think so, you know, the cookie cutter catchable size trout they often dump in there in huge numbers.
When I fish small lakes and ponds for bass/crappie/bluegill, I often get lots more action than the bait boys. Hereabouts, the bait fishermen use powerbait much of the time, and in the bass and crappie ponds I do much better with nymphs and jigs. That powerbait is such a mess, I can’t imagine using it and gettin’ that gunk all over myself. I’m pretty new at flyfishing stillwater, and am still learning, but I’ve had some rock 'em sock 'em mornings and evenings for crappie and bass the last two summers. Usually if there’s baitfishermen nearby, they’ll ask me what’s up, and I fix 'em up with a casting bubble and a tapered leader, and get ‘em started fishin’ with flies, even if they don’t have a fly rod. I always give them a handful of the flies or jigs that I’m using, or close to it. I always carry a couple a them little teardrop bubbles and some tapered leaders just for that reason. I’ve seen a couple of them back to the same place later with brand-new fly outfits…ModocDan

I used to think there was too much wasted time in casting a fly, which would impair my catch rate when compared with spinning gear. I still incorporate spinning gear for certain fishing situations, but for the past 2 years over 50% of my fishing trips are with fly-fishing gear only. My catch rates have gone up considerably!

Like you, much of my fly-fishing is done on public ponds for bass, bluegills, crappies, and the occasional catfish. I usually target bluegills, and the bass are “bycatch”. When I target bass specifically, its with topwater flies. If there’s bigger bass in deeper water, they have (so far) been fairly safe from me. I might go after them more next year with some deeper presentations.

For bluegills, smaller bass, and crappies, a slow presentation and/or a slow descent of the (non-topwater) fly, or tossing lightweight topwaters are extremely productive methods, and this is much more easily accomplished with fly gear, in my opinion.

Somewhat of a similar approach might be possible with spinning gear and a bobber, but its much much more fun to have the more direct connection between me, the fly, and the fish. (A bobber puts a bigger angle in your line between you and the lure.)

Just my opinion, of course, but my observations are right in line with yours!

In many cases (and I’m not saying this applies to you), this is due to the person not being very good with “other casting methods”. So when they switch to the fly rod, they do about the same or maybe even better.

I’ll say it again, though – I’m not saying this is true in your case.

This could be because the spin/baitcasters are just not very good at it.

Every method has its day; however, it’s not the tackle that determines success, it’s the fisherman. A good spin fisherman could outfish a poor fly fisherman and vice versa. Knowledge and experience trumps tackle.

I think the reason your “catch” ratio has gone up is because the fly/lure you are using stays in the strike zone longer plus it is being moved around by any current and looks more natural to the fish. When using a spin/casting rod, you cast the hardware out there and immediately crank it back and the only fish you will be catching are the aggressive fish who will be striking as a reflex action. This will only hold true with fishing artificial baits and not live baits since live bait will usually be fished under a bobber or on the bottom which will allow it to be in the zone longer than a crankbait/spinner would be. A fly rod allows the bait/fly to flow naturally in the water and look more like something to “eat”.

My opinions only…

I have always out fished our non-fly fishing friends until I moved to Arizona and hit Canyon Lake.

Now there I was in my boat - depth finder showed 180 feet deep. The fish at 125 feet and me there with my floating line!!! :confused: :smiley:

I am coming at this in another direction.
First of, what if you put a fly on a spinning outfit…aren’t you now FLY FISHING, just like when you stick a worm on, you are BAIT FISHING (which can be done on a fly rod and reel.
I think the definition of FLY FISHING is what is on the end of the line, not the gear, but that is just me.
Plus, what is the definition of a FLY. Some say DRIES WITH WINGS, hense “FLY”
Others think the life cycle such a pupa, nymph, emerger, dry.
ALLOT don’t think eggs, San Juan worms, woolly buggers, sculpin, etc. should be called a fly but rather a LURE which they are (and that is what the English refer to them as)

Anyway, MYSELF, I do use a fly rod, reel, LINES (meaning floating and sinking) and HAND TIED FLIES (which to me anything out of synthetics,hair, wings is a fly)
I made a commitment many years ago, that this was my ONLY choice. Kept my interest because now I had to learn “ENTOMOLOGY” and experiment with flies.

I have been fishing ponds where a friend uses a spinning outfit, with a bubble and a fly and he definitely out fished me with my floating line.

But, I find I am able to fish more ZONES with accuracy than other types of fishing. You are able to get to where the fish are and stay there, specially sub surface.

I am strictly ff, but I do believe I catch more fish, I very SELDOM walk away with the skunk smell and I have caught some of the BIGGEST fish, because I have a bigger choice of LURES and can get to the ZONE.

Long winded I know, sorry.:rolleyes:

WayneB. For the conditions you described (shallow water water species in the summer) I believe the fly guy has an advantaage for a couple of reasons. (1) The bait stays in the strike zone longer and (2) You can make a lot faster retrieve and return to the strike zone with a fly rod than a spinning rod.

I believe the faster retrieve is the main advantage.

Tim

I frequently catch more fish fly fishing than i do spin fishing. However, I still enjoy both and each has its place. When the bass are reallyl deep off points and I need to chuck a plastic worm or a crank bait I use the spinning equipment. Sometimes, it is fun to just chuck spining lures (rooster tails, buzz baits, etc.) around.

I’m no purist but do find myself fly fishing about 90% of the time.

Jeff

I bet your fun rate has skyrocketed though…

i retired my casting and spinning gear at the start of the season. i have never looked back. my catch rate has gone up and i love to see guys in their 30,000 rigs pull up empty handed while im in my canoe with fly rod and a full stringer!

I fish fly, spinning, and casting tackle for largemouth bass. I have been using spin and casting tackle for 30 years and fly tackle for 16 years so I have a pretty good idea of what I am doing with my gear, and I am comfortable fishing fly tackle from the surface down to about 40’ deep. On the Southern California reservoirs that I fish catch bass at a rate of about 3 to 1 with spinning/casting over fly tackle for an equal amount of time. However I actually use fly gear for bass about twice as often as spinning/casting gear because that is just what I like to do.

There are some things that can be done better with fly tackle, but I have not been able to replicate the same level of success I have fishing jigs or plastic baits slowly on the bottom, or the effectiveness of noisemaking lures like crankbaits or spinnerbaits. I have yet to find or create any fly pattern that is as effective as the Senko or other stick baits anywhere in the water column, despite a lot of experimentation, short of adding scent to my flies. Throughout much of the year, the bass are found deep inside reeds where they are unreachable with fly tackle, but can be caught using flipping techniques with jigs or weighted plastics.

On the other hand, other non-fly anglers are often impressed with the success of my fly fishing buddies under some circumstances.

Its all fun.

I never spin fished again once I started fly fishing. I just love flyfishing for some reason. spin fishing doesn’t even seem fun to me anymore? I don’t know what it is. I just need my fly rod. I don’t even care if spin people catch more than me. when I hook up its worth every minute that I spent not hooking up. I don’t hate on bait fishing. I just love my fly fishing!

Absolutely! That is how I feel. I look for the challenge to fly fish specially when I am with spin fishers. It ISN"T about catching the fish, but rather doing everything I can with the flies I have.
When fishing with my nephew, he fishes off cliffs and all that, so, when I pulled out my fly gear he laughed, but, you know what, it worked and I caught fish…he now fly fishes too.

yeah Joni. this is GeorgeMcfly on NAFFF. you know I love my flyfishing haha!

I now fly fish exclusively, save a rare trip to Lake Erie. My buddy Gary fly fishes occasionally, but mostly spin fishes for bass. He DOES catch more bass than I do & will readily say it’s because he can cover more water, quicker than I. Now on gills, I have YET to be outfished by a spin fisherman using either artificial or live bait, both in numbers & size. I have fished mainly for gills most of my life & I catch more & bigger gills with the fly rod & flies than I ever did with spinning gear & live bait OR artificials. As far as fun, there is no contest…it’s fly fishing all the way!
Mike

in my experience I also find myself outfishing bait fishers for gills too. they seem to love the small bugs more than worms and stuff. you can fish smaller flies/nymphs fly fishing also. if I go to this gill pond in ohio I will get a gill every single cast on basically any fly I throw at um. its very over populated. I use my small flys there cause the fish are small but it gets old. i rather go fish for big fish instead. would be great to take a new guy to learn tho…

I have done both spinning and flyfishing. Spin fishing is faster and can get you down to the bottom very fast. I gave up spin fishing for flyfishing because:

  1. Flyfishing opened up new water to me that spin fishing couldn’t. I could now flyfish shallow water without spooking the fish.
  2. Flyfishing allowed me to suspend my fly, where the fish were.
  3. Flyfishing changed the way I presented my offering. Instead of dictating to the fish with spinning, it was a more gentle offering, that wasn’t a threat to the fish.
  4. Flyfishing is more exciting than spin fishing. The fish I have hooked with flies, hit them harder than the lures and bait I used to use.
  5. I bait fished lakes for years and when I learned to flyfish those same lakes, I caught a lot more fish and had a lot more fun.
  6. If a person casts a lure or bait, it is a search mission, or a wait and see affair. Flyfishing puts more control in your corner. There is no sitting and waiting, only searching and switching flies until you are satisfied one way or another.
  7. Flyfishing is Logical. I learned about the food that fish ate, fished flies that represented that food, and caught more fish because of it.
    Doug