Angling and Trout
By Dr. Joel C. Brothers, ND, PhD
Aka: Gigmaster
It?s a good bet that many modern warm-water anglers have been frustrated at one time or another by a well-meaning person’s Angling-Impaired assumptions about fly fishing . Many is the time that a person has seen my fly gear and immediately said, “Oh, you’re a trout fisherman, huh?”. I’m sure they mean no harm. But why is Angling so tightly associated with trout? I have a few ideas on the subject. Please bear in mind that they are strictly my own ideas, rather than proven fact.
The Greek historian Aelean described fly-fishing in it’s infancy with the Macedonians quite well, considering it was a second-hand account, and he himself was not a fisherman. This was around AD 200, the dawn of sophisticated fishing. Short rods (6’) of Hazelwood with horsehair line and delicate hand-tied flies were used to catch local trout in streams, since the live flies were much too delicate to use as live-bait. There were no ring-guides or reels and no casting as of yet. The flies were dangled in the water. But why just trout? Simply put, I believe that anything other than trout in small streams would have easily out-classed the available equipment. Do trout taste good enough to be worth the extra trouble? ABSOLUTELY!. Was the thrill and satifisfaction worth the extra effort? Undoubtably yes! I believe that ancient anglers were no different from us in that respect.
Moving forward to 1210 AD, Wolfram von Eisenbach described a man wading barefoot in a stream, fishing for trout and grayling with a “feathered hook”. This was obviously a Feudal-Era angler (and a tough one, if streams were as cold then as they are now). Again, no reel, no casting, no tapered line. Just Horsehair and Hazelwood. Fly patterns were described, but nothing that would be recognizable by a modern angler. It does appear that angling at this time was the preferred method of fishing in Western Europe by the common people. Trout, by necessity, were still the main quarry to due the delicate nature of the equipment available. It appears from writings that salmon were infrequently caught, but imagine the difficulty of playing a salmon on a 6’ rod, with only 6’ of delicate horsehair line. By this time, trout fishing with flies had become a tradition.
By the late 17th century, improvements in gear began to make their appearance, greatly expanding the versatility of angling gear. Commercially manufactured equipment became available, and rod length had increased to 14’-16’ and two-handed spey type rods of even greater lengths were being used. Line length had increased to double the rod length, and the forward cast was adopted. Ring-Guides for more precise line-control were introduced, along with tapered horsehair lines. Reels were invented, although they were basically just ‘bait-casting’ reels with brass bearings that disintegrated when put under any strain. Trout was still the king, but other species loomed on the horizon.
The 19th century was a hey-day for angling innovations. The dry-fly was invented. Split-bamboo rods arrived. A Kentucky watchmaker, George Snyder, invented the modern single-action and multiplying fly-reels. Braided silk began to be used for fly-lines and various different tapers became available. Salmon fishing and classic Salmon and Steelhead fly patterns came into their own, with thousands of devoted followers. The 1890s were the ‘Golden Era’ of classic Salmon patterns, Now, they had equipment equal to the task. Bamboo rods, modern fly patterns, and the introduction of ‘silkworm gut’ for fine leaders revolutionized the sport! The first books on fly-tying were published, standardizing the art. One of the biggest boons to angling was the development of the railroads. Leisure-travel was now within the means of most people, and the more affluent began to travel abroad in search of ever more exciting quarry. Norway was the destination of choice, with its unexploited huge population of really large and aggressive salmon. It started a trend that continues today. Norway is still a Salmon Anglers Mecca! In the US, bass and other large aggressive species were now available to the average angler. Mass production had brought the price of equipment to within almost any ones means. More rapid travel left more time to fish. By the mid 19th century, the false-cast, dry-fly technique, marine angling and most other modern concepts had come of age. Trout was still the major quarry due to the 700+ year head start it had, but the sport was flourishing and expanding.
In the 20th century, the invention of vulcanized rubber, neoprene, monofilament, the automobile, airplane and many other inventions combined to bring angling into the modern age. Now, every fish species that ever comes near the surface are subject to our attacks, and no area of the planet that contains piscatorial prey is safe from our endeavors. Trout are still the traditional quarry by default, but our non-traditional numbers grow daily. With the invention of the Internet, ideas are shared instantly, to the betterment of all. Warm-water angling has, and is growing due to the fact that modern angling equipment is equal to the task-at-hand. Gar, Carp, Peacock Bass, Pirahna, Stripped Bass, Bonefish, Sharks, Tarpon, Shad, Pike, Bass, and even Marlin are taken regularly on modern Fly-Gear. It is probable that the romance of stream-trout will forever be linked to fly-fishing by the uninitiated, but is that really such a bad thing? After all, we know better???..
About the author: Joel C. Brothers is a Doctor of Naturopathy and Holistic Health with an ongoing practice all over the S.E. United States. He is also a professional musician, Minister, and avid outdoorsman. He currently resides in the Cohutta Wilderness, in N. Ga., high in the Southern Appalachians, where remote, cold, clear trout streams still abound. He can be reached at natural.path@yahoo.com.
Rick - if a mfgr lists a rod for trout/panfish do you feel they should pay for 2nd ad copy listing the rod for panfish only?? Or, can we figger it out?