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. 
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 8)
Can we say “chain saw”??
Mike
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.
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
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.
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.
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
Good point about tying YOUR flies.
Doug
:? 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.
Trees have been eating flies since people have been fly fishng. I have no issues with fly eating trees. I tie flies. I cast flies. Trees eat my flies.
What I get a kick out of here is the folks that say tie your own flies and they won’t cost a buck fifty each. Well, they are likely right. The darn things will probably cost you about 3 bucks each.
There seems no limit to the appetite of a fly eating tree. I was always told that if you have to worry about loosing a fly in the trees, you should have bought/tied more. Retreiving the fly usully means rowing/wading over the water you were trying to fish, usually resulting in spooked fish. And since i have a compulsive habit of tying flies for each trip even though i have dozens left from all the other trips, loosing one to the trees is more of an offering to Saint Peter than a frustration anymore.
I had a client try to use the end of the fly rod to free a fly. Broke the tip off. Good thing for him it was my fly rod.
That being said, i feel the need to tie some flies for an upcoming trip cause i know the trees need to fatten up before winter sets in 
.
Have fun, Jeff
About the rod tip in the water and pushing the fly loose…BE DANGED CAREFUL. We have had to replace the tip section of a rod useing this approach. It proved to be more convenient to buy flies.
…lee s.
[b]Hey Jeff,
On the client breaking your rod tip off retrieving a fly, I have two things to say, the first is OoooouuuuCH!!! The second is, suggest him bringing his own expensive fly rod next time if he’s going to be using them as gardening tools. Hehehehehe!!!
Yes, the trees do in fact need to fatten up on $1.50 flies before winter time! That way the trees will stay healthy and won’t lose all their leaves, and your local fly shop won’t close it’s doors, which seems to be a dis-heartening trend lately, right?
I really enjoyed your humorous post, keep up the good work and tie a few for me!
Tight lines and screaming drags!
Terry[/b]
I just add the trees to the catch as in “I caught xxx trout today, one willow, two alders, a blackberry, one black poplar and some tall grass.”.
Gardenfish,
Did you steal Patrick Henry’s quote? :shock:
Doug
I regularly sacrifice my flies to the fish gods… snags on rocks trees my buddies waders … even my vest has a few trophies…Its a right of passage to the new flyfisher…one must pay up … in the 5 years or so I have been fly fishing I must have sacrificed a few thousand flies in NY and PA. H wever on a good note I think the number and quality of fish you catch is directly proportionate to the number of flies sacrificed to the the fish gods…
Glad to know your not the superstitous type!
Trees had a direct effect on my fishing because I taught myself how to tie flies.
You guys are making me embarrassed because I feel guilty not loving trees more! :oops:
Doug
I swear I saw a cottonwood intentionally reach out and grab my last spider fly. I don’t think that 40 mph Kansas wind had anything to do with it.
“Just The FACTS Maam, er Sir”
Jack Webb–Dragnet
Doug :roll: