Question:
I love fishing in general and hope someone can answer this for me...What's
the big deal about fly-fishing?
Answer:
I love fishing too. I use bait and artificial lures as well as fly
fishing methods. I like both fresh and saltwater fishing. I love eating
fish.
* For trout, you often need to be stealthy and a fly fishing approach
allows you to make a delicate presentation. Also, trout typically live in
beautiful places that offer solitude and splendor.
* I like wading. I like being close to the water. I like the fact that
my float tube requires that I provide my own propulsion yet keeps my hands
free. Although, fly fishing can become a hobby associated with the
massive accumulation of stuff, when I am on the stream or pond, wading or
tubing, I don't have to bring a tackle box - just a small tackle pack with
selected flies and equipment that allow me to address a variety of fishing
situations. Chasing smallmouth with a fanny pack & a fly rod is great
fun.
* I tie my own flies. I like to fish locally. I go back to my usual
haunts over and over again and still manage to learn new things. I can
tailor my baits (flies in this case) to the particular forage of the river
or lake I am fishing. I can experiment without having to shell out $5 -
$10 for the latest titanium spinnerbait or vacuum-metalized-finish plug.
Tying your own flies *can* be inexpensive and is very definitely
versatile.
Fly fishing is not so good where you need to make very long casts,
especially in adverse weather conditions. Also, it's not very effective
when you need to go very deep.
Mostly, I think fly fishing has a very nice combination of simplicity and
versatility. It ain't as simple as hanging a worm under a bobber into a
farm pond but it also doesn't require hauling around a mess of tackle.
