Now that a new Pope has been elected it got me to thinking about perhaps the ultimate sin on the FAOL WW board. Which is---------spin fishing or baitcasting. If indeed confession is good for the soul, I must admit I have sinned. The crappie are biting but they haven’t moved up shallow yet in the big lakes. They are out past the first drop, staging, waiting for the right water temp before moving up to procreate. I must confess that I tried the long rod but just couldn’t keep up with my gear headed bretheren so, like the man says, “if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em”. So I did and I’m now putting a few in the freezer with the ultralight spinning rod. When they move up to spawn I’m back to the long rod but until then, I’ll continue to sin.
I feel better already about my confession.
Anyone else out there that needs to come forward and get it off your chest or are you indeed “pure”?
I think I use the spinning/baitcasting gear more than the fly gear. I’m not as proficient at bass fishing with the fly rod as I am with the spinning rod. In fact, about a month ago I caught my biggest bass ever, 21.5" and over 5 pounds. My little 4 wt. wouldn’t have handled that fish too well anyways.
When it comes to panfish, though, the fly rod is way more fun for me and I catch a lot more gills with it. The big problem with springtime here, though, is the wind. I’m not a very good caster and even a little wind makes things tough. So for now, unless I can get out on a reasonably calm day, I’ve been using the spinning tackle. Although I have been tying on a casting bubble and using flies anyways.
Man O’man Robert…I respect ya. I mean having the (ahem) to post THAT on a public forum!!! :-))
All the best.
Jeremy. …me? Nah. Ne’er did nutt’n wrong…
I think the above absolution should pretty well cover all sins, but didn’t the original JC forgive the past and tell the sinner to sin no more. The spinning rigs must go, the bait and the bobber as well, let not your brethern and sisterin lead you any more down the path of the fiberglass bottomed,plastic castin, patch festooned,30lb. test, tobbaco spittin heathen. Go in peace to catch some more.
Hey Robert - Am I even more of a sinner since I’m “in the business” ??? ( My rod company does make exactly 4 spinning rods. Does that help at all with some kind of absolution ?? )
Down here on the coast, when it’s blowing over 25 with gusts up to 40, and considering that all this fishining stuff is SUPPOSED to be fun, yeah, I’ll use a spinning rod.
If I’m Striper fishing below the dam at Texoma & they turn the water on, thereby making my backcast room go away, am I a total sinner if I get a big surf rod out of the car ?? I’m just tryin’ ta have some fun.
Here’s a bit of a fishin’ story from a long-time sinner…
Years ago, when I was living in Dallas and Lake Fork was newly opened (Yes, I did sneak in there a few times a little “early”, but never got caught.), I got it in my head that I just really NEEDED to catch an over-10# Bass on a fly rod, since I was in the FF business, and, naturally, you were bound to catch at LEAST one 10 pounder every trip to Fork. Yeah. Right. This stupid quest took almost a full year.
My main rig was a 10 weight, sinking lines,20 pound leaders and 4/0 things I made that were sort of a giant woolhead sculpin. In other words, I was fishing a jig-n-eel, but with an odd looking rod & reel.
Focusing on Fork for most of one whole year, I did manage to catch several 7 - 9 pound fish in shallow water with more reasonable gear, on the nests (yet a further sin ), but the over-10 eluded me. I fished hard all summer, into the winter, and finally, the next February, in Mustang cove, I caught the biggest Bass I’ve ever caught on any gear, a 12# 2 oz monster that pulled fairly hard, but was mostly just weight on the line, a pre-spawn female, full of eggs.
Since there was a radio-tagged 15 pound fish known to hang out in Mustang at the time, there were, understandably, at least 8 or 10 other boats in there that day.
We all know how well sound travels across water. When I grabbed that fish, there were 5 or 6 comments that went something like this - “Look at that George !!! (Slim, Bubba,Wayne, whoever) That s.o.b. just caught MY fish on a G** damn trout pole !!!” There were a couple of other boats that came up, congratulated me, and thought it was pretty cool, but most of what I heard sounded resentful. Insane, I thought, and still do.
Well, I caught my over-10, but man was it ever a lot of work. These days, if I get the chance to fish a Lake Fork, and I know we’re going to be fishing say, 15 feet deep on structure or hydrilla edges, I’m use a casting rod. Yes, I’m a sinner.
Cary
We are going to sin this comming week. We are going to troll our flies. Oh well…
I guess I’m unrepentant. I fish with what ever my fishing companion-du-jour wishes. And I’m thinking about drowning some sweet corn tonight! 
Please note the winking eye icon. I wish there was one with a tongue in the cheek. Having been married 25 years and having two teenagers I’m not accustomed to being taken seriously. I use a baitcasting rod and braided nylon line for muskies so I include myself in the heathen hordes.
I stay righteous with the fly rod, but I do use plastics, spinner blades, spoons, and pork rinds with it. No bait…yet!
Lo, my brothers and sisters, I must warn you about sinning against the flyfishing Gods.
Just this past Sunday, I chose tread the path of darkness. I intended to attack the crappie in the pond with…minnows, bobbers, and an ultralight spinning rod!!! (gasp!)
This greatly angered the flyfishing Gods, and they commenced to smite me for my transgression. First, I got the truck stuck in the sand. Ended up having to spend $100 on a come-along and chain. As i was working on getting the truck out, I opened the door into my cheekbone…hard! I now have an almost-shiner and a cut on my cheek. Determined to commit my sin, I went ahead and lanched the boat and tried to fish. I hadn’t moved 20 feet before I knocked over my minnow bucket! And worst of all, NO FISH! So, woe be unto us poor sinners. I think I’ll stick with the righteous path in the near future!
Swamp
I only use the fly rod and I never use bait or scent on it and I don’t care how hard the wind is blowing.
Give up your crutch guys!!!
(you might find you become a better fly fisherman. or you might not catch as many fish then you’ll come looking for me to beat my butt. just don’t tell me you catch more fish on spinning because i’m always tempted to try ANYTHING that works at times. 100% pure to date though)
For a minute there I thought I was going to have to confess to using bobbers, er, I mean strike indicators.
Robert,
Your timing always seems to coincide with mine. Anymore, I am probably 98% flyfishing & never (almost) use the other stuff. In fact, I decided to sell off all but 1 casting, 1 ultralight, 1 lightweight & 1 surf spinning outfit. Then my oldest daughter called…her fiance’s oldest daughter had an old cheapy that gave out & Molly said, “Gee, Daddy, if the price is right, she’s interested, but she can’t afford too much, and I know your stuff is pretty good.” Well, ol’ sucker here is now busy puttin’ together a couple outfits, tackle box, lures, hooks, line, etc for the grand total of “a hug & a smile” (worth FAR more than money). I told my wife I may as well get rid of the stuff I don’t use anymore…I’m workin’ on it!..Call it “repentance”!!!
Mike
I’m with Idabel on this one, strictly fly rod, but for Bass, I will “match the bass plug” with soft plastic, small spinners, lead, and plastic bills, in an effort to catch them more frequently. In most cases, if I can’t catch them on a fly rod I just as soon not fish.
I have no problem admitting to using them, in alot of cases they are better than fly rodding. I use whatever needs using to catch fish and that includes live bait.
I ask for no forgiveness.
Fatman
I do on rare occaisions. I may try and s(p)in no more.
jed
If you load your fly reel with mono line to nymph fish – that’s not a sin, is it?
Not me. I’m a perfect little angel.
Hey Robert,
You ask the darndest questions.G I am
a sometimes purist and a sometimes not so
pure flyflinger. I have my strictly dries
on cane days and nymph and scud patterns on
a light graphite rod for gills and red ears.
However, Around the first of May when the
channel cats are coming off the beds on the
flats, my 5 weight comes out of the case and
gets rigged with 7 feet of 6 weight mono,
a split shot, # 6 hook, bobber, and a live
cricket. Drifted in 6 foot of water on the
flats it will produce 5 to 15 pound channel
cats till ya get too tuckered to pull them
in any more. Yep, I backslide every
spring but we sure enjoy the catfish fries
as a result.G Warm regards, Jim
For the past four years, I have been as pure as the driven snow. Honestly, I have no need of confession. No spinning, baitcasting, hardware or even plastic bubbles. Plastic baits on a flyrod, I do that all the time. 8T
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.