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...