tomfly
The only thing left should be foot prints.
I been fly fishing for well over 35 years. I think I am a very good at my craft. Some guys (a select few) have that something extra that most of us do not possess.
I have read 3 books cover to cover on the subject matter. Ray Bergman’s Trout, I think is a must read for all fly fisherman. The other 2 are Art Flicks Stream Side Guide and The Soft Hackled Fly Addict by Sylvester Nemes. I also have read sections of other books. Some I agree with. Some find to be BS. I have watched very few videos. I am skeptical when I watch them. My first question is; where are they fishing? Are they fishing on some private water stocked to the max with limited or no pressure? If that is the case, we all can make a video on how to catch dumb fish. I am glad I am not just starting to fly fish because it is information overload and a lot of it is contradictory and confusing. I also believe that watching and reading can only take you so far in the journey of becoming a quality fly fisher men.
The best does not make you the best.
The rod, the reel the line, and the fly are all tangibles. The latest and greatest gadgets marketed do nothing to make one a complete fly fisherman. Being a great caster and throwing a full fly line with the best equipment that money can buy. It looks assume. Does it make you expert fly fisher men? I am talking about the things that can not be bought, read, watched or taught. The intangibles of what makes great fly fishermen.
Being meticulous and methodical.
For many seasons I would play the guessing game on what I was going to do on a particular day of fishing. Weather, temperature, stream conditions played no part in it. I would decide while rigging the rod on what fly I was going to use. I can assure you that it is a frustrating way to fish. A lot of fly fishermen use this approach. I can not shake my head at them because I did the same exact thing. I had a moment of clarity one day. I was getting ready to tie on a fly . I thought if I were to go to an Italian restaurant would I order Chinese food? The waiter would look at you as if you were insane. So why take the same with an approach while choosing a fly. That is the day I made my first journal entry. A journal is not a hit the nail on the head approach on what technique or fly to use but it will put you on the playing field.
Do what works and be willing to change your approach.
I do not know if my approach is the right one. It works for me. I also think an individual’s way of fly fishing is very personal. What works for one individual may not work for someone else. I can’t say that I have a so called “technique”. I try to allow the conditions to dictate my approach. I also can’t say that I euro nymph , High stick or just swing flies. It is more of a hybrid of all of them. That is what works for me. When I do find a combination that is effective on a given day. I try to be repetitive with that approach. I also do some things with certain conditions that are hard to put into words. I could show you but can’t put it into words. I have also tried some techniques that have produced fish only on only one occasion and have never been able to reproduce it. That is a head scratcher.
Try to understand your quarry.
As the actual angler verses fish, I try to simplify my analogy on why a fish behaves the way that is does. It is hard to look at the world from the fish’s perspective. I believe to become more advanced at the art of fly fishing, you better try to interpret why the fish is behaving in the manor that it is. We use language as way to think. A fish has no spoken language. That is tough to conceive.
I can assess this. All fish do possess basic survival skills. A fish will react to stimuli; food, predators, pecking order, stream conditions. I think most fish are binary thinkers. There are only 2 options for them (yes or no). They are the easy fish to catch. Every section of a stream has a dominate fish in it. He is the one that evolves beyond that binary thought pattern. He is smarter then the rest of them. He is the master of his environment. He rarely puts himself in a situation he is uncomfortable in. He can see you coming. While feeding his guard is always up. That is the fish that I covet. When you can trick him you are at the top of your game.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with my philosophy. Like I stated fly fishing is very personal and every individual is different. So what attributes set some of us from the rest of the crowd.
I have read 3 books cover to cover on the subject matter. Ray Bergman’s Trout, I think is a must read for all fly fisherman. The other 2 are Art Flicks Stream Side Guide and The Soft Hackled Fly Addict by Sylvester Nemes. I also have read sections of other books. Some I agree with. Some find to be BS. I have watched very few videos. I am skeptical when I watch them. My first question is; where are they fishing? Are they fishing on some private water stocked to the max with limited or no pressure? If that is the case, we all can make a video on how to catch dumb fish. I am glad I am not just starting to fly fish because it is information overload and a lot of it is contradictory and confusing. I also believe that watching and reading can only take you so far in the journey of becoming a quality fly fisher men.
The best does not make you the best.
The rod, the reel the line, and the fly are all tangibles. The latest and greatest gadgets marketed do nothing to make one a complete fly fisherman. Being a great caster and throwing a full fly line with the best equipment that money can buy. It looks assume. Does it make you expert fly fisher men? I am talking about the things that can not be bought, read, watched or taught. The intangibles of what makes great fly fishermen.
Being meticulous and methodical.
For many seasons I would play the guessing game on what I was going to do on a particular day of fishing. Weather, temperature, stream conditions played no part in it. I would decide while rigging the rod on what fly I was going to use. I can assure you that it is a frustrating way to fish. A lot of fly fishermen use this approach. I can not shake my head at them because I did the same exact thing. I had a moment of clarity one day. I was getting ready to tie on a fly . I thought if I were to go to an Italian restaurant would I order Chinese food? The waiter would look at you as if you were insane. So why take the same with an approach while choosing a fly. That is the day I made my first journal entry. A journal is not a hit the nail on the head approach on what technique or fly to use but it will put you on the playing field.
Do what works and be willing to change your approach.
I do not know if my approach is the right one. It works for me. I also think an individual’s way of fly fishing is very personal. What works for one individual may not work for someone else. I can’t say that I have a so called “technique”. I try to allow the conditions to dictate my approach. I also can’t say that I euro nymph , High stick or just swing flies. It is more of a hybrid of all of them. That is what works for me. When I do find a combination that is effective on a given day. I try to be repetitive with that approach. I also do some things with certain conditions that are hard to put into words. I could show you but can’t put it into words. I have also tried some techniques that have produced fish only on only one occasion and have never been able to reproduce it. That is a head scratcher.
Try to understand your quarry.
As the actual angler verses fish, I try to simplify my analogy on why a fish behaves the way that is does. It is hard to look at the world from the fish’s perspective. I believe to become more advanced at the art of fly fishing, you better try to interpret why the fish is behaving in the manor that it is. We use language as way to think. A fish has no spoken language. That is tough to conceive.
I can assess this. All fish do possess basic survival skills. A fish will react to stimuli; food, predators, pecking order, stream conditions. I think most fish are binary thinkers. There are only 2 options for them (yes or no). They are the easy fish to catch. Every section of a stream has a dominate fish in it. He is the one that evolves beyond that binary thought pattern. He is smarter then the rest of them. He is the master of his environment. He rarely puts himself in a situation he is uncomfortable in. He can see you coming. While feeding his guard is always up. That is the fish that I covet. When you can trick him you are at the top of your game.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with my philosophy. Like I stated fly fishing is very personal and every individual is different. So what attributes set some of us from the rest of the crowd.
