Fishing Q&A - fly fishing vs other types of fishing?

fly fishing vs other types of fishing?

I've been fishing on a normal rod with line and sinkers and what not. I just wanted to read the experiences of people who've been fishing on this type of set up compared to those of fly fishing. I was pondering on the issue of starting up fly fishing myself.

Public Comments

hey i do this all the time and fish for rainbow and brook trout. the key is to use a water filled bob. you can get em at walmart or sports authority for like .. 4 bucks ... a 12 pack. dont get just one or two ... they break occasionally. but theyre clear and you fill em with water and so it floats, but is rather invisible to fish. it also helps you cast wayyy far. just make sure as you are reeling, that you reel in slowly and jerk your rod ever so slightly as to imitate the movements of a fly. also ... dont use them cheap shit flies you get in starter packs. they never workedo ut for me. spend like 10 dollars and get 10 quality flies from a good store. dick sporting goods sells flies too but sometimes theyre pricey. best look for a special fly fishing or regular fishing store nearby. the local stores are great b/c the people will talk you through things. lastly, dont buy only one kind of fly. get 3 or 4 to test what kind works on what fish. sometimes ill have no luck with a fly then ill change it to another and ill catch a fish within 5 minutes. oh and make sure your line good too. the less visible it is, the less chance you have at spooking a fish. so basically in short i just used my rod + good line + fly + water bob. doesnt cost THAT much more. i think my rod plus reel was like 15. my line was like 5 and my flies were a buck apiece. but i regularly catch the quota with my dad and bro everytime we go out. oh and this might be common sense, but make sure your flies correspond to the type of trout or coldwater fish you want. i live in colorado so i fish at a lake thats 9000 above sea level. i tried in a reservoir at 7000 and apparently the water wasnt cold enough to sustain trout. oh and go in the morning. they dissappear around midday. email me if you need any other advice. good luck fishing
Flyfishing takes finesse, stamina, intelligence, & commitment. It's a LOT of hard work, but the "return" is awesome! If you enjoy sinking/floating a bait, flyfishing may not be the kinda fishing you will like. Flyfishing is "interactive" and requires constant "movement" & decision making ability's. In my opinion, If there is a type of fishing that could be considered art ,flyfishing is it! Also, a good starter Freshwater Trout Reel/Rod Combo will cost in the neighborhood of $100-$200,(+ another $50-$60 for decent line, and 50+ for flys and misc). Although they do work perfect for Trout/Salmon applications , Fly-rods catch Bluegill/Crappie like crazy! In my opinion, you only benefit from learning fly-fishing because it teaches the angler various important things such as; patience, control, water-reading ability, cast management, Etc. I always feel like I'm "stalking" fish when I go fly-fishing! (PS: Wait for PheasantTail or SageFishers answer! They are the resident "guru's" of the fly.) Update for the guy "below me": I learn alot from my 4 yr old. (lol) And of course, learning is the most important part of anything you do. It would be a shame if I woke up 1 morning after "40 years of fishing" and knew I couldn't learn any MORE! What a drab existence, to be an expert in something everyone "thinks" they are an expert in! (lol) Put my @ss back in Kindergarten, please! Montana is def a great Trout spot! I am certainly NOT an expert in trout/salmon flyfishing. I grew up in FLA flyfishing in saltwater & for Freshwater Bass,(back when flyfishing in saltwater was unheard of!). And although catching a 5 LB Brown Trout in a pristine stream in "Gods Country" is fun, hooking into a saltwater Spec Trout, 8 LB Large-mouth Bass, or 15 LB Redfish ain't "shabby" either. Which brings me to another unfortunate "aspect" of Fly-fishing. "Snobbery"! Because FF can be an expensive, time-consuming, hobby some would think they are more "elite" than your typical Spin/Conventional fisherman. If you meet people like this ignore them and continue learning the many different "values" fishing endear's: Modesty, Kind-spirited Attitude , Non-boasting, Easy-going, Etc. Above all, remember, just because you have a flyrod in your hand doesn't mean your a "class-act". (wink!) Hope this helps ya, Alkric? Good luck!
The first answerer above me is a kindergarten fly fisherman!! I have been a "real" fly fisherman for over 40 years!!! I taught my self on a river in front of my parents house in Montana!! Their is nothing like catching your first fish on a fly rod.I don't care if it is only 5 inches long!! Go down to Barnes and Noble or anywhere you might find some fly fishing magazines!! Their are plenty of sites ,where you can order videos of fly fishing and you can really learn from them!! I have read "Fly Fisherman " magazine for many years and sure learned a lot,but mostly experience made me a decent fisherman!!! You might consider investing in a "float tube"..great fun and a very good way to get out where the trout are on a beautiful lake!!! good luck and you will never regret learning to fly fish the right way!!
It depends on what you like to do. Fly fishing can be a bit more active than let say fishing for catfish which is typically a waiting game. For me . . . its all about downing a few beers and hanging with the boys, and cooking what I catch over an open fire right out of the water. So I dont fly fish much. However if you like to be active and you dont mind practicing to aquire good technique then fly fish away!
Hey, give it a shot, I did and actually found the best of two worlds! I'm not an avid fly fisherman but occasionally find myself switchin' over to one (fly rod), instead of conventional riggins'. Don't know how ta' explain it, maybe the workin' of the rod itself, the use of tyed flys that are the closest ta' natures best, havin' that fish tag my dry fly while driftin' on top of the water or goin' with a streamer and watchin' your line cut a movin' riffle? Just can't really narrow down the fly fishin' experience with words ;(. Hey, if this is anything at all, "variety is the spice of life"! To reiterate give it a shot ;)...
To call another fisherman a kindergarten fisherman is being a real jerk in my book. Just because you live out in Gods Country ( Montana, Wyoming,Idaho) where most of the avid fly fishing is done, does not give you the right to judge another fisherman on a post they made. Could it be he simplified it, due to the question asked? Saying that fly fishing takes more concentration than other types of fishing is also non sense. I used to fly fish a LOT when I lived in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Each style of fishing has its own merits, depending on the area, person, etc. With all that said....Try fly fishing, you may come to like it, but be for warned it takes, some time and practice in order to keep from snapping the fly off the leader or learning how to roll cast etc. The hardest part is getting that little fly on the hook tho LOL. Again I will state every type of fishing has its place, and conditions, not all styles of fishing will meet all conditions.
I've been doing both for a few years now (though not this year, 'cos I'm too broke to get my licenses, etc). The main differences are: 1) Have to learn a variety of different casts to what you're used to, seeing as the only thing on the end of your line is a hook tarted up to resemble an insect acting as your bait. Usually doesn't take more than an hour or two to get the basic idea of doing it. 2) You can carry an absolute minimum of tackle, making it easier to walk off exploring..... only need Rod & reel, box of flies, some leader material, sunglasses & cap (for safety reasons) + some forceps to unhook the fish, and maybe a landing net. 3) You usually retrieve the line via finger & thumb, instead of via the handle on the reel... so when you do catch something, it's a more direct fight..... and even a trout the size of your hand..... or even Thumb sized feels fun to catch. 4) your retrieved line is usually dangling round your feet until you cast out again, and not wound back onto the reel (which is usually only used to store the line you're not using, unlike when bait fishing). 5) Sometimes bites can be pretty aggressive...... one moment you can be stood there retrieving your flyline between your fingers thinking it looks like your going to blank..... then all of a sudden, a flash of silver will appear from nowhere, launching at your fly, nearly giving you a heart attack / soiled undergarments. 6) The wearing of polarised sunglasses & a cap of some sort take on an added importance.... because of having just a hook tarted up to look like an insect on the end of your line, it can be pretty susceptible to getting blown off course while casting....... with a pretty good chance it could wind up getting hooked into your head or eyeballs if you ain't wearing a cap & sunglasses for protection. Check out "John Bailey's Complete Guide to Fly Fishing"... the best book I've ever read on fly fishing: http://astore.amazon.com/wormdanglecou-20/detail/1580112331/102-7265848-8374509
I took the liberty of cutting and pasting a previous answer of mine: I think that sometimes because the sport has become favored by the aristocrats alot of common folk equate it with snobbery and high class and perceive it as difficult to learn. Not true !! Anyone who wants to learn, can learn. Flycasting is not that difficult. Yes, you need to put a little study time into entomology, but that is just part of the learning curve. Another (IMO) pre-conceived notion is that you need to spend a ton of money on gear. Again, not true. A very good start-up outfit to include rod/reel/flyline shouldn't run more than $300. Alot of spinning and baitcasting gear can easily run into that amount of money. One of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that for the most part you are fishing rivers and streams (of course there are times when lake fishing can be done). That being said, it makes you much more intimate with your surroundings, you're not just fishing, you're stalking. That is why I enjoy it so much. Just wondering: for all the "real" flyfishermen out there: did you get a certificate designating you as such ? If so, who signed it ?
this is a good question you may want to try posting at fishntell
fly fishing is a great sport i used to be like you but since i started flyfishing im so addicted, it takes some skill but is far more natural than winding in a fish with your reel amazing....give it a go... it will take you all over the world i have all ready made 3 trips too the rockies fly fishing as well as alot of europe and one day it could be somewhere even further
they are totally different types of fishing, fly fishing is much harder at first and is more expensive do get good qaulity gear, which is a must. But on the other side the feeling of catching a fish on a fly is much better in my opion. You can fly fish for any kind of fish and it takes the will to go out and not get a bit for three hours and keep switching flys but once you find the one that works you can catch lots of fish. I have found that keeping a log of time, water temp clearity, the fly, date and where on the lake have made it much easyer for me to pic the fly or spot. I would say go to bass pro or cabelas and talk to the guys in there for a while, they could help you get started. You might as well give it a try but go withsome people who already fly fish that can help you.
Fishing. It's been around sinch man discovered fish were in the water, and thought he could eat 'em. I started as a boy with a bamboo cane pole with braided line, a bobber and a big 'ol worm hook goin' after catfish in the slough. Mom, Aunt Fern, and Grama baited the hooks, and helped us get the fish off and in the bucket. We caught 'em by the dozens and fried 'em up in cornmeal. Nothin' compares. Then my uncle Al took me Striped Bass fishin' in the Sacramento River. We used big spinning rods and reels, and big chunks of sardine for bait. Biggest fish I ever caught, then.... Nothin' compares.. Thirteen years old, my dad finally decided to take me fishin'. "Trout are the hardest fish in the world to catch" he told me. He took fishin' more seriously than anyone I'd ever known. As he should. Proper fishin' is serious. Serious fun, serious relaxation, serious business, serious in all it's forms. Trout aren't really that hard to catch, I found, if you're seriously fishin' Nothin' Compares... Then I lived on Oregon's beautiful North Unpqua for a time in the '60's. It had a section designated Fly Only Area. It had the biggest run of Summer Steelhead in the whole state.... I discovered Fly Fishing, both with a spinning outfit and a casting bubble, and a traditional split bamboo fly rod and Orvis reel. I discovered, also, the magnificent Steelhead jumping and dancing at the end of my 3# leader with my size 16 black gnat firmly in his upper lip....... Nothin' compares...... Then, at 17 I went to Brookings, OR, and spent three years learning Salmon, Lingcod, Halibut, Rockfish, Flounder, Snapper Tuna, Baitcasting outfit, Fathoms, Knots, Port & Starboard. I once caught a 75 pound lingcod on 25 pound line, and a 35 pound Chinook Salmon out beyond the sight of land. I caught hundreds of Dungeness Crab in nets, and bushels of bay clams at low tide. Nothin' compares..... I learned to tie my own flies, just to be more in tune with the magic of fishin' Then, I had a son, and watched him catch his first fish, a little brook trout on a chunk of nightcrawler in a little spring creek name of Ash Creek. (pronounced "crick" if ya say it right.) He was 6, and another fisherman was born. He's 18 now, and the best fishin' partner I could ever have. He takes his fishin seriously, spinfishes, swings a fly with a graphite 8 wt. , casts in the mighty Pacific surf with a baitcaster, and usually catches fish, even when they may not be biting. One time we had hiked in to our favorite hole of all time on Ash crick when my son was 8. We were two miles from the pickup, and comin' back up to the trail, I see a fresh cougar track right on top of one of my own I made on the way in thirty minutes earlier. Wow ! Hey, son, come here, it's time ta go...Nothin' compares..... I've taught Fishin' to two nephews, three nieces, one son, three great nephews, three great nieces, two granddaughters, one daughter, and a son - in - law. Last summer the whole dam bunch of us, and my brother, was on Lake Britton, in Northern California, jiggin' little rubber jigs for crappie. The bite was on and everybody from 5 to 65 was catchin' 'em like gangbusters. Nothin' compares..... By all means, friend, take up fly fishin'. Fly rod, reel, and line. or spinning rig with a casting bubble. Lots of the finest river fisheries in the world are restricting some of the waters to fly only fishing, and that alone is reason enough, but , There is no "elite" type of fishing. On the water, all true fishermen, whether male or female, young or old, new, or old hands at it, .....All are equal, and if they're there to impress someone, they're never gonna really be fishermen. Nothin' compares, friend nothin', and any fisherman will tell ya that...........