Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fly fishing vs. fishing with a flyrod

"Good breeding consists of concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person."
Mark Twain

"The smaller the mind the greater the conceit."
Aesop

"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it."
Bernard Bailey

"I see myself capable of arrogance and brutality... That's a fierce thing, to discover within yourself that which you despise the most in others."
George Stevens


Show me an elitist, and I'll show you a loser.

Tom Clancy quotes

This is exactly what I see happening in the whitetail world as well!! I love whitetail management almost as much as fish. I typed almost, this is POND BOSS after all.

I believe this has to be stopped or we will lose all new recruitmnet into the outdoor sports and more importantly, future stewards of the land.

I have talked to lots of kids after hearing they harvested their first whitetail. I remember mine like it was yesterday, 27 years ago. I got 10 yards away from a deer and shot it with a recurve. Heck at 20yds anyone could have caught my arrows they traveled so slow. I truely belive, that experience propelled me into everything outdoors. Farming, fishing,hunting and trapping as a kid is the key first step to becoming a great steward of the land and all the animals that God has provided, IMHO.

And more and more here is what I hear...."It was fun but it was only a 4 pointer, I probably should have waited for a bigger one but I got excited and shot him." Isn't that the whole point...for a kid to be excited!!!!! Excitement and experiencing pride that comes along with self-relience, thats how we get youth back into the outdoor sports and ultimately stewards of the land. Not 140" of antlers.

Holy Cow...Now I'm fired up!

I use a noodle rod in place of a fly rod, there are many similarities but fly rods have small line guides not really conducive to monofilament.

I never really fly fished much as I had no one to teach me nor any real reason for it until I went to college. Then while at college I was surrounded by some of the best trout fishing creeks in the east and a couple friends who were very good fly fisherman to teach me. One would only fish dry flies and was as uppity as it got when it came to fly fishing. The other did what ever worked best to catch fish. Me, I am in the whatever works to catch fish boat. If size 28 dry flies will catch the trout, that's what I will throw. If a live minnow will catch them, that's what I'll throw. Or, sometimes I just like using a certain technique because it is a challenge or something different.

However many of the creeks in PA have fly fishing only sections where you are limited to fly fishing gear and artificial flies that meet certain specifications. When I came back to VA, I continued fly fishing spreading out to mostly panfish like BG. I found BG in public waters were very smart but few had seen fly fishing gear and were much easier to catch on it. Something about a nice sized BG smacking a dry fly. Not quite as exciting as fooling an old trout, but close!

A wild 15" brook trout from a small stream is a RARE fish. I personally wouldn't keep a fish like that. There is a reason I don't open my mouth and share the areas I have found quality wild trout fishing. Wild trout do not have high fecundity and if you start keeping them, you can really hurt their populations quick. Especially in marginal trout habitat. I had no issues keeping and eating piles of stocker and hold over trout while in college and even today. But I have never eaten a wild trout. If it's legal to do, that is your choice... However, I would hope people would educate themselves and be considerate of fish populations that cannot handle harvest very well. I believe the posters on that forum were extremely rude. Have an opinion and educate... Don't be an elitist ass.

Don't even get me started on deer hunting...

What??? They now have rods for noodling? What is wrong with fingers on your hand and sneakers on your feet?

You will never find me diving under the surface of murky water, sticking my hole in dark holes preying a giant catfish bites my hand instead of a snapper, beaver, moccasin or lord knows what else!

+1



I also happen to be a fly fishing heretic.

I like to fly fish with a spinning rod and a casting bubble. It takes me back to my youth when my uncle taught to do this in the Big Horns mountains catching trout when I was a kid. IMO it also much more effcient than using a fly rod, your fly actually spends more time in the water in front of the fish and you can make much longer casts.

Flame suit on!

I'm taking Georges side on this one!

I'm glad to know that I'm not alone in being saddened that the young man was being so severely criticised for using a worm on a flyrod. I'd just about bet he wouldn't have been using a worm or harvested that trout if he was fishing in an area where that was illegal. Yes, I could be wrong, but I doubt it. I'd guess this young man has someone who has helped him learn right and wrong ways to enjoy the sport of fishing.

For me, it was and is my Dad. I'm very fortunate to be able to fish for bass tomorrow night from my own pond in my backyard and then fish for rainbows from the White River in AR the following afternoon at my Dad's place. I'm humbled by how fortunate I am to be able enjoy the outdoors, and for the fact that my Dad is still here for me to
spend time with him and to continue to learn from him. Niether of us is getting any
younger.

When I can, I try to encourage and help my nephews and nieces learn to fish. I try to just let them enjoy themselves and not get hung up on style. Sometimes I have laugh at how little I actually get to fish when I'm helping them, as it reminds me of how my Dad spent most of the time helping my brothers and me get untangled on our first trip to Minnesota in the 1960's when us kids were just learning to fish using cloth line and open face reels! (The next year Dad bought us all Zebco 202's, and I think he got to
fish a little more that year!).

It's great to know that so many good folks here appreciate fly fishing for bass. I have an old friend I don't get to see very often anyore who started fly fishing for bass on farm ponds about 8 or 10 years ago. I'm hoping to get him up to my place sometime soon to help me learn more. That is my next challenge, and from watching my pond in the evenings, it should be a lot of fun. And that is the point to me-fishing should be fun. Catching just makes it better!

GGB

Travis, what the dickens is a noodling rod?

Never mind. I found it.

How long is the one you have?

Dave and Travis, here is the lastest and greatest pseudo cane pole:
http://www.tenkarausa.com/index.php?cPath=22

Tenkara rods are ideal for mountain stream fly fishing and for catching smaller fish such as bluegill or smallmouth. Tenkara rods are ultra lightweight, very portable, telescoping into a mere 20 inches, and thus excellent for backpacking. At eleven to over fourteen feet long, all tenkara rods shine when fishing in mountain streams and their simplicity is a huge draw for other places too.

Although we want to keep our lineup simple, we thought anglers would benefit from a good selection of rods to fit their needs.
You may watch this 7 minute video for a walk-through of our tenkara rod models. And, here's a chart to help assist in selecting your tenkara rod.

Quick suggestions: If in doubt, get the 12ft Iwana, a great all arounder. The 13ft Ayu for average and relatively open stream and desire for a softer rod. 13ft-14ft7in Ito is our premium rod and an excellent tenkara rod for more open mountain streams. The 11ft Iwana is good for tighter streams with lots of trees overhead. The 12ft Yamame and 13ft6inches Amago are good options if you constantly catch fish over 17inches or bass.

I have three, 1 is 8', 1 is 9' and 1 is 10'. My favorite use for them these days is using ultra light line to fight larger fish. However, with a new born I am not doing much of any fish fighting as of lately. HAHA

Interesting rods George... They remind me of what a lot of the guys who do the micro fishing are using.

I'm having video problems on my PC so can't see the YouTube videos on the tenkara site. Some videos work and others don't.

However, I just don't see me spending around $150.00 for a telescoping fishing pole. The noodling poles are a lot more affordable.